Radio România Internațional

Tag: union

January 24, 2024

CELEBRATION Military and religious ceremonies, performances and exhibitions took place on Friday in all the major cities in Romania, marking the Union of the Principalities. In Orthodox churches, special services were performed and bells were rung for a minute. 166 years ago, on January 24, 1859, Alexandru Ioan Cuza was elected ruler of Wallachia, after having been elected ruler of Moldavia on January 5. The political decision by the principalities to unite was the first stage in the creation of the modern Romanian state. Leading politicians sent messages on the Day of the Union of the Romanian Principalities. “January 24 is a moment of assessment and reflection on the legacy of our ancestors and on the responsibility we have to preserve and promote it,” president Klaus Iohannis emphasised. PM Marcel Ciolacu pointed out that the Union is an example of how an important political project undertaken in accordance with the will of the people can become reality. Romanians enjoy an extended weekend on this occasion, as Union Day has been declared a public holiday. Many have chosen to spend it in mountain resorts.

PROTEST Railway workers, reserve officers, police staff, miners, foresters, steelworkers, Bucharest Metro employees and pensioners Friday took part in a protest rally in front of the Government headquarters. People are unhappy with the government order that froze salary increases for many public sector personnel at the beginning of this year, and because public pensions are no longer adjusted to the inflation rate. According to Radio Romania, a trade union delegation had talks with government officials, but without results. A reorganisation of central public institutions and state-owned companies was also announced these days. According to PM Marcel Ciolacu, restructuring the public sector is a priority for the current governing coalition comprising the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party, and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Emil Hurezeanu will have a meeting with NATO’s secretary general Mark Rutte at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday, January 28, reads a statement from the North Atlantic Alliance. On January 14, Emil Hurezeanu received the US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, James O’Brien. According to a foreign ministry news release, on that occasion the Romanian official appreciated the US contribution to the security and defense of NATO’s Eastern Flank, as well as to the development of the strategic approach to the Black Sea region. The two officials also appreciated the bilateral relationship, highlighting ‘significant’ achievements such as Romania’s inclusion in the Visa Waiver program, the development of economic and energy sector cooperation, and coordinated Romania – US – EU action.

ELECTIONS The Liberals will convene on Sunday in a special National Council meeting to validate the former party president Crin Antonescu as the joint candidate of the ruling coalition in Romania in the presidential elections in May. The Social Democrats scheduled a special congress on February 2 for the same purpose, and UDMR will make its decision at the beginning of next week. The first and second rounds of the presidential elections are scheduled for May 4 and 18. So far, the mayor of Bucharest, Nicuşor Dan, the independent candidate Călin Georgescu and the president of Save Romania Union, Elena Lasconi, have announced plans to run for president. The latter two were top placed in the presidential elections canceled last year. After the first election round on November 24 was validated, the Constitutional Court of Romania canceled the election as a whole on December 6, although voting in the second round had already begun abroad. The Court made its decision after the Supreme Defence Council published a report indicating foreign interference in the electoral process, but investigations have so far failed to confirm it. Tens of thousands of Romanians took to the streets to demand that the second round be resumed.

CORRUPTION The mayor of the popular Romanian mountain resort of Sinaia, the Liberal Vlad Oprea, was placed under court supervision on Thursday, with bail set at over EUR 100,000, as part of a corruption-related investigation. Charges of abuse of office also entailed a ban on him holding the mayor position. According to prosecutors with the National Anticorruption Directorate, among other things, Vlad Oprea allegedly demanded and received almost EUR 240,000 in bribe from a businessman, in exchange for expediting the paperwork for the building of a hotel in the resort.

EXPULSION The Romanian Embassy in Belgrade has asked for clarifications from the Serbian authorities as to why a Romanian national was expelled from the country. Other EU and third country citizens taking part in an NGO training workshop were also involved in the incident. The Romanian, a member of an organisation involved in social projects, was taken to a police station in Belgrade, along with other participants in the workshop. Without explanation, but citing national security reasons, they were ordered to leave Serbia within 24 hours, and banned from entering this country for one year. The Romanian national left the country safely. The expulsion of EU citizens from Serbia is unprecedented. (AMP)

24 January 2025
January 24, 2025 UPDATE 2

CELEBRATION Military and religious ceremonies, performances and exhibitions took place on Friday in all the major cities in Romania, marking the Union of the Principalities. In Orthodox churches, special services were performed and bells were rung for a minute. 166 years ago, on January 24, 1859, Alexandru Ioan Cuza was elected ruler of Wallachia, after having been elected ruler of Moldavia on January 5. The political decision of the principalities to unite was the first stage in the creation of the modern Romanian state. Leading politicians sent messages on the Day of the Union of the Romanian Principalities. “January 24 is a moment of assessment and reflection on the legacy of our ancestors and on the responsibility we have to preserve and promote it,” president Klaus Iohannis emphasised. PM Marcel Ciolacu pointed out that the Union is an example of how an important political project undertaken in accordance with the will of the people can become reality. Romanians enjoy an extended weekend on this occasion, as Union Day has been declared a public holiday. Many have chosen to spend it in mountain resorts.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Emil Hurezeanu will have a meeting with NATO’s secretary general Mark Rutte at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on Tuesday, January 28, reads a statement from the North Atlantic Alliance. On January 14, Emil Hurezeanu received the US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, James O’Brien. According to a foreign ministry news release, on that occasion the Romanian official appreciated the US contribution to the security and defense of NATO’s Eastern Flank, as well as to the development of the strategic approach to the Black Sea region. The two officials also appreciated the bilateral relationship, highlighting ‘significant’ achievements such as Romania’s inclusion in the Visa Waiver program, the development of economic and energy sector cooperation, and coordinated Romania – US – EU action.

24 January 2025
January 24, 2025

CELEBRATION Military and religious ceremonies, performances and exhibitions are taking place today in all the major cities in Romania, marking the Union of the Principalities. In Orthodox churches, special services were performed and bells were rung for a minute. 166 years ago, on January 24, 1859, Alexandru Ioan Cuza was elected ruler of Wallachia, after having been elected ruler of Moldavia on January 5. The political decision of the principalities to unite was the first stage in the creation of the modern Romanian state. Leading politicians sent messages on the Day of the Union of the Romanian Principalities. “January 24 is a moment of assessment and reflection on the legacy of our ancestors and on the responsibility we have to preserve and promote it,” president Klaus Iohannis emphasised. PM Marcel Ciolacu pointed out that the Union is an example of how an important political project undertaken in accordance with the will of the people can become reality. Romanians enjoy an extended weekend on this occasion, as Union Day has been declared a public holiday. Many have chosen to spend it in mountain resorts. However, as protests are announced in addition to many events planned throughout the country, over 22,000 interior ministry employees are mobilised to ensure public order and peace.

PROTEST Railway workers, reserve officers, police staff, miners, foresters, steelworkers, Bucharest Metro employees and pensioners announced their participation today in a protest rally in front of the Government headquarters. Tens of thousands of people are expected to attend. People are unhappy with the government order that froze salary increases at the beginning of this year, and because public pensions are no longer adjusted to the inflation rate. A reorganisation of central public institutions and state-owned companies was also announced these days. According to PM Marcel Ciolacu, restructuring the public sector is a priority for the current governing coalition comprising the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party, and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania.

