Radio România Internațional

Tag: US

  • February 4, 2025

    February 4, 2025

    A roundup of local and international news.

     

    PLAN – European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen proposed a new fund on Tuesday that could mobilize almost 800 billion euros for defense investment in the European Union. The money would be spent on supporting Ukraine and “taking more responsibility for our own European security”, the EC leader said. “We are in an era of re-armament, and Europe is ready to massively boost its defence spending,” the EC chief said. According to her, the Commission is to provide loans worth 150 billion euros to be used for air and missile defense, artillery systems, missiles and ammunition, drones and anti-drone systems, as well as to meet other needs, from cybersecurity to military mobility. “With this equipment, member states can massively increase their support for Ukraine,” Ursula von der Leyen said.

     

    WEAPONS – Washington has decided to suspend military aid to Ukraine following a dispute between US President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the Oval Office, White House officials confirmed to Bloomberg, Fox News and CNN. The pause will last until Donald Trump determines that Ukrainian leaders demonstrate a good faith commitment to peace, according to Bloomberg and Fox News reports. All deliveries of US military equipment that are not currently on Ukrainian territory will be suspended, including weapons in transit on aircraft and ships or waiting in transit zones in Poland. The US president has taken on the views of Russian President Vladimir Putin in recent weeks, falsely claiming that Ukraine started the war and accusing Volodymyr Zelensky of being a dictator, but his decision to stop providing military aid is a step that could have real consequences for the balance of power in the conflict and strengthen Putin’s position, CNN notes.

     

    DEFENSE – Romania’s acting President, Ilie Bolojan, had a telephone conversation on Monday with the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, Mark Rutte, on which occasion he thanked Romania for its contribution to the alliance, welcomed the increase in Bucharest’s defense budget and reaffirmed the commitment of NATO and the United States to collective defense and Article 5, the Presidential Administration reports. President Bolojan said that NATO remains the main guarantor of Romania’s security, and Article 5 is the one that most effectively deters threats and attacks against allies. Regarding the situation in Ukraine, he highlighted the need for a just and lasting peace, as well as the importance of maintaining support for this country.

     

    MOLDOVA – The European Union will allocate this year to the Republic of Moldova an additional aid of 60 million euros to strengthen its defense capabilities, the European Council President Antonio Costa said in ChisinauThe European official specified that, under the European Peace Facility, created to support the defense capabilities of various countries, the Republic of Moldova is the second beneficiary, with about 37 million euros allocated so far. Costa visited Chisinau on the occasion of the third anniversary of the Republic of Moldova’s application for EU membership.

     

    INVESTORS – Representatives of foreign investors in Romania, who had talks with interim President Ilie Bolojan, highlighted the need for reforms aimed at cutting red tape, improving administrative efficiency and creating a sustainable fiscal framework, the Presidential Administration reports. The need for strategic investments in infrastructure, education, health and in value-added sectors, such as technology hubs, biomethane production and data centers, was discussed. Talks focused on attracting and continuously developing investments in the national economy, given the importance of political stability, fiscal predictability and maintaining a favorable climate for investors. President Ilie Bolojan reaffirmed Romania’s commitment to a firm Euro-Atlantic path, emphasizing that this framework provides security to investors and contributes to the long-term development of the economy. Bolojan emphasized that Romania’s economic development depends on attracting investment, access to modern technology and openess towards international markets.

     

    PONTIFF – Pope Francis, who suffered two episodes of acute respiratory failure on Monday afternoon, remained conscious and cooperative, the Vatican announced. The pontiff had difficulty breathing  and returned to non-invasive mechanical ventilation. It has been 19 days since Pope Francis, 88, was hospitalized at the Gemelli Hospital in Rome, following a diagnosis of double pneumonia. Doctors maintain a reserved prognosis, given the complexity of his condition, and hundreds of Catholics gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the eighth consecutive evening to pray for the Pontiff’s health. (EE)

  • February 18, 2025 UPDATE

    February 18, 2025 UPDATE

    DIPLOMACY Romania’s interim president, Ilie Bolojan, said on Tuesday at the annual meeting of the heads of diplomatic missions accredited to Bucharest that Romania is a democratic state, which continues to take action to strengthen its institutions and people’s confidence in them. He promised a free, fair and transparent election process in the upcoming presidential election. “Romania has a ruling coalition, which ensures the country’s stability”, the president said, and added that Romania’s foreign policy will stay on its normal course as an EU and NATO member with a strategic partnership with the USA, while also being open to cooperation with all the partners that share the same values and principles. According to Bolojan, Russia’s aggression in neighbouring Ukraine must stop, and a ceasefire followed by just and sustainable peace is a goal that must be pursued not only by the parties involved, but also by the entire international community.  Bolojan went on to say that support for the ex-soviet, Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova is a duty and this state’s resilience must be strengthened ahead of the parliamentary election due in 2025.

     

    RIYADH The first high-level US-Russia meeting in recent years took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday. Moscow’s officials said the talks were “serious” and “positive,” while the American side announced that two teams would be set up to initiate negotiations to stop the war in Ukraine, Reuters and AFP report. While the delegations led by Marco Rubio and Sergei Lavrov were discussing in Riyadh, the Russian foreign ministry announced that it wanted NATO to revoke the decision taken at the 2008 summit in Bucharest regarding Ukraine’s accession to the Alliance. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he would not recognise the outcome of Russian-American negotiations held in the absence of Kyiv, and European leaders convening in an emergency meeting in Paris on Monday promised to carry on their military support for Ukraine, while stepping up the strengthening of their own defence. Only a few European leaders were invited to the informal EU summit organised by president Emmanuel Macron, namely the German Chancellor, the Polish, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Danish and British prime ministers, as well as the president of the European Council, the head of the European Commission and the NATO Secretary General. France plans to host a second meeting on Ukraine and European security on Wednesday, Reuters reports. According to diplomatic sources, Norway, Canada, Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, the Czech Republic, Finland, Greece, Romania, Sweden and Belgium are invited to take part.

