Radio România Internațional

Tag: US-Romania

  • June 24, 2020 UPDATE

    June 24, 2020 UPDATE

    COVID-19 RO — Another 321 new cases of infection have been reported in Romania, which brings the total number of contaminations to 24,826, the Strategic Communication Group has announced. Most of the new infections have been reported in the capital Bucharest and in the northeastern county of Suceava. Of the people having tested positive for COVID-19, 17,391 have recovered and 186 people are in intensive care. 16 new deaths have been reported in the past 24 hours, taking the total death toll to 1,555. In Romania, people infected with the new coronavirus with little or no symptoms at all will be hospitalized and then discharged after a minimum of 10 days since hospitalization if they do not have a fever and symptoms have subsided for at least 72 hours. 3,606 Romanian citizens from abroad have been confirmed with COVID-19 infection, mostly in Italy, Germany and Spain, with 115 of them having died.



    MOTION – The Romanian Chamber of Deputies on Wednesday passed the simple motion initiated by the opposition Social Democratic Party against the Liberal health minister Nelu Tataru. The Social Democrats accuse him of having failed to properly manage the health crisis, thus placing Romania on top position in a classification of countries from the region rated according to the number of COVID-19 deaths reported in one million inhabitants. The motion signatories also claim that the health ministry is preventing people with chronic diseases from getting specialized treatment. In reply, minister Tataru deplored what he considers the politicization of the health crisis and said that the opposition should have got involved in solving the situation in a constructive manner. Previously, Parliament, which is dominated by leftist parties, had adopted simple motions against other Liberal ministers.



    Weather — 3 people have died in Romania in the recent floods. Also substantial material damage has been reported and weather forecasts are not optimistic at all. Hydrologists maintain the red code alert for flooding for Prut River in northern Romania. President Klaus Iohannis said Wednesday that he intended to take action so that the projects funded with European money, meant to prevent climate change, should be implemented in Romania, also with a view to fighting extreme weather phenomena such as the recent floods. He underlined that building dams is not enough, the solutions being reforestation and the conservation of forests.



    Washington – The US Senate and House of Representatives have marked 140 years of diplomatic relations between the US and Romania, through two bipartisan resolutions. The Senate’s resolution mentions the long term partnership between the two states based on their common commitment to the same values and interests for stability and democratic progress. The resolution says that the United States supports Romania’s significant contribution to NATO’s collective defense, including its decision to host the Aegis Ashore missile defense site in Deveselu. The document also underlines Romania’s important role in ensuring the security of the Black Sea region. The House of Representatives resolution appreciates the medical and expert support and advisory mission to the State of Alabama to assist with local COVID-19 efforts. Through this resolution the US House of Representatives supports the continued strengthening of the relationship between the US and Romania and the further pursuit of transatlantic unity and solidarity, shows a communiqué of the US Embassy in Bucharest quoted by Agerpres.



    Baccalaureate — In Romania, high school graduates on Wednesday took the compulsory school-profile exam included in the Baccalaureate examination. The last written exam of this session — which is optional according to the school profile and specialization — is scheduled for Thursday. The first results will be made public on June 30th and the final ones on July 5th.



    UNIFARM– The director general of Unifarm, the Romanian state-owned company managing the purchase of sanitary materials for hospitals, Adrian Ionel, has been subjected to legal restrictions pending trial by the anti-corruption prosecutors. He is accused of having asked for bribe in exchange for granting a contract for the purchase of face masks and hazmat suits. The anti-corruption prosecutors have also discovered that he has illegally been holding the position of director general since 2016. Adrian Ionel claims he is innocent.



    Maintenance works – The short wave transmitters in Galbeni, eastern Romania, beaming Radio Romania International’s broadcasts will be closed for maintenance works on Thursday, June 25th, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Romania’s time (06.00 — 14.00 GMT). Therefore, the English-language broadcasts targeting the English-speaking Africa, the French broadcasts for Western Europe, the Arabic broadcasts for Mashrek and the Romanian language broadcast for Western Europe will be disturbed. During the above mentioned interval, you can listen to our broadcasts beamed by the short wave transmitters in Tiganesti, and also on the Internet, on our website www.rri.ro, on the mobile applications available on Google Play and App Store, via satellite Eutelsat 16A and on the fixed and mobile phone, only for the English and Romanian language broadcasts. (translation and update by Lacramioara Simion)

  • June 19, 2018

    June 19, 2018

    PRESIDENCY – President Klaus Iohannis has a meeting today with the EU ambassadors to Bucharest, to discuss the forthcoming Romanian presidency of the Union Council in the first half of 2019. According to a news release issued by the Presidency, Klaus Iohannis will state that a compromise solution for the multi-annual budget, must be balanced and meet both the new priorities of the Union, such as border protection, migration, the ERASMUS programme, innovation and defence, and keep a substantial level of funding for traditional policies such as cohesion and the common agricultural policy. The President will also express Bucharests determination to support the efforts to resume the full implementation of the Schengen system and will add that the consolidation of the visa-free area cannot be completed without full integration of Romania and Bulgaria.




    PRIME MINISTER – PM Viorica Dăncilă presents the joint Parliament Chambers with a progress report on Romanias preparations to take over the EU Council presidency in January 2019. “The talks occasioned by this presentation will be a substantial support to the Governments drawing up and adopting a first working programme for the Presidency, Dǎncilǎ said. She believes the Council presidency will be an opportunity for Romania to prove its capacity to contribute to re-launching the European project, by means of a powerful political vision and relevant administrative capacity.




    CODE – The changes to the Code of Criminal Procedure were endorsed on Monday by the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making chamber of Parliament in this case, after having been passed by the Senate as well. 175 Deputies voted in favour and 78 against. The National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union in opposition announced they will refer the bill to the Constitutional Court.