ELECTIONS The Liberals will convene on Sunday in a special National Council meeting to validate the former party president Crin Antonescu as the joint candidate of the ruling coalition in Romania in the presidential elections in May. The Social Democrats scheduled a special congress on February 2 for the same purpose, and UDMR will make its decision at the beginning of next week. The first and second rounds of the presidential elections are scheduled for May 4 and 18. So far, the mayor of Bucharest, Nicuşor Dan, the independent candidate Călin Georgescu and the president of Save Romania Union, Elena Lasconi, have announced plans to run for president. The latter two were top placed in the presidential elections canceled last year. After the first election round on November 24 was validated, the Constitutional Court of Romania canceled the election as a whole on December 6, although voting in the second round had already begun abroad. The Court made its decision after the Supreme Defence Council published a report indicating foreign interference in the electoral process, but investigations have so far failed to confirm it. Tens of thousands of Romanians took to the streets to demand that the second round be resumed.

CORRUPTION The mayor of the popular Romanian mountain resort of Sinaia, the Liberal Vlad Oprea, was placed under court supervision on Thursday, with bail set at over EUR 100,000, as part of a corruption-related investigation. Charges of abuse of office also entailed a ban on him holding the mayor position. According to prosecutors with the National Anticorruption Directorate, among other things, Vlad Oprea allegedly demanded and received almost EUR 240,000 in bribe from a businessman, in exchange for expediting the paperwork for the building of a hotel in the resort.

EXPULSION The Romanian Embassy in Belgrade has asked for clarifications from the Serbian authorities as to why a Romanian national was expelled from the country. Other EU and third country citizens taking part in an NGO training workshop were also involved in the incident. The Romanian, a member of an organisation involved in social projects, was taken to a police station in Belgrade, along with other participants in the workshop. Without explanation, but citing national security reasons, they were ordered to leave Serbia within 24 hours, and banned from entering this country for one year. The Romanian national left the country safely. The expulsion of EU citizens from Serbia is unprecedented.

FOOTBALL Romanian football champions FCSB defeated the Azerbaijani side Qarabag FK, 3-2 on Thursday evening in Baku, in the 7^th round of the Europa League. With this important win, FCSB not only secured its ticket for the next stage of the competition, but also has a good chance of qualifying straight for the round of 16. On January 30, the Romanians will play in Bucharest against the English team Manchester United. (AMP)

24 January 2025
January 23, 2025 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

CELEBRATION – The Romanian Ministry of National Defense and the local authorities will organize on Friday, January 24, in the garrisons where there are monuments dedicated to the Union of the Romanian Principalities, military and religious ceremonies dedicated to the celebration of the 166th anniversary of this historical event. In Bucharest, a military wreath laying ceremony will be held at the Statue of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza. Every year, on January 24, Romanians celebrate the Union of the Romanian Principalities that took place in 1859, under the leadership of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, an act of political will of the leaders of Moldavia and Wallachia, and the first step towards the creation of the modern Romanian unitary state.

SECURITY – Over 22,000 employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will make sure that the events dedicated to the Union of the Romanian Principalities in the upcoming days unfold smoothly. Around 1,400 traffic police officers will be present on public roads, especially on those that are usually crowded during mini-holidays. Various activities will be organized throughout the country in approximately 130 locations, with an estimated participation of over 60,000 people.

CORRUPTION – Vlad Oprea, the Liberal mayor of Sinaia, the most popular resort on the Prahova Valley (southern Romania), was detained on Thursday by prosecutors of the National Anticorruption Directorate, in a case in which he is suspected of corruption. According to the prosecutors, he claimed and received bribe of almost 240,000 Euros from a businessman, in order to facilitate the issuance of the necessary documentation for the construction of a hotel in the city. Oprea is also accused of having allowed the unauthorized activity of providing public catering services for a restaurant in Sinaia, between July 2019 and January 2024, in order to obtain undue benefits.

PROTEST – Railway workers, reserve military, policemen, miners, foresters, steel workers or employees of the Bucharest Subway system are expected, on Friday, at a rally organized near the government offices, in protest at the new social and salary policies of the ruling coalition made up of the PSD-PNL-UDMR, the Federation of Railway Transporters’ Unions from Romania (FSTFR) have announced. The estimated number of participants in the protest is 30,000.

RELEASE – The Romanian Foreign Ministry has announced that the Romanian crew member of the “Galaxy Leader” ship, released from Yemen, is safe and sound. The crew has been in captivity for more than a year after the Houthi rebel group captured the ship, at the start of a series of attacks on ships in the Red Sea, motivated by Israel’s war against the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas. The 25 sailors from the Philippines, Mexico, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine were detained in November 2023 by Houthi fighters, who used a helicopter to board the cargo ship that started from Turkey, heading India. A Houthi-controlled Yemeni television station said the crew had been freed and handed over to Oman, following the completion of the Gaza ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, which took effect on Sunday. The release comes after months of diplomatic work involving the sailors’ home countries, as well as the UN’s International Maritime Organization. The Romanian Foreign Ministry specifies that the action is the result of the efforts of the Foreign Intelligence Service and the other institutions within the crisis cell. The Romanian authorities also thank the external partners, especially the Sultanate of Oman and the neighboring Bulgaria, for the important support given to solving this complex and extremely difficult case.

REORGANISATION – The reorganization of central public institutions and of state-owned companies in Romania, with a view to reducing budget expenses, has created discontent among the employees. Several ministries have already announced reorganizations and the reduction of the number of employees. The Parliament leadership also announced the reduction of civil servant positions by approximately 400, which led to a spontaneous protest by the employees.

REPORT – The vice-president of the European Parliament, the Romanian social democrat Victor Negrescu, says that the European Comission will present, in a relatively short time, a report on foreign interference in the presidential election in Romania, through the Chinese network TikTok. The European Commission can make specific recommendations or impose fines on the network, Negrescu explained. He also said that the Vice-President of the Commission for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy, Henna Virkkunen, spoke about the possibility that all social networks, not just TikTok, which interfere in democratic debates and elections, be subject to stricter control and sanctions if they violate the European legislation in the field.

23 January 2025
March 27, 2024

Visit – The National Bank supports and encourages initiatives aimed at the development of the capital market in the Republic of Moldova, and as an institution responsible for prudential supervision and the stability of the financial market, we want to facilitate the free movement of capital and financial services, the governor of the National Bank of Moldova, Anca Dragu, said on Wednesday in Bucharest. She emphasized that these are actually chapters of negotiation for Moldova’s accession to the European Union, “chapters in which the National Bank has a leading role, so that the Republic of Moldova should enjoy prosperity and economic stability”. Romania commits and continues to commit unconditionally to supporting the European path of the Republic of Moldova, said, in turn, the speaker of the Romanian Senate, Nicolae Ciucă. They participated, on Wednesday, together with the Moldovan Prime Minister, Dorin Recean, and the head of the Moldovan Parliament, Igor Grosu, in a forum organized by the Stock Exchange, an event that promotes solid economic cooperation and the interconnection of the capital markets between the Republic of Moldova and Romania.

Bessarabia – Romania is among the staunch supporters of the European future of the Republic of Moldova, as its citizens wish, the Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said in a message on the occasion of the Day of Bessarabia’s Union with Romania. The Romanian Cultural Institute – ICR and its representations abroad are organizing a series of cultural events to mark 106 years since this historic moment. Today, at the National Art Museum of Romania, a painting exhibition is opened that includes 100 works by artists from the Republic of Moldova, and the National Theater in Bucharest will host performances in which Romanian and Moldovan actors will participate. On March 27, 1918, the Chisinau State Council voted in favor of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania, Bessarabia being a Romanian province annexed by the Russian Empire in 1812, after the Russian-Turkish war (1806-1812). This historical act opened the process of the unification of Romania, completed on December 1, 1918, through the Union of all the Romanian provinces which were then under foreign rule. 22 years later, in the summer of 1940, following an ultimatum, Stalin’s Moscow annexed both Bessarabia and northern Bukovina, territories that currently belong to the former Soviet Republics of Moldova and Ukraine, respectively.