     

    JUDICIARY The Romanian justice minister Radu Marinescu Tuesday had a meeting with the Japanese ambassador to Bucharest, Takashi Katae. The two officials discussed, among other things, ways to find better solutions for judicial cooperation regarding Romanian nationals imprisoned in Japan. According to a news release issued by the justice ministry, Radu Marinescu appreciates the excellent judicial cooperation between the two states, while at the same time reaffirming Romania’s strong commitment to develop close institutional collaboration in the future. Bilateral relations between Romania and Japan were elevated to a strategic partnership on March 7, 2023. Last year, a Declaration of Cooperation between the justice ministries of the two countries was also signed, making Romania the first European Union member state to sign such a declaration with Japan, the news release also states.

     

    FOOTBALL The former Romanian international player Cristian Chivu was appointed coach of the Italian football team Parma on Tuesday, the club announced on its home page. For Chivu, this will be the first coaching experience at a senior level, after having trained several junior teams at Internazionale Milano, where he played between 2007 and 2014 and where he concluded his career as a footballer at the age of 34 due to recurring injuries. In the 2009-2010 season, under the Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho, he won the Italian championship and Cup with Inter, as well as the Champions League. At Parma, Chivu will coach the Romanian international players Dennis Man and Valentin Mihăilă. The team is in 18th place out of 20 (relegation-threatened) and Chivu’s debut as a coach in Serie A will take place on February 22, on home turf, against Bologna. Another Italian team in Serie A, Genoa, is owned by the Romanian businessman Dan Şucu, who is also the major shareholder in Rapid Bucharest. (AMP)

  • US, Russia hold talks in Riyadh

    US, Russia hold talks in Riyadh

    RIYADH The first high-level US-Russia meeting in recent years took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday. Moscow’s officials said the talks were “serious” and “positive,” while the American side announced that two teams would be set up to initiate negotiations to stop the war in Ukraine, Reuters and AFP report.

     

    While the delegations led by Marco Rubio and Sergei Lavrov were discussing in Riyadh, the Russian foreign ministry announced it wanted NATO to revoke the decision taken at the 2008 summit in Bucharest regarding Ukraine’s accession to the Alliance.

     

    The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would not recognise the outcome of Russian-American negotiations held in the absence of Kyiv, and European leaders convening in an emergency meeting in Paris on Monday promised to carry on their military support for Ukraine, while stepping up the strengthening of their own defence.

     

    Only a few European leaders were invited to the informal EU summit organised by president Emmanuel Macron, namely the German Chancellor, the Polish, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Danish and British prime ministers, as well as the president of the European Council, the head of the European Commission and the NATO Secretary General. (AMP)

  • January 30, 2025 UPDATE 1

    January 30, 2025 UPDATE 1

    Candidacy – The president of the opposition Save Romania Union (USR), Elena Lasconi, will run again in the presidential election in May. She announced that she has the support of her party and is responsible for the votes cast by citizens two months ago. In turn, the mayor of Bucharest, Nicuşor Dan, said that he maintained his decision to enter the presidential race as an independent and the governing coalition (PSD-PNL-UDMR) would support a common candidate in the race, the former Liberal leader, Crin Antonescu. We remind you that, in December, the Constitutional Court of Romania annulled the presidential election, citing interference by a state actor, and decided that the electoral process should be entirely resumed. The first round had been won by independent sovereigntist Călin Georgescu and the USR leader Elena Lasconi. On the other hand, European Union member states, including France, Germany and Romania, requested the Commission to take measures to protect the elections in the community space from interference by external actors.

     

    Chişinău – On Friday the Romanian FM Emil Hurezeanu is going on ​​a working visit to the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population), Radio Chişinău reports. The agenda of the visit includes discussions with the Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihail Popşoi as well as the reception by the country’s president, Maia Sandu, by the president of the Moldovan Parliament, Igor Grosu, and by the deputy prime minister for European Integration, Cristina Gherasimov. The two foreign ministers are to deliver a joint press statement.

     

    Collision – Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, sent a message of solidarity to the American people on Thursday following the collision in the air, above Washington, of an American Airlines passenger plane and a Black Hawk helicopter of the US army. “Our thoughts go out to the families of the victims” – the head of state wrote on platform X. The American Airlines plane, with 64 people on board, and the military helicopter with three soldiers on board crashed, on Wednesday evening, in the Potomac River. Extremely difficult search operations were launched. Since February 2009, there have been no fatal passenger plane accidents in the United States.

     

    Aircraft – An F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, purchased by Romania from the Kingdom of Norway, landed, on Thursday, at the 71st General Emanoil Ionescu Air Base at Câmpia Turzii. The aircraft thus completes the 48th Fighter Squadron with all 16 aircraft, the Romanian Defense Ministry informs. The purchase of the new batch of F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft and the related package of goods and services ensures the increase of Romania’s security by defending the national or NATO airspace, in peacetime and in crisis situations, through the Permanent Combat Service – Air Policing, under NATO command. (LS)

     

  • January 18, 2025 UPDATE

    January 18, 2025 UPDATE

    Protest – Thousands of members and supporters of the nationalist Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), the main opposition party in Romania’s Parliament, protested on Saturday in Bucharest and across Romania, demanding, among other things, the resumption of the second round of the presidential election. They criticized the court’s decision by which the action opened by the independent candidate Călin Georgescu in the case of the cancellation of the presidential election was definitively rejected and said that it defies millions of Romanians who demand the resumption of the second round of voting and that it ignores the lack of clear evidence. Organized on time, on November 24, 2024, the first round was invalidated by the Constitutional Court of Romania (CCR), which, based on documents provided by the Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT), invoked the interference of a so-called state actor. The second round, scheduled for December 8, was to be contested by Georgescu, accused of connections with Russia, and the opposition Save Romania Union (USR) leader Elena Lasconi. In the diaspora, where the polling stations for the decisive round opened on December 6, tens of thousands of Romanians had already voted when the CCR decided to invalidate the first round. The costs of the invalidated election allegedly stand at almost 1.4 billion lei (the equivalent of about 280 billion Euros). On December 21, the acting president’s second and last five-year presidential mandate was to expire, according to the Constitution, but his mandate was extended until the election of a new president to be validated by the CCR.

