Radio România Internațional

Tag: US

December 5, 2023

Conference– Romania is interested in developing, using and producing green technologies, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis said on Monday, at the UN Climate Change Conference in Dubai. Klaus Iohannis underlined, during the Sustainable Innovation Forum 2023 event, that in order to effectively respond to climate change, governments must develop a strong partnership with businesses, financial institutions, research and innovation entities and NGOs. He pointed out that the large university centers, such as those in Bucharest and Cluj (north-west), are innovating in the field of sustainable construction materials and applications for energy efficiency. At the same time, Romanian companies support the progress of heat pump technology, essential for the decarbonising of the building heating and cooling sector, president Iohannis added.

Visit — The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, is meeting, today, in Washington, with representatives of the American companies Lockheed Martin and Google. The Romanian PM’s agenda also includes today discussions with members of the American Congress. Previously, he met with the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, with the Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, and with the Secretary for Energy, Jennifer Granholm.

JHA — The Justice and Home Affairs Council continues today in Brussels. The Schengen issue is back on the agenda, being tackled from the perspective of the efficient management of the migration issue. It is a recurring analysis of the state of the Schengen area based on key indicators, such as the number of asylum seekers who have been rejected. Romania and Bulgaria have run several pilot projects regarding migration management. Both the Commission and the Spanish presidency of the Council are supporters of the entry of the two states into the Schengen area. We remind you that Romania and Bulgaria received, as part of the JHA Council of December 8-9, 2022, a negative vote from the Netherlands and Austria for joining the free travel Area. On Monday, on the first day of the Council meeting, talks focused on holding Russia accountable, from a penal and financial point of view, for the invasion of Ukraine, as well as on making the European Public Prosecutors Office more efficient. The member states’ ministers and the European chief prosecutor, Laura Codruţa Kovesi, analyzed the latest legislative proposal regarding the transfer of proceedings in criminal matters. As for how Russia can be held accountable for the war in Ukraine, talks focused on how to bring the culprits to justice, as well as on how to use the Russian frozen assets in the international space for the reconstruction of Ukraine.

Handball — Romania’s national womens handball team takes up, this evening, the strong Danish team, in the last match in group E of the World Championship hosted by Denmark, Sweden and Norway. The Romanian players won the other two games, against Chile and Serbia, and are qualified for the main groups, where they will face Germany, Poland and Japan. Romania is the only team that participated in all 26 editions of the World Womens Handball Championship. Their record includes a world title, two silver medals and one bronze medal. (LS)

5 December 2023
US and the Black Sea region

The Black Sea region plays an important role for NATO, and Romania is a very close partner for the United States, the US Ambassador to Bucharest Kathleen Kavalec reiterated, while on a visit to Târgu Mureș (centre).

In an interview to Radio Târgu Mureş, she said that Romania, located next to the conflict in Ukraine, has been suffering from the consequences of the conflict, whether we talk about the Ukrainian refugees who either transit Romania or are staying here, or about the transport of Ukrainian grains via Romanian Danube and Black Sea ports.According to theUS diplomat, adding to all these are the concerns generated by a war taking place at the countrys borders.

Kathleen Kavalec: “In that context, I think our defence and security relations have become even closer. We now have tripled the number of American troops in Romania, so there are now over 3,000 American troops here, and were working more closely with our Romanian partners on defence and deterrence, to defend every inch of NATO territory, should the need arise”.

In fact, Kathleen Kavalec recently stated in a security conference in Bucharest that Romania turned from a beneficiary into an exporter of peace and security, and that today the country is infinitely better prepared to protect its borders, with support from NATO and its partners, than it was just decades ago.

I know that Romanians are not unused to turning points in history, the US Ambassador also said. This is why, she added, more than 2 decades ago, at an equally critical moment in geopolitical terms, Romania made the strategic and wise decision to join NATO and the EU, choosing the path of democratic transformation.

The US diplomat also emphasised that it is vital for is to continue to invest in alliances and partnerships, starting with NATO. As we face Russias aggression against Ukraine, the Hamas attack against Israel or any other instance of global injustice, we are stronger together, Kathleen Kavalec argued.