    JUDICIARY – The Constitutional Court of Romania today discusses President Klaus Iohannis notification concerning changes to the Referendum Law. One of the claims is that the document includes provisions concerning the initiation and procedural steps in revising the Constitution, which fall outside its competence. Also today, Constitutional Court judges discuss the notifications filed by the National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union in opposition, as well as by the High Court of Cassation and Justice, concerning the bill on the statute of judges and prosecutors. The High Court argues that the phrasing in the new bill is too broad and imprecise making the law impossible to enforce.




    US-ROMANIA – Romanias deputy PM for strategic partnerships, Ana Birchall, has had a meeting today with Wess Mitchell, Assistant US State Secretary for European and Eurasian affairs, as part of the 6th annual political meeting for Romania-US Strategic Dialogue. Ana Birchall emphasised Romanias interest in identifying and implementing new joint projects contributing to the development and strengthening of the Strategic Partnership with the US. She pointed out the huge potential in the fields of energy, IT and film industry. On the other hand, she requested the support of the American side for Romanias Visa Waiver application and thanked the US for its support to Romanias efforts to join the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and development. On Monday, in an address given at the University of Bucharest, the American official said Romania made progress towards a strong judicial system and must not backtrack on it. The US official added that the US appreciates the resilience of Black Sea countries, but also warned against the danger posed by the influence of Russia and China in the region.




    FOOTBALL – Romanian football champions CFR Cluj are finding out today their opponents in the second preliminary round of the Champions League, in a UEFA draw in the Swiss city of Nyon. The draw for the Europa League will take place tomorrow, with Romanian vice-champions FCSB (former Steaua Bucuresti) and Viitorul Constanta taking part. The Romanian Cup winners CSU Craiova will play straight into the third preliminary round.




    WORLD CUP – Poland-Senegal and Columbia-Japan, in Group H, and Russia-Egypt in Group A, are the football World Cup games scheduled for today. On Monday in Group A, Sweden defeated South Korea 1-0, while in Group G Belgium outplayed Panama, 3-0 and England beat Tunisia 2-1. The Panamanian goalie Jaime Penedo, playing for Dinamo Bucharest, is the only footballer from the Romanian championship taking part in the Russia World Cup. The last final tournament Romania took part in was in 1998.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • December 18, 2015 UPDATE

    December 18, 2015 UPDATE

    ANTI-MISSILE SHIELD– The anti-missile shield in Deveselu is a confirmation of the extraordinary relationship that the US and Romania share, the US ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, said on Friday, when elements of the US missile defence system installed at the military base in Deveselu, in southern Romania, became operational. The facility in Deveselu, which includes a sophisticated radar system, ballistic missile interceptors and state-of-the-art communication equipment, will be a major module of a larger NATO security project. To mark the occasion, the Romanian Foreign Ministry held a special ceremony. Hans Klemm underlined the defensive character of the project and the fact that it was exclusively directed against threats coming from outside Europe. In turn, Romanian Defence Minister Mihnea Motoc said this is the most important Romanian-American project.



    ROMANIAN SUPPORT FOR MOLDOVA– Romania intends to grant financial support to the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population, if a government willing to make reforms is instated in Chishinau. The announcement was made in Brussels on Friday, at the end of the European Council, by Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, who approached this issue with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini. Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos has expressed Romanias readiness to work closely with the European Commission and the IMF to make sure that the financial assistance package reaches Chishinau in due time and that it will support a reform process, the fight against corruption, the efforts of rendering the administration more efficient and of creating more open economic and business environments. In another move, Dacian Ciolos has announced that early next year, he will pay visits to Germany, France and the Netherlands and will return to Brussels for thorough talks on the role Romania wants to play within the European Union. Gathered in Brussels, the European leaders on Thursday and Friday discussed such issues as the fight against terrorism, ways to manage the flow of migrants and the protection of Schengens borders. Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos has expressed Romanias solidarity with the EU in the migration file, but he made clear that Bucharest would also like to see that some conditions are met, such as strengthening the EUs capacity to control the migration flow and to ensure a functional Schengen area.



    BUDGET– Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, on Friday promulgated the 2016 state budget and social securities laws, respectively, which were adopted by Parliament on Wednesday. Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos has given assurances that his cabinet will manage the money transparently, efficiently and with caution. In another move, 63% of company managers in Romania expect an improvement of the Romanian economic situation in 2016. A poll conducted in nine Central and East European countries shows almost all managers in Romania (98%) believe the black economy is a problem, with 39% of them saying that avoiding paying taxes by not declaring the real incomes is a major reason of concern. Also, business people in Romania take higher confidence in a positive evolution of the Euro than respondents from other Central and East-European countries.



    COMMEMORATION– Timisoara on Friday hosted a series of events marking 26 years since the flame of the Anti-Communist Revolution of December 1989 was kindled in that western Romanian city. Floral tributes were paid at the Metropolitan Cathedral, where tens of protesters were shot dead on December 18, 1989. That day goes down in history as the day when the army opened fire at people in Timisoara, a city where the martial law had been declared. Started on December 16, 1989, by the Timisoara inhabitants opposition to an abusive measure taken by the local authorities, the Revolution spread to the whole country at a fast pace. It culminated on December 22, when dictator Nicolae Ceausescu fled Bucharest, leaving power. Over 1,000 people died and some 3,400 others got injured between December 16 and 25, 1989. Romania was the only country in the former Eastern Bloc that violently overthrew the communist regime and executed its communist leaders. Romanias Parliament will meet in a solemn session on December 21, to mark 26 years since the 1989 Revolution.


    (Translated by: Diana Vijeu)