     

    NATO – Hundreds of British military vehicles are on their way to Romania, loaded on ferries, to take part in a major NATO exercise, the British government announced. 2,400 British soldiers, with 730 military vehicles, will form the main battle group, supported by representatives of five other NATO countries, and the United Kingdom will ensure the command of the land component. The new allied reaction force replaced the NATO response force last year and aims to quickly and effectively respond to any threat in peacetime, crisis or conflict.

     

    Tennis – The Romanian-Ukrainian pair Gabriela Ruse/Marta Kostiuk qualified for the round of 16 of the women’s doubles at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year, after defeating the pair Elise Mertens (Belgium)/Ellen Perez (Australia) 6-4, 6-4 on Saturday in Melbourne. In another second round match, the Romanian Jaqueline Cristian and her Italian partner Camilla Rosatello were defeated by the pair Leylah Fernandez (Canada)-Nadia Kicenok (Ukraine), 4-6, 6-2, 6-3. Jaqueline Cristian was also defeated in the singles by the German Eva Lys 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, in the third round.

     

    Intelligence Service – The Romanian Intelligence Service presented new details about the strategic objectives in Romania that a Colombian citizen intended to blow up, at the instigation of a person from Russia. The target was a recyclable waste deposit, two oil extraction wells and a Natural Gas Regulating Metering Station. Luis Alfonso Murillo Diosa was sent to court last November for crimes against national security. According to the investigators, the Colombian was affiliated with an extensive network of saboteurs, controlled through intermediaries by the Russian secret services, which targeted several European states. A former military, trained in intelligence gathering activities, Diosa arrived on Romanian territory in July 2024.

     

    Fair – Romania will participate in the largest organic products fair in the world, BioFach 2025, which will take place in Nuremberg (Germany) between February 11-14, announced the Bio-Romania Association, supported by the Romanian Government through the Romanian Agency for Investments and Foreign Trade. According to the Association, Romania has been present for 20 years at this event dedicated to agriculture and ecological products. Since 1990, BioFach has become the essential meeting point for organic food producers worldwide, offering networking opportunities and a place where ideas can be exchanged between all actors in the value chain of the organic sector.

     

    US – The inauguration ceremony of the US President-Elect, Donald Trump, will be moved indoors, as the weather forecast for Monday in Washington indicates very low temperatures, the American press announces. Therefore, the swearing-in ceremony, which was supposed to take place on the steps of the Capitol, will take place inside the Capitol Rotunda, just as it was done at the ceremony for the second term of the former president Ronald Reagan. Donald Trump has told his supporters that they will be able to see the inauguration ceremony on screens located inside the Capital One Arena, a sports arena in Washington with a capacity of 20,000 people. The transition team announced that, on Monday, Donald Trump would again use his own Bible, and also the “Lincoln Bible”, a copy known by this name because it was the holy book used by the 16th president of the USA , Abraham Lincoln. The Republican leader also used these two copies when taking the oath for his first mandate, in 2017, the EFE agency reports. (LS)

  • December 28, 2024

    December 28, 2024

    Meeting – Romania’s Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, is today participating in the meeting of the National Tripartite Council for Social Dialogue, a body that brings together employer and trade union confederations and government representatives. The meeting takes place after, on Friday, during the consultations of the government coalition from Bucharest made up of the PSD-PNL-UDMR, the emergency ordinance on the basis of which the state budget for next year will be built was not finalized. According to some political sources, the most recent form of the ordinance provides that in 2025 state employment will be blocked, overtime will be compensated with free time, and state salaries and pensions will be frozen. The coalition leaders must also establish the date on which the presidential election will be held.

     

    Crime report – Romania is among the states with the lowest level of crime, offering a more favorable situation from this point of view than many Western European countries, shows a Romanian Interior Ministry (MAI) press release based on the reports of the US Department of State and the European Commission. According to them, Romania is recognized as a very safe country for citizens and tourists. In the ‘Report for American citizens traveling abroad’, Romania is indicated as having a low and very low risk of crime. According to the MAI, official international documents highlight Romania’s significant progress in combating crime, confirming its status as a safe country. In recent years, Romania has recorded figures below the European and international average for crimes such as robberies, thefts and other acts committed with violence, the press release also shows.

     

    Tennis – The Romanian tennis players Anca Todoni and Ana Bogdan on Saturday qualified for the main draw of the WTA 500 tournament in Brisbane. Ana Bogdan faced the Colombian Emiliana Arango in the decisive match, whom she defeated 6-2, 6-4, and will debut in the main draw in Brisbane against the Russian Anastasia Potapova. Anca Todoni won the match with Slovakian Anna Karolina Schmiedlova, 6-2, 6-3, and will debut in the competition against Cristina Bucsa from Spain.  The WTA 500 tournament in Brisbane (Australia), with total prizes worth more than 1.5 million dollars, will take place between December 29 and January 5.

     

    Moldova – The Republic of Moldova (with a majority Romanian-speaking population) has decided to increase defense spending and promises that the military investments budget will reach 1% of the Gross Domestic Product in five years. The provision is included in the National Defense Strategy, adopted by the Moldovan Parliament. The strategy identifies as security risks to Moldova the continuation of the war Russia started against Ukraine and the hybrid operations carried out by Moscow against Chisinau. Also, according to the Defense Minister, Anatolie Nosatîi, the illegal presence of the Russian armed forces in Transndniester represents a threat to Moldova’s security and puts in difficulty the legal functioning and the international recognition of the state’s neutrality status. The Republic of Moldova has the smallest army in Europe, relative to the population, and does not have its own defense industry. According to statistical data, the Republic of Moldova ranks 144 out of 145 as a military power worldwide.

     

    Schengen – More than 166,300 people, Romanian and foreign citizens, and approximately 45,100 means of transport completed the formalities for crossing the Romanian border, both to enter or exit the country, on the third day of Christmas, the General Inspectorate of Border Police informs. We remind you that 33 crossing points on Romania’s border with Hungary and Bulgaria, as well as from the Black Sea and the Maritime Danube, will be closed from January 1, 2025, when Romania enters the Schengen free travel area with land borders too. 17 road and rail points are located on Romania’s western border with Hungary, and 14 road points, including ferry crossings, rail and port crossing points on the border with Bulgaria. The data appear in a draft government decision designed by the Interior Ministry. (LS)

  • December 17, 2024 UPDATE

    December 17, 2024 UPDATE

    A roundup of local and international news.