Brancusi – The Pompidou Center in Paris hosts an exhibition-event dedicated to Constantin Brâncuşi, considered the father of modern sculpture, which can be visited until July 1. Hundreds of sculptures, photographs, sketches and archival images are on display in the exhibition which includes Brâncuşi’s Workshop, the place where the great Romanian artist created and lived, alongside works borrowed from major international museums. All of Constantin Brâncuşi’s works from the Romanian heritage are exhibited, sent by the National Art Museum of Romania and the Art Museum in Craiova (southern Romania). ‘Brâncuşi is an artist who was very little exposed during his life, as he preferred to invite his contemporaries to come to his workshop. He liked to control all dimensions of the presentation of his sculptures’, explains Ariane Coulondre, curator of the exhibition, in a press release. The Brâncusi Retrospective at the Pompidou Center, the first in the last almost 30 years and the largest ever organized event, is held with the support of the Romanian Embassy in France and the Romanian Cultural Institute.

Deficit – Romania’s budget deficit reached, after the first two months of the year, almost 29 billion lei (about 6 billion Euros), accounting for 1.67% of the Gross Domestic Product, show data published by the Finance Ministry. The deficit is almost double compared to the same period of last year. The Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said, however, that it would observe the 5% threshold estimated for the end of the year. The economy is self-financing and we will have the largest economic growth in Europe, the Romanian PM also said.

Handball – CS Dinamo Bucharest defeated the Danish team Bjerringbro Silkeborg, score 37-34, on Tuesday evening, at home, in the first leg of the play-off of the EHF European League men’s handball competition. The second leg will take place on April 2, in Silkeborg. Trained by the Spanidh Xavi Pascual, the Romanian champions start with the first chance in the return leg to qualify for the next stage. Afterwards, the winners of the quarterfinals will play in the Final Four Tournament (semifinals and finals). The German team Fuchse Berlin is the holder of the trophy. (LS)

27 March 2024
22.01.2024 (mise à jour)

Protestation
– Le Sénat de Bucarest a été convoqué dans le cadre d’une réunion
extraordinaire pour s’informer sur les décrets d’urgence du gouvernement qui
visent certaines mesures demandées par les fermiers et par les chauffeurs de
camion. Il s’agit de la permission accordée aux possesseurs d’un permis de conduire de catégorie B d’opérer des
tracteurs agricoles et forestiers lents et la remise pour le 1er
juin de la décision européenne sur le marquage fiscal commun du diesel et du
kérosène. Les deux documents ont été repartis aux commissions spécialisées pour
l’élaboration du rapport. Sur Facebook, le président du Sénat, Nicolae Ciucă, a
souligné que les protestations des fermiers et des camionneurs étaient
justifiées et que le Législatif se mobiliserait pour permettre l’entrée en
vigueur des textes législatifs au plus vite. Nicolae Ciucă a également dit que
les eurodéputés libéraux avaient proposé une série de mesures au Parlement
européen, par le biais de laquelle les fermiers roumains devraient recevoir
davantage de compensations pour les pertes provoquées par la sécheresse, les
inondations et les conséquences de la guerre en Ukraine. Ce qui plus est, le
gouvernement initiera un programme de renouvellement du parc de tracteurs et
d’outillages agricoles de Roumanie par le biais duquel, les fermiers recevront
une aide de 30 000 euros. Les protestations des fermiers et des camionneurs se
poursuivent pourtant près de Bucarest et à travers le pays. Ils demandent la
réduction des tarifs des assurances RCA, la récupération d’un pourcentage de
l’accise aux carburants, l’équité fiscale et la réduction des délais de passage
de la frontière.

Agriculture
– Le ministre roumain de l’agriculture, Florin Barbu, a déclaré que mardi à
Bruxelles il pourrait demander la démission du commissaire européen en charge
de l’agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski. Il a affirmé que les sources des
mécontentements sont une série de dérogations des normes d’environnement qui
visent la rotation des cultures et la condition de ne pas exploiter 4% de la
superficie d’une ferme. La Roumanie demande une prolongation de ces dérogations
appelées GAEC 7 et GAEC 8. M Barbu affirme qu’il pourrait demander la démission
du responsable européen puisque celui-ci ne respecte pas le vote exprimé par
une quinzaine d’Etats, dont l’Allemagne et la France sur les deux dérogations.
Le ministre roumain a précisé qu’il serait pour la première fois qu’un Etat
par la voix d’un représentant demande au sein du Conseil des ministres la
démission du commissaire européen à l’agriculture.

Diplomatie – A Bruxelles, la ministre roumaine des Affaires Etrangères, Luminiţa Odobescu,
a affirmé que les Etats communautaires devraient utiliser « tous les
moyens » pour aider Kiev. Selon la responsable roumaine, l’Ukraine devrait
rester une priorité à l’agenda de l’Union européenne et le bloc communautaire
devrait débloquer la tranche de l’instrument européen pour la paix, sceller un
accord politique durant le Conseil européen la semaine prochaine pour ce qui
est du mécanisme pour l’Ukraine et décider d’un calendrier prédictible de
l’adhésion pour l’Ukraine et pour la République de Moldova. La cheffe de la
diplomatie roumaine a également souligné qu’il était important que l’UE lutte
contre la propagande de Moscou et poursuive les pressions sur la Russie. C’est
précisément pourquoi la Roumanie soutient un nouveau paquet de sanctions à l’encontre
de la Russie, a souligné Mme Odobescu. Pour ce qui est de la crise au Proche
Orient, elle a appelé à la mise en liberté immédiate des otages détenus par le
groupe terroriste du Hamas et a souligné que dans ce dossier les autorités de
Bucarest coordonnaient leurs actions à celles de Washington et à celles des
partenaires de la région.

Union
– Les grandes villes roumaines se préparent à célébrer l’Union des principautés
roumaines de Valachie et de Moldavie. Mercredi, le 24 janvier toute une série
d’événements sont prévus : cérémonies militaires et religieuses,
spectacles, expositions, visites de musées et d’autres institutions de culture.
A Focsani, dans le sud-est, le 165e anniversaire de l’Union des deux
principautés sera marqué par un ample programme qui inclura des spectacles et
des concerts, un court défilé militaire et la traditionnelle ronde de l’Union
sur la Place centrale de la ville. A Iasi, dans le nord-est, une cérémonie
devant la statue du prince régnant Alexandru Ioan Cuza est prévue, réunissant
plus de 300 militaires. Si la météo est favorable, le défilé sera complété par
un survol d’hélicoptères militaires. A
Bucarest, le musée national Cotroceni sera ouvert gratuitement au public, et à
l’Athénée roumain, l’orchestre philharmonique « George Enescu » se
produira dans le cadre d’un concert pour les élèves. Ce fut en janvier 1859 qu’Alexandru
Ioan Cuza a été élu prince régnant tant en Moldavie, qu’en Valachie et selon la
constitution de 1866, les Principautés Unies s’appellent officiellement
Roumanie.