     

    GOVERNMENT – The pro-European parties represented in the future Parliament in Bucharest continued, on Tuesday, discussions on the governing program. The meeting was attended by representatives of PSD, PNL, UDMR, but also those of USR, who were absent from Monday’s discussions and who are asking for the measures to be adopted and next year’s budget to be first decided. In their opinion, the distribution of responsibilities and positions in the future Government can only be done after discussions on the governing program. The leaders of PSD, PNL and UDMR announced that they have the necessary votes in Parliament to form a majority and a government, in case USR decides to leave the coalition. On Monday, in the first part of the day, the heads of the four parties discussed the draft budget for 2025 with the Minister of Finance, Marcel Boloş, but also the budget execution for the current year. The future governing program should include a series of major reforms, which are to be finalized and made public by Friday, December 20, when the new Parliament is to be convened, the coalition leaders said.

     

     

    AMBASSADOR – “While there is always more work to do, it is clear Romania has chosen the right path – the European and Euro-Atlantic path – towards democracy, peace, security and prosperity – for all its citizens,” said the US ambassador to Bucharest, Kathleen Kavalec, on Tuesday, at the Romanian Foreign Ministry offices, where she was conferred the Order of the Star of Romania.  Ambassador Kavalec extended her thanks to the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminiţa Odobescu, for the collaboration aimed at strengthening the US-Romania strategic partnership. In this context, the US ambassador to Bucharest mentioned some of the objectives achieved together with the Romanian partners, including the strengthening of Romania’s defense capabilities and its role in promoting regional security, fulfilling the requirements of the Visa Waiver program. She also referred to investments, but also to the development of bilateral relations in the fields of education and culture. At the same time, Kathleen Kavalec also highlighted the joint aid offered to Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, as well as the “remarkable” progress that Romania has made as a member of the EU and NATO and as strategic partner of the United States.

     

     

    ELECTIONS – Four American senators, both Republican and Democrat, have condemned Russia’s interference in the presidential elections in Romania and expressed their support for Bucharest in the fight for the integrity of the electoral process. The senators assured that the United States stands by Romania, as the country urgently takes measures for free and fair presidential elections. The first round of the presidential elections in Romania was cancelled after it was revealed that the voting had not bee not fair due to illegal practices supported by Russia on social media, especially on TikTok. For its part, the European Union announced on Monday that it adopted the first sanctions in response to “hybrid actions” on its territory, against Russian agents accused of “destabilizing” actions in the EU.

     

     

    FORESTRY – The new Forestry Code, a milestone of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, has been adopted by the Parliament in Bucharest. More than seven months after the normative it passed the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies, as the decision-making body, adopted the project. The document, which received over 200 amendments, provides, among other things, for video surveillance of forest roads, imprisonment of up to five years for falsifying forestry computer data and the establishment of the National Forest Registry. The Minister of Environment, Mircea Fechet, said that the measures provided for in the law ensure forest conservation, economic development and new jobs. However, the opposition expressed dissatisfaction with the final form of the project.

     

     

    PRICES – Romania ranks first in the European price increase rankings. Since the beginning of the year, the country has recorded the largest price increases for food, clothing, footwear, electronics, household appliances and services among all European Union countries. Data from the National Institute of Statistics indicate that food and non-food products increased in price by 5% in November 2024, compared to November 2023, and services by 7.56%. According to Eurostat, over 25% of Romanians’ monthly income is allocated to food, well above the European average, despite the fact that salaries have increased compared to previous years. Romanians spend 30 billion euros annually on consumer goods, such as food, alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages, and personal and household care products. In the first nine months of 2024, sales of such items increased by 16%, the increase being covered, in fact, only by price increases, as consumption decreased.

     

     

    RECESSION – Entrepreneurs are drawing attention to the danger of an economic recession in Romania in 2025 and are calling on the future government in Bucharest to take measures. During the debate “Back to the Economy. How Entrepreneurs See 2025”, staged on Monday by the Coalition for Freedom of Trade and Communication, business people recalled that 2024 was an extremely challenging year and recommended that the future government should avoid measures that would excessively burden the business environment, in an attempt to reduce the budget deficit. They also spoke out in favor of more predictability.

  • November 20, 2024

    November 20, 2024

    BONDS – Foreign investors are showing great interest in the Romgaz bond issue, according to the company’s CEO Răzvan Popescu. He says the money raised from the listing on the Bucharest Stock Exchange will be used for the company’s investment program, especially the strategic Neptun Deep project in the Black Sea. Romgaz, the largest producer and main supplier of natural gas in Romania, listed its first international corporate bond issue on the Bucharest Stock Exchange on Tuesday, worth 500 million euros. The bonds are also listed on the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.

     

    INVESTIGATION – Prosecutors with the Cluj-Napoca office of the European Public Prosecutor’s Office are investigating a possible fraud involving European funds, with an estimated damage of 2 million euros. The case involves three projects to modernize a vegetable farm in Maramureş (north). The prosecutors’ suspicions concern the use of false, incorrect or incomplete documents in order to obtain EU funds for the purchase of a tomato sorting and packaging facility and for the installation of photovoltaic panels. According to the investigation, the suspects allegedly forged documents and signatures in order to mislead the authorities. On Tuesday, searches were carried out at the home of a person and at the headquarters of companies targeted by this case.

     

    CYBERSECURITY – A new edition of the CyberCon Romania 2024 international conference, organised by the Romanian Association for Information Security Assurance jointly with the US Embassy in Romania, is sunder way in Bucharest. . The conference, a landmark event in the field of cybersecurity, is held at the European Commission Representation in Romania and brings together experts from the public, private and academic sectors. According to the organizers, among the topics addressed are: current challenges and trends in the field, maintaining resilience for a secure digital infrastructure, improving cooperation between the defense and civilian sectors, the evolution of cyber threats and innovative solutions to combat them, as well as recommended practices to unite cybersecurity and cybercrime prevention.

     

    PROTESTS – The Romanian Trade Unions Federation in Energy staged a protest in front of the Ministry of Labor and Social Solidarity offices in Bucharest on Wednesday, on the topic of the new Pension Law, which entered into force on September 1. According to the trade unionists, the law endangers workers in the integrated nuclear field, because it increases the contribution period in their case and sets a minimum age threshold of 45 years for their retirement. Unionists want the contribution period and the retirement conditions for Level I and II of radiation exposure be maintained as stipulated by the previous Pension Law.

     

    DRONE – A new Russian drone has been found in the north of Chisinau, the capital of the Republic of Moldova, neighboring Ukraine invaded by Russian troops. According to the National Police, which reported the case, this is the fourth flying object observed on the territory of the Republic of Moldova in recent days. The drone was found on a plot of land located between a shopping centre and a stadium, by a citizen who alerted the authorities. On Sunday, the Moldovan authorities announced that two Russian missiles had entered the airspace of the Republic of Moldova. This is the first time that a Russian drone has been reported in the airspace of the capital of the Republic of Moldova.

     

    UKRAINE – A thousand days after the start of the Russian invasion, the European Parliament promises Ukraine that the EU will stand by it for as long as necessary. The leader in Kyiv, Volodymyr Zelensky, said that without European support, Ukraine would have been occupied by Russia. The EP held a plenary session in Brussels on Monday, and the European Defense Ministers held a meeting, to which NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was also invited.

  • November 6, 2024

    November 6, 2024

     

    US ELECTION The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis and PM Marcel Ciolacu today congratulated Donald Trump on his victory in the US presidential elections. “Romania is a strong and committed strategic ally of the USA. Through our joint efforts, we will bring peace and prosperity to our countries and beyond, defending our common interests,” the Romanian president wrote on a social network. The Republican Donald Trump claimed an “unprecedented mandate,” in a speech held at West Palm Beach, Florida, after Fox News called the election for Trump, the only US news outlet to do this so far. Although technically the vote count is not yet over, Donald Trump thanked the Americans for electing him. “We made history,” he said, and promised to help the country “heal.” Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, said in his turn that “we have witnessed the greatest political comeback in US history.” His opponent, the Democrat Kamala Harris, has not yet addressed her supporters.

     

    SENATE The Republicans appear to have have gained control of the US Senate, previously held by the Democrats, with a majority of at least 51 seats out of 100, according to projections. The US Senate has 100 seats (2 for each US state) and 34 members are replaced following the vote organised concurrently with the November 5 presidential election. In the House of Representatives, neither party seems to have a decisive advantage, as the vote count in the 50 states continues today. The control of the two chambers of the US Congress is a major stake, as the room for maneuver of the country’s president depends largely on the laws they are able to get passed in the Senate and the House of Representatives. Both vote on federal laws, but the Senate also has important exclusive powers, especially in the appointment or removal of key government members or in the confirmation of federal magistrates.

     

    EUROPEAN COMMISSION The Social Democrat Roxana Mînzatu, Romania’s nomination for vice-president of the new European Commission, received a positive review from the specialist committees of the Romanian parliament. Next week, she will also be heard in the committees of the European Parliament. In addition to the position of vice-president, the Romanian commissioner will also serve as Commissioner for People, Skills and Preparedness.

     

    INVESTMENTS PM Marcel Ciolacu had a meeting with a delegation of Japanese investors on Tuesday in Bucharest. They expressed their interest in strengthening financial support for Romania in transport infrastructure, energy, digitisation and high techn projects. Previously, at a bilateral Energy Forum also held in the Romanian capital city, the energy ministry and the Japanese company Itochu Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding on a hydropower plant project in Cluj county (northwest Romania).

     

    VISIT The European Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, is on an official visit to Bucharest, where he takes part today in the national conference of the Romanian Farmers’ Club. According to a press release issued by the European Commission, the commissioner is a special guest in the interactive EU-Romania Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture, where he talks about the prospects of European farming in the context of the current environmental and geo-political challenges and of the EU enlargement. At the same time, the European official is to address a plenary session on “Vision and action for the sustainable transformation of agriculture”. Among other things, Janusz Wojciechowski will thank Romanian farmers for their vital contribution to food security, in Europe and beyond.

     

    FLOODS Another person on the list of Romanian nationals missing following the recent floods in Spain has been found dead. The Romanian foreign ministry announced that, according to the information sent by the Spanish authorities, up to this moment 2 Romanian citizens are dead and 7 are still missing. The Romanian embassy in Madrid and the consular office in Castellón de la Plana are checking public information regarding the death of some Romanian citizens, but no official confirmations have been received so far. Meanwhile, the Spanish government has declared a state of natural disaster in the affected areas and has pledged to cover 100% of the urgent expenses of the affected municipalities. A first emergency plan worth over EUR 10 billion was adopted. (AMP)

  • November 5, 2024

    November 5, 2024

     

    EUROPEAN COMMISSION Roxana Mînzatu, Romania’s nominee for European Commissioner for People, Skills and Preparedness is interviewed today by Parliament’s specialist committees. She is one of the six vice-presidents of the European Commission, headed by Ursula von der Layen. Mînzatu aims to make the teaching career more attractive, given that at least 24 EU member states are facing a shortage of teachers, and at the same time to improve the Erasmus+ programme, viewed as far too expensive by many Romanian students. On November 12, next week, Roxana Mînzatu will be heard in the specialist committees of the European Parliament.

     

    DEFENCE “The Romanian and French military are fully engaged in ensuring security and stability in the Black Sea region,” the Romanian defence minister Angel Tîlvăr said in Paris, at a meeting with his French counterpart, Sebastien Lecornu. The agenda included current topics related to bilateral cooperation, with an emphasis on strategic defence priorities, in the complex security context of the Black Sea region and of the Russian Federation’s continuing war of aggression in Romania’s neighbor, Ukraine. The 2 officials also discussed aspects related to the collaboration between the two states within NATO, the European Union and bilaterally. Minister Tîlvăr was among the Romanian officials accompanying PM Marcel Ciolacu, who met with his counterpart Michel Barnier on Monday.

     

    FINANCE The Romanian finance minister, Marcel Boloş, took part  in Brussels today in the meeting of the Economic and Financial Affairs Council, where they discussed VAT in the digital age, the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the annual reporting, EU statistics, international meetings and financing the climate transition. The Council will also pass two legislative acts in the field of insurance.