22 January 2024
The Year 1918 and the New Romania

In order to understand the changes
in borders and state structures that the year 1918 brought to the map of
Europe, two realities, one physical and the other utopian, must be considered.
The first was that of World War I, with over 20 million military and civilian
deaths and approximately 23 million wounded. The two opposing military blocs,
the Entente, consisting of France, Great Britain, Russia, Japan, Italy, and the
United States, and the Central Power bloc, consisting of Germany,
Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Bulgaria, engaged in an unprecedented struggle to
fulfill their interests. The Great War, as it was called, was the
one that decided the new frontiers, like almost any war in modern history. The
second reality, the utopian one, was also experienced during the war, but one
against it, namely the Bolshevik revolution in Russia. Lenin’s great victory
strongly motivated all those who wanted the profound change of the world, not
just the borders, and who believed that the time had come to build a better
world on the ruins of the old one.

Romania paid a heavy tribute in
blood during the years of the Great War. Although it entered the conflict in
1916, two years after its beginning, Romanians paid a heavy toll. Estimates of
Romanian human sacrifices, in percentages, stand between 7.5 and 9% of the
entire population, i.e. between 580,000 and 665,000 dead, half due to the
epidemic of exanthematic typhus. The sacrifice was rewarded with the union of
the provinces of Bessarabia, on March 27, 1918, Bucovina, on November 28, 1918,
Banat, Maramureș and Transylvania, on December 1, 1918, with the Kingdom of
Romania. It was the price paid by all Romanians, and the King and Queen of
Romania, Ferdinand and Maria, as well as the Romanian political class rose to
the occasion, as the historian Ioan Scurtu says:

Ion I. C. Brătianu, the
president of the National Liberal Party, was involved in the events and had an
important role in the realization of the Great Union. Both the Bessarabians,
the Bukovinians and the Transylvanians came to Iasi with emissaries, before the
proclamation of the Union, they discussed with King Ferdinand and Ion I. C.
Brătianu and other politicians regarding the ways to proceed in the
mobilization for the union. Brătianu led the Romanian delegation to the Paris
Peace Conference and there he met with the great politicians of the time, from
American President Wilson to the Prime Minister of Great Britain. King
Ferdinand was German, he had been an officer in the German army. When, in the Crown Council, the
opinion was voiced, for Romania to take sides in the war against his own country,
against his family, his was a deed of personal sacrifice and at once an act of
great importance for Romania. Queen Marie was, right from the start, an
advocate of Romania taking sides with the Entente, in the war. She was English
by birth and played a crucial role, talking King Ferdinand into making that
personal sacrifice for the greater good of the Romanian people. All along, the
king and the queen permanently stood with the Romanians, with the army, with the
main political leaders.

On the day of December 1st,
1918, the National Assembly of the Romanians from Transylvania was summoned in
Alba Iulia. The Great National Romanian Assembly, a representative body having
the role of legislative power, called for 1,228 delegates to convene, with
the purpose of composing the resolution of annexation of then the Kingdom of
Romania. Jointly with the National Romanian Council, holding the executive
position, the Great National Assembly ruled that they could not possible have a new beginning unless the universal suffrage was implemented. The time had come for the
Romanians to fully use their right for universal suffrage, a system of voting that
generated the largest electoral representation. It was a voting system for
which the Romanian parties and the national organizations in Transylvania had
been taking affirmative action beginning 1881.

The voting that sealed
Transylvania’s union with Romania was a voting of the national will. However,
it was also an emergency voting. The end of World War One had sparked the
transformative utopias. According to historian and political science pundit
Daniel Barbu, the democratic practice of the universal suffrage must be seen
through the eyes of those who back then were witnessing the Bolshevik
revolutions and the anarchy that was taking shape, after four years of war.

Were
the participants in the Alba Iulia Assembly democrats, or at least those who actually composed the
resolution and proposed it to the grassroots acclamation? They were, by all
means, Romanian patriots. They were people with a long-standing parliamentary
experience, they possessed the science and practice of politics. What would
happen on December 6? The Romanian army occupied Transylvania. It was extremely
instrumental in the demarcation of borders, furthermore, it once again restored
peace around the country. The testimonies of that are very clear. Ion Lapedatu,
in his memoirs, in the pages of the diary he wrote those very days, actually mentioned the villages were stirring. When we speak about the Soviet commune what we have in mind are Budapest and the Hungary
beyond Tisa alone. Yet the whole Europe, England included, was galvanized by a
revolutionary throb.

Greater Romania
was formed in the year 1918, as the outcome of Romanians’ will and against an auspicious
international backdrop. And in the New Romania, all those people found their
place, who thought the new Romania met their expectations.

4 December 2023
28.03.2023

Pologne – Le premier ministre roumain, Nicolae Ciucă a reçu aujourd’hui à Bucarest son homologue polonais, Mateusz Morawiecki, qui fait une visite officielle en Roumanie. Les deux responsables participent à une réunion inter gouvernementale, suivie par la signature de deux mémorandums, l’un dans le domaine du sport, l’autre – de la défense civile. Ils participeront également au Forum économique Roumanie-Pologne, censé faciliter les contacts entre les milieux des affaires des deux pays et assurer une meilleure connaissance des opportunités de coopération. Y participent des compagnies polonaises de domaines divers, tels la défense, l’IT, l’agriculture, l’énergie, les transports, les solutions du type smart city et la mobilité urbaine. Aujourd’hui également Mateusz Morawiecki rencontrera aussi le président roumain, Klaus Iohannis.

Retraites – Le projet de loi portant sur la réduction des dépenses avec les régimes spéciaux des retraites fait ce mardi l’objet de débats au sein des commissions spécialisées du Sénat de Roumanie. L’adoption des textes législatifs est une condition incluse dans le Plan national de relance et de résilience, pour le versement de la troisième tranche de paiements. Entre temps, la coalition gouvernementale constituée par le Parti national libéral, le Parti social-démocrate et l’Union démocrate – magyare de Roumanie envisage plusieurs modifications afin d’adapter la loi aux demandes de la Commission européenne. Il existe plusieurs propositions : plafonner la pension de retraite au niveau le plus élevé du revenu obtenu durant la période active, taxer le bonus issu du régime spécial de retraite, indexer la pension de retraite au taux annuel d’inflation. Le texte législatif devrait être adopté jusqu’à vendredi, et c’est pourquoi le document sera adopté tacitement par le Sénat, alors que les modifications seront introduites par la Chambre des Députés, en tant que chambre décisionnelle. Ce mécanisme d’adoption pourrait engendrer des problèmes constitutionnels puisque le principe du bicaméralisme ne sera pas respecté, affirment les analystes politiques. L’Union sauvez la Roumanie a demandé lundi au premier ministre Nicolae Ciuca de s’expliquer devant le Législatif au sujet du Plan national de relance et de résilience et des pensions spéciales de retraite.

Visite à Chisinau – Le président du Conseil européen, Charles Michel, fait aujourd’hui une visite en République de Moldova, voisine de la Roumanie. Lundi il était à Bucarest pour parler au président Klaus Iohannis et à d’autres hauts responsables de l’adhésion de la Roumanie à l’espace Schengen de libre circulation européenne. Charles Michel a affirmé que la Roumanie avait rempli toutes les conditions nécessaires à l’adhésion et a assuré de l’appui au niveau européen à l’adhésion à Schengen au plus vite.