     

    FORUM Bucharest is hosting the Romania-Japan Energy Forum, an event that brings together companies and public institutions in the field of energy from both countries. The forum stepped up joint projects in the field of energy, in particular the development of new generation nuclear power, the expansion of renewable energy storage capacities, the production of green hydrogen and the implementation of carbon capture, use and storage technologies. As part of the forum, the Romanian energy ministry and the Japanese company Itochu Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the development of the Tarnița-Lăpuștești investment (central Romania), a project of strategic importance for balancing the energy system in Romania in the context of increasing the share of energy from renewable sources. Relations between Romania and Japan were raised to the strategic partnership level on March 7, 2023.

     

    ELECTION DAY US citizens today elect their president. Running for office are vice-president Kamala Harris, supported by the Democratic Party, and the former White House leader Donald Trump, the candidate of the Republican Party. Both finished their campaign in Pennsylvania, a state that could decide who the next president will be. Over 80 million voters have already cast their early vote by mail, a record number that shows interest in this election, seen by many as critical for the future of American democracy. A staggering USD 2.6 bln has been spent in the last eight months to convince the voters. Opinion polls show that Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are practically tied.

     

    GEORGIA Thousands of Georgians gathered in the centre of the capital city Tbilisi on Monday evening, to protest the results of the October 26 legislative elections, won by the ruling party, Georgian Dream, and challenged by the opposition, whose supporters are now announcing protests will continue until the election is repeated. The newly elected opposition MPs refused to enter Parliament, and described the election as illegitimate, while Western observers speak of irregularities during the campaign and the vote. The opposition parties, supported by the pro-Western president Salome Zourabichvili, claim that there have been frauds and demand an international investigation or repeat elections under ‘international administration’. Both ideas are rejected by the government. Attending the protest, Salome Zourabichvili told the demonstrators that the Republic of Moldova won, referring to the victory of her pro-European counterpart Maia Sandu, and that “Georgia must not give up either”. Russia dismissed the Georgian opposition’s accusations of meddling in the election process, and the Georgian Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation last Wednesday to investigate election fraud allegations. (AMP)

  • October 23, 2024

    October 23, 2024

    Visit – Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, is paying an official visit to Montenegro today, at the invitation of his counterpart Jakov Milatović. This is the first visit at the level of heads of state since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Klaus Iohannis will be received by President Jakov Milatovic at the official residence in Cetinje. The talks will focus on such topics as political and diplomatic cooperation, defense and support for Montenegro’s European path. Opportunities for increasing investments and commercial exchanges, stimulating contacts in the fields of energy, tourism, agriculture, internal affairs, research, education and culture will also be analyzed.

     

    Election – Today, the US has expressed its concern about Russia’s interference in the second round of the November 3 presidential election in the Republic of Moldova, a competition which is going to be very tight. The US is concerned that Russia will try, once again, to prevent the Moldovans from exercising their sovereign right to choose their own leaders, said the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, in a statement quoted by AFP. Washington has already denounced that Russia did everything in its power to disrupt the first round of the presidential election and last Sunday’s referendum, with the aim of undermining democracy in the small ex-Soviet Republic with a majority Romanian-speaking population, especially through illegal financing, vote buying, disinformation and malicious cyber activities. We remind you that the Moldovans approved by a tiny margin, with a little over 50% of the votes, amending the Constitution with a view to their country’s EU accession. At the same time, the current president, the pro-European Maia Sandu, ranked first, with 42.45% of the votes, in the first round of the presidential election, but she is preparing for a difficult second round, in which she will fight with the representative of the Socialist Party, Alexandr Stoianoglo, who obtained 25.98%.

     

    Budget – Today, the European Parliament pronounces on the budget for next year, in a different version than the one proposed by the EC and the one discussed in the Council, which announces negotiations. Initially, the European Commission had considered a budget of approximately 200 billion Euros, which it proposed both to the Council and the Parliament. The Council cut 8 billion Euros from this proposal, while the Parliament increased it by another 1 billion. One of the two chief negotiators of the EP, the Romanian MEP Victor Negrescu, says that the version of the EP, of 201 billion Euros, would be the correct one, both from the point of view of the multi-annual budget setting and from the point of view of what is needed for the Union’s common policies. The European Parliament agrees with the increase in the budget for border security, defense and external actions, but believes that the big problem is in the economy and in the social sector, domains for which more money would be needed, says Victor Negrescu.

     

    Salary – Romania’s Chamber of Deputies adopted, as a decision-making body, the draft law on the minimum wage. It transposes a European directive that aims to improve the working and living conditions of employees. The document stipulates that the minimum basic gross salary guaranteed to be paid should be established annually, through periodic updating, after consultations with the nationally-representative unions and employers’ associations and should take into account the cost of living and economic and social indicators.

     

    Year of the Child – The Romanian authorities announce a series of measures in the run-up of the Year of the Child to be marked in 2025. The measures are aimed at supporting children and promoting their rights, especially of those from disadvantaged areas. The law under which 2025 becomes the Year of the Child in Romania was passed by Parliament earlier this month. (LS)

     

  • Sentinel radar systems for Romania

    Sentinel radar systems for Romania

    Romania will purchase high-power American radars, which will significantly increase the defense capacity against potential threats.

     

     

    The US State Department has approved the sale to Romania of four Sentinel radar systems. The Sentinel system is a state-of-the-art system and will significantly increase the deterrence and defense ability against potential threats. The acquisition program includes, besides four radar systems, logistic support, training services, communication equipment, technical assistance and transport services, for equipping the ground-based air defense battalions of the Romanian Land Forces. The radars will help improve airspace surveillance, especially against the latest threats posed by unmanned aerial vehicles with low speeds and low radar footprints. Sentinel is a three-dimensional radar – that can measure the distance, direction and elevation of manned and unmanned air objects, data that it automatically reports to ground-based air defense command and control systems. This system supports multiple command and control interfaces, providing consistent air surveillance data. It can detect, identify and track unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), cruise missiles and fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft. First built in 1995, the Sentinel radar is deployed to air defense units in forward operating bases of the US military.

     

    With an initial total value of approximately 90 million dollars, the first two systems will be financed mainly through grants from the Foreign Military Financing Fund of the US State Department. U.S. Ambassador Kathleen Kavalec stated, “Romania’s acquisition of the Sentinel radar system underscores the long-standing security partnership between our two countries. These radar systems will greatly increase the early warning for potential threats to Romanian cities and critical infrastructure, and better protect the territory and citizens of Romania. The acquisition of the Sentinel improves the security of Romania, our NATO Ally and an important force for political and economic stability in Europe.”

     

    The Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, said that the state-of-the-art military equipment acquired through the collaboration with the United States has essentially changed the profile of the Romanian Army at the level of action capacity in the Black Sea region and strengthened interoperability with allied armies and partners. State-of-the-art radars will complement the country’s air defense capabilities, especially in terms of the early detection of unmanned aerial vehicles, which fly at low travel speeds and have reduced radar footprints, threats that exist in the proximity of national borders, in the context Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, the defense minister also said.

  • September 6, 2024

    September 6, 2024

    EXPO “As strategic partners and as NATO allies we stand together in the face of Russia’s unprovoked and illegal aggression to support Ukraine and strengthen collective deterrence and defence within the Alliance”. The statement belongs to the ambassador of the United States in Bucharest Kathleen Kavalec and was made during the photo exhibition marking 25 years of Strategic Partnership between the two countries inaugurated in Galati, Romania’s biggest port on the Danube. Entitled “We the people” the aforementioned photo exhibit is exploring the security, diplomatic, cultural, economic relations between the two peoples.

     

    RELATIONS Romania’s Chamber of Trade and Industry, also known as CCIRR, has extensively promoted the economic relations with Japan and Romania can represent a business opportunity for Japanese companies given the performances obtained by the Romanian entrepreneurs in the fields of IT&C, green energy and innovative technologies – the CCIRR president Mihai Daraban said. On Thursday he had an official meeting with the Japanese ambassador in Bucharest, Katae Takashi, who underlined the importance and potential of the economic cooperation between the two countries. The diplomat says that Japan sees Romania as a strategic partner in Eastern Europe and encourages the Japanese investors to explore the business and investment opportunities here.

     

    EDUCATION Poverty is severely affecting school performance, training practices are discriminatory, some students end up unmotivated and most of them would like to emigrate – a report drawn up by the Save the Children organization says. According to European data, school dropout is affecting an increasing number of Romanian children. A 16% dropout rate was reported among the students in Romania’s secondary education in the 2022-2023 school year and 25% among high-schoolers. High dropout discrepancies have been reported in various environments, 3% in the big cities, 14% in the country’s smaller cities and 27% in the villages. At national level, two out of five students in the country’s secondary education system have failed to pass their final exams. Their number is 2.5% higher in the rural area.

     

    FOOTBALL Romania’s national football side is today making its debut in the fresh season of the Nations league. The Romanians will be first taking on Kosovo away, while on September 9 they will be playing Lithuania in a home game. Romania’s group C also includes Cyprus. A first place means direct promotion to the B League whereas the runner-up will play a tie match to get promotion. A fourth position means demotion to the D League, whereas a third position will keep our side in the same C League until the next edition. Our side’s qualification for the Nations League’s group will have a direct effect over the European preliminaries for World Cup 2026. The Romanian national side is being coached by a football and coaching legend, Mircea Lucescu, who comes back at its helm after an absence of almost four decades. The former headcoach, Edward Iordanescu, stepped down after Euro 2024, when Romania had made it to the round of 16.

     

    WEATHER The weather remains warm in Romania, but it’s expected to gradually turn unstable. Showers have been reported in the east, south and south-west and are to extend to the other regions in the next couple of hours. The highs of the day are ranging between 24 and 33 degrees Celsius, with 27 degrees in Bucharest at noon. Hydrologists have today issued a code yellow alert for flooding for six counties in the country’s east and south-east.

    (bill)

     

  • August 26, 2024

    August 26, 2024

    Survey – The candidates of the Social Democratic Party – PSD and the National Liberal party – PNL, Marcel Ciolacu and Nicolae Ciucă, would enter the second round of the presidential election in Romania, if elections were held next Sunday – shows a CURS survey published on Sunday. Regarding the parliamentary elections, the PSD leads in the preferences of the electorate, followed by its governing partner, the PNL. The survey, about which we talk in detail after the news, was conducted between August 6-22, on a sample of 1,067 respondents, with a margin of error of plus/minus 3%.

     

    Drought – The Romanian government will discuss, this week, the first set of measures for the farmers affected by the drought. Recently, the agriculture minister Florin Barbu and the farmers’ representatives have had a discussion aimed at granting compensations for the damage caused by the drought and for a new package of measures to combat the effects of the drought, a package that the minister is going to present to the members of the government. The authorities are also considering the creation of a mechanism agreed with the Financial Supervisory Authority for state insurance of an area of ​​about 7 million hectares with an insurance premium of 3,000 lei (600 Euros) for each hectare. The establishment of local irrigation systems and forest curtains is also under discussion.

     

    Weather – Almost all of Romania is under heat wave and severe thermal discomfort alerts, with maximum temperatures rising to 38 degrees Celsius. In the northwest, center-west, partially in the east and south, there is a code yellow alert for heatwave and high thermal discomfort. The temperature-humidity index will exceed the critical threshold of 80 units. The highs of the day will range from 34 to 36 degrees Celsius. In the coming days, the heat wave will subside and the atmospheric instability will increase. A Code Orange alert for hot weather is still in force today in 20 counties from the south, west, east and the city of Bucharest.

     

    Tennis – Three tennis players from Romania are performing today in the inaugural round at the US Open, the last Grand Slam tournament of the year. Coming from the qualifications, Gabriela Ruse will face Julia Grabher from Austria. The other two Romanian players on the singles table are Jaqueline Cristian, who will play against the Russian Daria Kasatkina, seed no. 12, and Ana Bogdan, who will meet the Dutch Arantxa Rus in the first round.