Chisinau – Les leaders de l’administration de Bucarest ont participé lundi en République de Moldova aux événements organisés en marge du 105e anniversaire de l’Union de la Bessarabie avec la Roumanie. Un de ces événements a été l’inauguration à Ialoveni, près de Chisinau des bustes d’Alexandru Marghiloman, premier ministre de la Roumanie de l’époque et d’Ion Inculet, président du Conseil du pays de Chisinau en 1918. A Balti, un buste du roi Ferdinand Ier a également été dévoilé.

Exposition – L’exposition « 1907. Nous voulons de la terre », sera inaugurée aujourd’hui à Bucarest au Musée national du paysan roumain. Selon un communiqué du musée, l’exposition propose un regard rétrospectif, objectif et ciblé sur la révolte paysanne de 1907 sur l’importance de ces événements, sur leur caractère tragique pour toute la société roumaine. Le discours de l’exposition est censé illustrer l’image de tous les acteurs impliqués de l’époque, les enjeux politiques, sociales et économiques, retrace le parcours des événements, évoque les discours et voix distinctes ainsi que les différentes opinions sur cet événement.

Football – La sélection nationale de foot de la Roumanie affronte ce mardi soir à domicile le Belarus, dans un match comptant pour le Groupe I des préliminaires à l’EURO 2024. Samedi, les Roumains ont vaincu l’Andorre, alors que le Belarus s’est incliné devant la Serbie. Dans le même groupe l’on retrouve également Israël et le Kosovo.

Météo – Ce mardi, les températures sont à la baisse à travers l’ensemble du pays, et elles continueront à baisser dans les deux semaines à venir, pour atteindre même des valeurs négatives durant la nuit. Les maxima de ce mardi vont de 2 à 12 degrés. Temps morose à Bucarest aussi, avec de la pluie et 5 degrés seulement à midi.

28 March 2023
105 ans depuis l’Union de la Bessarabie avec le Royaume de Roumanie

Un de ces événements a été le dévoilement des bustes d’Alexandru Marghiloman, premier ministre de la Roumanie de l’époque et d’Ion Inculet, président du Conseil du pays de Chisinau en 1918. Présent à la cérémonie, le président de la Chambre des députés du Parlement roumain, Marcel Ciolacu a assuré que la Roumanie, tout comme il y a 105 ans sera toujours là où le devoir l’appelle et qu’elle défendrait la souveraineté et l’intégrité territoriale de la République de Moldova. Marcel Ciolacu: « Ce fut le 27 mars 1918 que devant le Conseil du pays de Chisinau, Alexandru Marghiloman disait que : lorsque le danger à l’adresse de votre intégrité est apparu, la Roumanie s’est dépêchée à garantir l’indépendance et l’unité de ce pays. Aujourd’hui 105 ans plus tard, nous sommes ici et permettez-moi de vous dire clairement que rien n’a changé. La Roumanie sera toujours là où le devoir et la voix du sang l’appellent. La Roumanie défendra la souveraineté et l’intégrité territoriale de la République de Moldova. » a déclaré Marcel Ciolacu. Et à lui d’ajouter : « la réintroduction récente du roumain en tant que lanque officielle en République de Moldova constitue un acte de courage ».

Entre temps, le président du parlement de Chisinau, Igor Gresu a déclaré « qu’en Europe, en ce monde, il faut savoir quelle est la langue que l’on parle, quelle est la famille dont on fait partie, quelle est son histoire et ce n’est qu’ainsi, par de telles décisions, même que nous puissions faire partie du monde civilisé, du monde de la paix et non pas du monde de la guerre et du mensonge. » Ce qui plus est, le responsable moldave a apprécié l’aide que la Roumanie accorde à la République de Moldova et a exprimé l’espoir que durant des moments décisifs, la classe politique actuelle puisse avoir le pouvoir d’adopter des décisions historiques. Igor Grosu: « C’est durant des moments difficiles que des caractères puissants apparaissent et ces deux personnalités, Alexandru Marghiloman et Ion Inculeţ, ont adopté une décision historique. C’est pourquoi nous, la classe politique, nous espérons avoir au juste moment le caractère et la détermination d’adopter des décisions historiques ! Je remercie à tous les Roumains, je remercie à la Roumanie pour tout ce qu’elle a fait et pour tout ce qu’elle fait pour la République de Moldova. » a déclaré Igor Grosu.

A Bucarest, le premier ministre roumain, Nicolae Ciuca a déclaré que « l’histoire nous apprend que l’agression militaire, la domination illégitime et la discrimination des nations ne peuvent pas durer. En témoigne les aspirations des peuples, y compris de celui Roumain de vivre en toute liberté, dignité, union et démocratie. Et l’expression la plus concrète de ces idéaux est à retrouver dans la Grande Union de 1918, démarrée le 27 mars avec le retour de la Bessarabie au sein de la Roumanie ».

L’événement a constitué un moment essentiel pour l’année historique 1918 qui a culminé le 1er décembre par l’Union de tous les Roumains. L’histoire a marqué pourtant l’existence dans le cadre du même Etat des deux territoires séparés par la rivière Prut pendant 22 ans seulement. En 1940, suite à un ultimatum de Moscou, qui cherchait à mettre en application le pacte signé par Hitler et Staline, la Bessarabie a été à nouveau arrachée et cédée à l’Union Soviétique. (Daniela Budu)

28 March 2023
THE WEEK IN REVIEW

Visits
in the Far East

The Strategic Partnership between
Romania and Japan proves that the bilateral relations have been lifted up to
the highest level – Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said after signing together
with Japanese Premier Fumio Kishida this bilateral treaty in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Also on Tuesday, president Iohannis was received by Emperor Naruhito. ‘Romania
and Japan are now close than ever’, says the head of the Romanian state adding
that against the present global background marked by war and regional tensions,
it is important to rely on each other to defend the fundamental values that
define us: the desire for peace and security, freedom, democracy and human
rights, as well as international order based on rules.

According to experts, once the
Strategic Partnership has been signed, the development of the Romanian-Japanese
cooperation will be stepped up through the extension of a wide range of
activities and projects in all the fields of mutual interest. According to
Radio Romania correspondent, president Iohannis’ visit also had an economic
dimension, Japan being the biggest Asian investor in Romania. The 400 companies
with Japanese capital in Romania have created over 40 thousand jobs and the
growth potential is significant including on the fields with the highest degree
of innovation, such as the development of the modular reactors technology, the
production and distribution of green hydrogen, the high-power optical cables,
the latest generation infrastructure or the completion of a new underground sector
in Bucharest. The partnership with Japan has been the second Romania has
concluded with an Asian state after the one with South Korea. From Japan,
president Iohannis went to Singapore.

Romania is the EU’s third biggest provider
of IT services to Singapore and its interest focuses on a stepped up
cooperation in this field through new bilateral projects.

Over 3.7 million Ukrainian refugees to
neighboring Romania

The General Inspectorate
of Border Police, announced that on Wednesday over 7 thousand Ukrainian
nationals entered Romania through its border checkpoints. According to a communiqué
released to the press on Thursday, since 10 February 2022, two week before the
Russian invasion, 3, 705,317 Ukrainian nationals have entered Romania. Most of
them just transited the country towards other destinations in Western Europe and,
according to the Romanian authorities, roughly 100 thousand settled here.

Parliament in Bucharest
endorsed a declaration of support for Ukraine, one year after the Russian
invasion on February 24th. The document endorsed with a landslide
majority by the main political groups, PSD-PNL-UDMR upon the proposal of the
opposition USR is firmly condemning the war Moscow is waging on a sovereign
state, whose territory is inalienable and indivisible. The declaration
reiterates Romania’s firm support for what it defines as the heroic fight of
the Ukrainian state and people as well as for the independence, sovereignty and
territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally-recognized borders.

The Romanians in Ukraine

But not everything is
bright in the Romanian-Ukrainian relations. During the debates over the
declaration for the support of Kyiv, George Simion, the president of nationalist
opposition party AUR pleaded for the support of the co-nationals in the
neighboring country. Over 400 thousand ethnic Romanians are living there mostly
in northern Bukovina, the northern and southern Bessarabia and the Herta Land,
Romanian territories the Stalinist Soviet Union annexed through an ultimatum in
1940. These territories were taken over by Ukraine as a successor state back in
1991. After the Russian invasion, many of these ethnic Romanians have been
drafted to fight for Ukraine. In December 2022, The Romanian Foreign Ministry deemed
as regrettable the fact that the law on Ukraine’s national minorities had been
passed in the absence of a new consultation with the Venice Commission. Its opinion, the Bucharest diplomacy believes,
would have certainly contributed to a clear and comprehensive text in keeping with
the European legal standards in the field. According to the aforementioned
ministry, Romania fully supports the European roadmap of Ukraine and its
legitimate desire to join the EU, but points to the fact that the intempestive speeding
of legislation in this field has significantly affected the consultations with
the representatives of the national minorities, which should have got involved
in comprehensive discussions prior to the adoption of the aforementioned law.

The Mystery in the Canal

Authorities in Romania and
Ukraine have agreed to check the depth of the Danube canals, the administration
in Kyiv uses to ship grains abroad – government officials of the two countries
have announced. The Danube is a major transport route for Ukraine, which after
the Russian invasion uses it for the export of various types of goods,
including cereals. The Romanian authorities last month voiced their concern that
Ukraine is trying to deepen the Bystroye canal, which crosses an environmentally
sensitive area and asked if they can check the situation. Kyiv denied that dredging
works on the canal would have violated any accord and agreed to present the EU and
NATO member Romania the stage of the aforementioned works. Experts are
going to start verification this month amid Bucharest’s fears that the works
would affect the Danube Delta’s ecosystem, a unique area in Europe, included on
the UNESCO world heritage. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of the Infrastructure,
after the cleaning works conducted the depth of the Canal has almost doubled
from 3.9 to 6.5 meters.

(bill)

11 March 2023
THE WEEK IN REVIEW

Visits
in the Far East

The Strategic Partnership between
Romania and Japan proves that the bilateral relations have been lifted up to
the highest level – Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said after signing together
with Japanese Premier Fumio Kishida this bilateral treaty in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Also on Tuesday, president Iohannis was received by Emperor Naruhito. ‘Romania
and Japan are now close than ever’, says the head of the Romanian state adding
that against the present global background marked by war and regional tensions,
it is important to rely on each other to defend the fundamental values that
define us: the desire for peace and security, freedom, democracy and human
rights, as well as international order based on rules.

According to experts, once the
Strategic Partnership has been signed, the development of the Romanian-Japanese
cooperation will be stepped up through the extension of a wide range of
activities and projects in all the fields of mutual interest. According to
Radio Romania correspondent, president Iohannis’ visit also had an economic
dimension, Japan being the biggest Asian investor in Romania. The 400 companies
with Japanese capital in Romania have created over 40 thousand jobs and the
growth potential is significant including on the fields with the highest degree
of innovation, such as the development of the modular reactors technology, the
production and distribution of green hydrogen, the high-power optical cables,
the latest generation infrastructure or the completion of a new underground sector
in Bucharest. The partnership with Japan has been the second Romania has
concluded with an Asian state after the one with South Korea. From Japan,
president Iohannis went to Singapore.

Romania is the EU’s third biggest provider
of IT services to Singapore and its interest focuses on a stepped up
cooperation in this field through new bilateral projects.

Over 3.7 million Ukrainian refugees to
neighboring Romania

The General Inspectorate
of Border Police, announced that on Wednesday over 7 thousand Ukrainian
nationals entered Romania through its border checkpoints. According to a communiqué
released to the press on Thursday, since 10 February 2022, two week before the
Russian invasion, 3, 705,317 Ukrainian nationals have entered Romania. Most of
them just transited the country towards other destinations in Western Europe and,
according to the Romanian authorities, roughly 100 thousand settled here.

Parliament in Bucharest
endorsed a declaration of support for Ukraine, one year after the Russian
invasion on February 24th. The document endorsed with a landslide
majority by the main political groups, PSD-PNL-UDMR upon the proposal of the
opposition USR is firmly condemning the war Moscow is waging on a sovereign
state, whose territory is inalienable and indivisible. The declaration
reiterates Romania’s firm support for what it defines as the heroic fight of
the Ukrainian state and people as well as for the independence, sovereignty and
territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally-recognized borders.

The Romanians in Ukraine

But not everything is
bright in the Romanian-Ukrainian relations. During the debates over the
declaration for the support of Kyiv, George Simion, the president of nationalist
opposition party AUR pleaded for the support of the co-nationals in the
neighboring country. Over 400 thousand ethnic Romanians are living there mostly
in northern Bukovina, the northern and southern Bessarabia and the Herta Land,
Romanian territories the Stalinist Soviet Union annexed through an ultimatum in
1940. These territories were taken over by Ukraine as a successor state back in
1991. After the Russian invasion, many of these ethnic Romanians have been
drafted to fight for Ukraine. In December 2022, The Romanian Foreign Ministry deemed
as regrettable the fact that the law on Ukraine’s national minorities had been
passed in the absence of a new consultation with the Venice Commission. Its opinion, the Bucharest diplomacy believes,
would have certainly contributed to a clear and comprehensive text in keeping with
the European legal standards in the field. According to the aforementioned
ministry, Romania fully supports the European roadmap of Ukraine and its
legitimate desire to join the EU, but points to the fact that the intempestive speeding
of legislation in this field has significantly affected the consultations with
the representatives of the national minorities, which should have got involved
in comprehensive discussions prior to the adoption of the aforementioned law.

The Mystery in the Canal

Authorities in Romania and
Ukraine have agreed to check the depth of the Danube canals, the administration
in Kyiv uses to ship grains abroad – government officials of the two countries
have announced. The Danube is a major transport route for Ukraine, which after
the Russian invasion uses it for the export of various types of goods,
including cereals. The Romanian authorities last month voiced their concern that
Ukraine is trying to deepen the Bystroye canal, which crosses an environmentally
sensitive area and asked if they can check the situation. Kyiv denied that dredging
works on the canal would have violated any accord and agreed to present the EU and
NATO member Romania the stage of the aforementioned works. Experts are
going to start verification this month amid Bucharest’s fears that the works
would affect the Danube Delta’s ecosystem, a unique area in Europe, included on
the UNESCO world heritage. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of the Infrastructure,
after the cleaning works conducted the depth of the Canal has almost doubled
from 3.9 to 6.5 meters.

(bill)

10 March 2023
La semaine du 23 au 29 janvier 2023

De l’aide au
paiement des factures énergétiques

Cette semaine, la Roumanie a commencé à imprimer les
cartes que le gouvernement distribuera aux consommateurs vulnérables pour
alléger le montant des factures énergétiques. A partir du 1 février, quelque
2,8 millions de familles se verront attribuer une carte qu’elles pourront
utiliser à partir du 20 février pour payer le chauffage et l’électricité. Le
soutien financier offert par le gouvernement sera de 1400 lei, soit 280 euros,
versés en deux tranches. Rappelons-le, les factures de l’électricité et du gaz
ont explosé dernièrement en Roumanie, en poussant les autorités à mettre en
place un système de plafonnement des tarifs énergétiques.