     

    Visa – The US administration is to announce, on October 15, a decision regarding the visa waiver for Romanians, which would apply starting from 2025, Romanian government sources stated. During this period, the Romanian executive is carrying out the “We qualify Romania” campaign, which aims at including the country in the American Visa Waiver program and at exempting it from obtaining travel visas to the US. As part of the campaign, launched on July 18, Bucharest undertook to meet the technical criteria for joining the Visa Waiver by September 30, 2024, the date on which the American fiscal year ends. Among them is a refusal rate below 3% of US B1 and B2 visas for business and tourism granted to Romanian citizens during the fiscal year 2024. In this sense, the government, through the Foreign Ministry, urges as many Romanian citizens as possible to renew their US visa by September 30.

     

    Attack – The German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz, is today going to Solingen, to the scene of the knife attack for which a Syrian, suspected of links with the Islamic State (IS) organization, was arrested, AFP reports. IS claimed responsibility for the attack and pointed out that the attacker acted to avenge Muslims in Palestine and elsewhere. According to the French news agency, Friday evening’s attack, which left three dead and eight injured during local festivities, increases the pressure on the head of government a week before elections in two states of the former communist Democratic Republic of Germany, where the far-right party AfD is well placed to get an unprecedented score. The party accused the successive governments of causing ‘chaos’ by accepting too many immigrants and called for an expulsion offensive. The suspect arrived in the country in December 2022, according to several German media, and was the subject of an expulsion order to Bulgaria, the European Union state where his entry had been registered and where he should have applied for asylum, in accordance with the community rules. In recent years, Germany has been the scene of several jihadist attacks. The one committed with a truck, in December 2016, at a Christmas market in Berlin, killed 12. (LS)

  • July 25, 2024

    July 25, 2024

    Paris – Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, is participating, today, in the inauguration of the House of Romania in Paris, an event organized by the Romanian Embassy in France. Tomorrow, he will attend the Opening Ceremony of the Summer Olympic Games in Paris, as well as the reception offered on this occasion by the French President, Emmanuel Macron. Last week, Iohannis received, at the Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest, the Romanian Olympic team that will compete in the Olympics. He handed the athletes the national flag, which will be carried during the opening ceremony by rowers Ionela and Marius Cozmiuc. The Romanian Olympic team has 106 athletes.

     

    Elections – The Romanian government is meeting today to discuss the organization of the parliamentary and presidential elections in November and December, respectively. The government will also analyze several draft emergency ordinances regarding the field of competition, the Romanian citizenship law and setting the maximum number of posts for the National Institute of Magistracy and the National School of Clerks. On the agenda of talks is also a bill that will bring a series of amendments and additions to the law on the public service of thermal energy supply, and the Interior Ministry is to benefit from a series of donations consisting of equipment, consumables and IT equipment. Also today, the budgets of the Ministries of Research, of the Environment, of the Legislative Council and the General Secretariat of the Government for the National Sports Agency will be supplemented. Last but not least, the Romanian government is to adopt a draft emergency ordinance regarding the implementation of the Start-Up Nation program for stimulating small and medium-sized enterprises, the 2024 edition.

     

    Diplomacy – Bucharest is hosting the Annual Meeting of Romanian Diplomacy. On this occasion, President Klaus Iohannis met, on Wednesday, with the heads of diplomatic missions, the heads of consular offices and the directors of Romanian cultural institutes. Romania, the president said, has become, in the last ten years, a credible, involved and respected regional, European and international actor, a real provider of stability and security. He told the Romanian diplomats that Romania’s major foreign policy objectives remain the consolidation of the role and influence in the EU and NATO and the deepening of the strategic partnership with the US. The second day of the meeting begins with a thematic session dedicated to hybrid threats and how to respond to them, with the participation of the Secretary General of the European External Action Service, Stefano Sannino and Oana Lungescu, Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) expert and former spokesperson for NATO. The debates will continue in a session with an economic theme, attended by guests from the government apparatus and the business environment. On this occasion the opportunities and perspectives regarding the stage of Romania’s accession process to the OECD and current topics on the diplomatic agenda will be addressed, as well as Romania’s economy in the current geopolitical context.

     

    Eurobarometer – More than 72% of the EU citizens believe that the community forum plays an important role in supporting the rule of law in their country, according to a recent Eurobarometer. In Romania, the proportion is 65%. The poll was released on Wednesday at the same time as the Rule of Law in the EU report, and shows that almost 9 out of 10 Europeans think it is important for all member states to respect the Union’s core values, an opinion unchanged from 2019 to present. Compared to 5 years ago, the proportion of those who feel informed about these values ​​has increased, from 43% to 51%. Through these fundamental values, Europeans understand the observance of human rights, the rule of law and democracy. The survey also shows that for 86% of Europeans it is important that the press and civil society organizations can work freely, without any pressure, even if they are critical of the government.

     

    Drone – Remains of a Russian drone were found in the north of Tulcea county, in the southeast of Romania, after the attacks from Tuesday night to Wednesday on the civil and port infrastructure in Ukraine, near the border with Romania, the Defense Ministry (MapN) reported on Thursday. According to MapN, the locations identified as possible areas of incidence are outside inhabited areas, with no infrastructure elements being affected. The Ministry announced that it has intensified the monitoring and surveillance measures of the national airspace. At the same time, MApN has sent a firm message of condemnation of these attacks by Russia on objectives and elements of Ukrainian civil infrastructure, which are unjustified and in serious contradiction with the norms of international law. We remind you that on the last two nights, the residents of the northern part of Tulcea County received RO-ALERT messages, informing them about the possibility of objects falling from the sky on the Romanian territory near the border with Ukraine. Similar incidents, in which fragments of Russia n drones fell on Romanian soil, were reported in the fall of 2023 and this year, in March.

     

    US – The US President Joe Biden said he withdrew from the race for a new term as president because he needs to unite the Democratic Party before the November elections. “I’ve decided the best way forward is to pass the torch to a new generation” he said. Biden said his domestic and foreign policies deserved another term, but American democracy must be saved, a statement that observers interpreted as an allusion to former Republican President Donald Trump’s despotic tendencies. He has said that he is now supporting Vice President Kamala Harris to become the new Democratic candidate in the electoral battle against Trump. In this context, the Democratic Party Committee agreed on a plan to officially nominate Harris as a presidential candidate on August 1, 20 days before the party convention. It is going to nominate its vice-president by August 7. (LS)