La croissance économique et la confiance chez les Roumains

Plus de la moitié des Roumains est particulièrement impactée
par la majoration des prix, selon un récent sondage d’opinion. Sur l’ensemble
des sujets questionnés, 28% considèrent la hausse des tarifs, de l’inflation et
des utilités comme principaux aspects auxquels les autorités devraient
remédier. La liste des problèmes qui mécontentent les Roumains se complète par
le niveau de vie, le montant des salaires et des pensions de retraite. 75% de
nos concitoyens disent que le pays se dirige dans une mauvaise direction,
contrairement à 12% pour lesquels le pays est inscrit sur la bonne voie. Par
ailleurs, la Commission nationale chargée de la Statistique et la Prévision a
mis en avant la croissance record que la Roumanie a enregistrée l’année
dernière, en faisant un bond de 240 milliards d’euros obtenus en 2021 à presque
290 milliards d’euros en 2022. Pour cette année, la même Commission prévoit un
ralentissement de la croissance économique qui passera, dit-elle, de 4,9 à
2,8%. Selon les prévisions, le taux d’inflation baissera d’ici la fin de
l’année de 16, 4% à 8%.

Le nombre de cas d’infections respiratoires est à la
baisse

Après une recrudescence du nombre de cas de grippe et
d’infections respiratoires signalée pendant les premiers jours de cette année,
voilà que la situation commence à se calmer en Roumanie. Le ministre de la
Santé, Alexandru Rafila, a déclaré que pour 2024, il espère une approche
différente de la vaccination antigrippale qui concerne, espère-t-il, le plus de
Roumainspossible. Pour une couverture
vaccinale efficace, il faudrait que 3,5 millions de personnes, issues notamment
des catégories à risque, soient immunisées. Aux dires du responsable roumain de
la Santé, en Roumanie, les infections respiratoires en général et la grippe en
particulier sont entrées en phase descendante ce qui permettra au pays de bien
franchir le pic de l’épidémie.

Un fait divers à
fort impact social

Un accident tragique s’est
produit cette semaine dans la capitale roumaine,Bucarest, où une femme a été attaquée et tuée
par une meute de chiens errants. L’incident a remis sur le tapis le sujet des
chiens sans maître qui existent toujours dans les rues des villes roumaines.
Des enquêtes et des contrôles sont en cours, mais aucun responsable n’a été
identifié. Pointée de doigt, l’Autorité pour la surveillance et la protection
des animaux, auprès de la Municipalité de Bucarest fait passer la
responsabilité à la Police locale de l’arrondissement concerné, accusée de ne
pas avoir sanctionné les Bucarestois qui délaissent leurs chiens ou qui
refusent de les faire stériliser..

Le rapport du GRECO

La Roumanie a mis en place d’une manière correcte la
plupart des recommandations que Bruxelles lui a faites pour lutter contre la
corruption au sein des parlementaires et des magistrats, peut-on voir dans un
rapport du GRECO, le Groupe d’Etats contre la corruption du Conseil de l’Europe.
L’organisme considère que Bucarest devrait mieux gérer les conflits d’intérêts,
tout en mettant en place une série de règles pour un lobbying plus responsable
de la part des parlementaires. Une fois votées, les nouvelles lois de la
justice devraient être suivies par la mise en place proprement dite des
prévisions adoptées, conclut le GRECO.

La Roumanie et la guerre en Ukraine

Des milliers de soldats
resteront en place, en Roumanie, à la base de Mihail Kogalniceanu, au moins
jusqu’en octobre, ont fait savoir des responsables du Pentagone cités par Le
New York Times. Quelque 4000 soldats de la 101e Division aéroportée des
Etats-Unis se trouvent déployés depuis l’été dernier, sur cette base du sud-est
roumain. La plupart des troupes alliées stationnées en Roumanie pour renforcer
le Flanc Est de l’OTAN viennent des Etats-Unis, de France, du Canada, de la
Grande Bretagne, de l’Italie, des Pays Bas, de Pologne ou encore du Portugal.
D’ailleurs, les chefs de la diplomatie française, Catherine Colonna et
néerlandaise, M. Wokpe Hoekstra sont venus vendredi, en Roumanie pour rendre
visite à leurs soldats déployés au centre du pays, sur la base de Cincu.

Les 164 ans
écoulés depuis l’Union des Principautés roumaines de Valachie et Moldavie

Le 24 janvier
1859, les principautés roumaines de Valachie et de Moldavie s’unissaient sous
le règne du souverain Alexandru Ioan Cuza. Historiquement, c’est la première
étape de la création de l’État roumain moderne, un processus achevé en 1918.
Cette année, des cérémonies militaires et religieuses ont été programmées par
le ministère de la Défense, en collaboration avec les autorités centrales et
locales, dans toutes les garnisons où des monuments dédiés à l’Union des
Principautés roumaines ont été érigés. L’épicentre des manifestations a été la
ville de Iaşi (dans l’est), ancienne capitale de la Moldavie et pour un bref
laps de temps, ancienne capitale des deux Principautés unies.

29 January 2023
25.01.2023

Bruxelles – Un débat
consacré à la commémoration des 164 ans depuis l’Union des Principautés
roumaines a eu lieu au Cercle Royal Gaulois de Bruxelles, en présence des
Roumains de Roumanie et de la diaspora. Le 24 janvier, les Roumains ont célébré
l’Union de la Moldavie avec la Valachie, un événement politique qui a eu lieu
en 1859, sous le règne du souverain Alexandru Ioan Cuza. Organisé par
l’Association du projet « La Roumanie 2030 » le débat s’est déroulé
en présence du secrétaire adjoint de l’OTAN, le roumain Mircea Geoana. Dans son
allocution, celui-ci a mis en avant l’importance de l’appartenance roumaine aux
structures euro-atlantiques, tout en insistant sur la nécessité de lutter
contre le déracinement des Roumains.

Réunion – « La
Roumanie continuera à soutenir l’Ukraine » a fait savoir le ministre
roumain des Affaires étrangères, Bogdan Aurescu, lors de la réunion de mardi,
en visioconférence, du G7+, en format
des ministres des Affaires étrangères. Coprésidée par le secrétaire d’État
américain Antony Blinken et le ministre nippon des Affaires étrangères Hayashi
Yoshimasa, la réunion s’est concentrée sur l’évaluation de la situation des
infrastructures énergétiques critiques de l’Ukraine (qui ont subi de graves
attaques répétées de la Fédération de Russie) mais aussi sur l’état et les
perspectives du soutien apporté à l’Ukraine par la communauté internationale
afin de gérer les conséquences de ces attentats et d’accroître sa résilience au
niveau sociétal.

GRECO – La Roumanie a mis en place et répondu correctement à la majorité des recommandations au sujet de la lutte contre la corruption des parlementaires et des magistrats, précise le GRECO, l’organe anticorruption du Conseil de l’Europe, dans un rapport rendu public mercredi. Pourtant, l’institution encourage les autorités roumaines à rendre le processus parlementaire encore plus transparent, tout en minimisant le recours aux ordonnances d’urgence.

Perquisitions – La Brigade
des stupéfiants de la Police roumaine,
épaulée par des autorités néerlandaises, polonaises et allemandes et Europol a
menée mardi plusieurs perquisitions censées prouver les activités criminelles
d’un groupement terroriste accusé de blanchiment d’argent et de trafic
international de drogues. Les perquisitions ont été menées simultanément en
Roumanie, aux Pays Bas et en Allemagne. Deux personnes ont été arrêtées aux
Pays Bas et accusées de trafic de stupéfiants, violation du régime des armes et
des munitions et blanchiment d’argent. Selon la Police roumaine, les membres du
groupe criminel sont des citoyens d’origine turque, néerlandaise, roumaine et
polonaise, résidents des pays où les perquisitions ont eu lieu.

TENNIS – Le duo
roumano-ukrainien, Gabriela Ruse-Marta Kostyuk s’est qualifié mercredi dans les
demi-finales du concours de double dames de l’Open australien, Premier tournoi
de Grand Chelem de l’année. Les deux sportives ont battu l’Australienne, Storm
Hunter et la Belge, Elise Mertens. Le prochain match, la Roumaine et sa
coéquipière le joueront contre le duo tchèque Barbora Krejcikova / Katerina
Siniakova

Météo – Le ciel est variable en ce mercredi, plutôt
couvert. Des pluies éparses sont signalées dans l’ouest et le sud-est et
quelques flocons de neige tombent sur l’est et le sud. Les températures maximales
vont de -2 à 6 degrés. 2 degrés à midi, à Bucarest.

25 January 2023
January 24, 2023

UNION Romanians are today celebrating the union of the historical provinces
of Moldavia and Wallachia, a political event, which took place 164 years ago,
in 1859, under the leadership of ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza. The move was the
first step in the process of creating the Romanian modern state, process
completed back in 1918. Military and religious services have been staged by the
Ministry of National Defence jointly with central and local authorities at the
monuments devoted to the union of the Romanian principalities. Wreath laying
ceremonies were held at the monument of the Unknown Soldier. Present at the
event, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis says that the successes achieved back
in 1859 are a lesson of responsibility for all those who are building the
European, modern and democratic Romania. He reiterated the appeal to use all
the instruments available to complete all the reforms Romania needs and to
eradicate the malfunctions, which are still affecting this process. Thousands
of people took to the streets of Iasi, in eastern Romania to participate in a
series of events on this occasion. The country’s Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca
and the president of the Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu have also
participated in these events. In his public address on this special occasion,
Prime Minister Ciuca said the roots of the European Romania can be found in the
union completed 164 years ago – an authentic example of the unity of the
Romanians, which paved the way for the emancipation and modernization of the state.
In his opinion, the responsibility of the political class and the state
institutions is to honour this act of uniting the Romanian nation. Religious
services have been held in Orthodox churches around the country on this
occasion.

UKRAINE Several high officials in Ukraine have today announced their
resignations amid high-level corruption allegations during the war with Russia,
France Press reports. Deputy Defence Minister, Viacheslav Shapovalov, and the
deputy head of Ukraine’s presidential office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko are among the
high officials to have stepped down. Deputy prosecutor General Oleksiy
Symonenko has also resigned amid allegations about a holiday he spent with his
family in Spain after Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council had
banned state officials from leaving the country during martial law. Amid all
these allegations, which threaten to dampen the West’s enthusiasm to help the
government in Kyiv, president Zelensky has pledged to launch a staff shake-up
in the central and local administrations including at top level. Ukraine’s
endemic corruption has been overlooked since the beginning of the Russian
invasion, but fighting the scourge is one of the key conditions for the country
to join the European Union.

NATO
Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan has told Sweden not to expect Turkey’s
support for its NATO membership bid, after a copy of the Quran was burned in a
Stockholm protest. Sweden’s accession to NATO must be ratified by all the
member states, but the tensions between Ankara and Stockholm have escalated in
the past weeks. Sweden and Finland applied for NATO membership in May last year
after Russia had invaded Ukraine. Turkey has accused Sweden of backing groups,
which are considered terrorist by the government in Ankara. Finland’s Foreign
Minister Pekka Haavisto has today said that Finland must consider joining NATO
without Sweden.

WEATHER The weather is getting colder in Romania with temperatures, which are
normal for the time of the year. The sky is overcast in several regions in the
south-west, south and east, which can also see precipitations as rain, sleet
and even snow. Glazed frost has been reported on small areas in the south-east
and south. The wind is moderate everywhere apart from some regions in the south
and in the mountains. The highs of the day are ranging between 0 and 10 degrees
Celsius. The noon reading in Bucharest was two degrees.

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24 January 2023
January 21, 2023

ASYLUM Romania’s immigration department registered 40 asylum requests on
Friday. Most of these, 24, were filed by citizens from Bangladesh. The General
Inspectorate for Immigration has also issued 394 permits for the beneficiaries
of temporary protection, out of which 388 for the Ukrainian nationals. Last year
4398 Ukrainian citizens applied for asylum in Romania and they benefit from all
the rights stipulated in the national legislation. The total number of
Ukrainians who entered Romania since the beginning of the invasion is around
3.5 million. Almost 29% of the accommodation facilities for these refugees have
been occupied.

DAY
The Day celebrating the Union of the Romanian Principalities will be marked by
the representations of the Romanian Cultural Institute in Chisinau, Rome,
Warsaw, Venice, Istanbul and Vienna. The Romanian Cultural Institute in Chisinau
stages a scientific event devoted to 164 years since the Union of the Romanian
Principalities – Moldova and Wallachia. The Romanian Institute of Culture and
Humanistic Research in Venice is staging a conference meant to emphasize the
cordial Romanian-Italian relations in the period of Alexandru Ioan Cuza (1859-1866)
and the symmetric destiny of the two peoples in the process of completing their
national unity. The Academia di Romania in Rome is also celebrating the Union
day with a film screening on the portrait of Romanian ruler Alexandru Ioan Cuza
made by photographer Carol Popp of Szathmari. The Romanian Cultural Institute
in Warsaw will be screening on the Youtube platform a film with Polish
subtitles entitled ‘The 1859 Union of the Romanian Principalities’ directed by
Radu Gaina. The Romanian Cultural institutes in Istanbul and Vienna are also
screening films about the aforementioned union and the personality of ruler
Alexandru Ioan Cuza.

FAIR Romania has a national stand at the
International travel Fair taking place in Madrid until Sunday. The stand has
been developed by the Ministry of Entrepreneurship and Tourism jointly with
several field associations and is promoting cultural trips, rural tourism and
city-break packages. Among other things, the Romanian programme also includes
meetings with relevant players from the public and private tourist sector with
the view to introducing Romania’s touristic potential to Spain. At the same
time, the fair is a good opportunity of promoting the city of Timisoara as
European Capital of Culture in 2023.

TENNIS Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse and her Ukrainian partner
Marta Kostyuk have qualified for the round of 16 of the women’s doubles in
Australian Open after their 3-6, 7-6, 6-0 win against Nicole Martinez of the
USA and Ellen Perez of Australia in Melbourne on Saturday. Ruse and Kostyuk
will be next taking on the winners of the game pitching the Czechs Miriam
Kolodziejova and Marketa Vondrousova to Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil and Shuai
Zhang of China. Also in the round of 16, the
Romanian-Swiss pair made up of Monica Niculescu and Viktorija Golubic
will be taking either on the fourth-seeded pair made up of Storm Hunter of Australia
and Elise Mertens of Belgium or Timea Babos of Hungary and Kristina Mladenovic
of France.

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21 January 2023