On the other hand, while in Târgu Mureș the US Ambassador also spoke about her countrys openness to including Romania in the Visa Waiver programme, but she explained that this can only be achieved by strictly complying with the US legislation, which has very specific requirements. In this context, she also mentioned the information exchange agreements that must be completed and signed as part of the Visa Waiver programme. We are making very good progress in this direction, and hopefully we will sign an agreement as soon as possible, the US Ambassador concluded. (AMP)

30 October 2023
October 28, 2023 UPDATE

ISRAEL
Romania and other countries are
making joint efforts to help the over 3,000 people in Gaza with dual
citizenship, including Romanian nationals, to leave that region, PM Marcel
Ciolacu said. He explained that the situation was not easy to handle, and added
that 260 applications have been received from Romanian nationals who want to
leave Gaza, but many Palestinians are trying to do the same. What matters is
for the situation not to spiral out of control, he also said. The
Israeli army Saturday announced it entered the north of
Gaza Strip and expanded military operations in the Palestinian enclave, while
stepping up attacks against Hamas. The
army once again asked the locals still in the north of Gaza Strip to move
immediately to the south, explaining that the north is currently a battlefield.
According to Israeli army estimates, some 700,000 people have already left the
area, and the UN says out of the almost 2.2 million people in Gaza Strip, around
1.4 million have been relocated since the conflict began. In fresh talks with the Israeli defence minister, the Pentagon chief
Lloyd Austin called
for the protection of civilians during the operation. On Friday night, the UN
General Assembly adopted a resolution calling for a humanitarian ceasefire. The
resolution is not compulsory, but it has political weight. Israel and the US
voted against, while Romania abstained.

DIPLOMACY
The Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu Friday had a telephone
conversation with the British foreign secretary James Cleverly, to discuss the
security situation in Israel and Gaza Strip, focusing on the need to ensure
close coordination in order to avoid regional spill-over. According to the
Romanian foreign ministry, the 2 officials emphasised the importance of
continued humanitarian aid to the population in Gaza and of the immediate and
unconditional release of all hostages.The
Romanian diplomacy chief also discussed with her Qatari counterpart, Sheikh
Mohammed Al Thani, given that Qatar is a mediator in the Hamas hostage crisis.
Odobescu appreciated Qatar’s diplomatic efforts to mitigate the humanitarian
crisis, and spoke about the aid Romania has decided to send there.

AMBASSADOR The Black Sea region plays an important
role for NATO, and Romania is a very close partner for the USA, the US
Ambassador to Bucharest Kathleen Kavalec reiterated. In an interview to Radio
Romania, the US official said that Romania, which is located next to the
conflict in Ukraine, has faced problems like the Ukrainian refugee crisis and
the transport of grains via Romanian sea ports, and in this context the
security and defence relations between the 2 countries have become even closer.
We have tripled the number of US troops in Romania, so now we have over 3,000 American
troops here and we are working with our Romanian partners with respect to
defence and deterrence, to safeguard every piece of NATO territory, Kathleen
Kavalec pointed out.

POPULATION The population of Romania on July 1 was
approx. 21.9 million, down 0.3% since the corresponding month of last year. Almost
3 million of them are currently living abroad. Romania is also facing
population ageing, with 125 elderly citizens for each 100 youth. The average
age is 42.4 years, 0.3 years more than on July 1, 2022. The number of citizens
in urban communities is nearly 3 million higher than the number of rural
inhabitants, however urban population dropped by 0.8% over the past year while
the rural population grew by 0.3%.

UKRAINE Ukraine is seeking international support for its peace plan,
in a 2-day meeting held as of today in Malta. As many as 50 countries are
taking part, but Russia is not among them. According to AFP, this is the 3rd
meeting of this kind, and organisers hope it would result in a joint
declaration. The 10-point plan proposed by Ukraine’s president Volodymyr
Zelenskyy includes, among other things, the pull out of Russian troops from the
occupied Ukrainian territories, including Donbas, part of which is under
separatist control since 2014, and Crimea, occupied and annexed by Russia in 2014.
Last year, Moscow annexed 4 Ukrainian regions, partly occupied by its troops
after the large-scale invasion of February 24.

DST
On Saturday night, Romania switches to winter time, setting clocks back one
hour from 4 AM to 3 AM. Sunday will thus be 25-hour long. Daylight saving time,
first suggested by the scientist Benjamin Franklin in 1784, is currently used
in 70 countries. The concept has come under debate in recent years, with the EU
asking member states to end seasonal clock changes and choose either winter
time or summer time, but a decision in this respect is yet to be made. (AMP)

28 October 2023
September 22, 2023 UPDATE

MEASURES – After many discussions and negotiations, the government is preparing to assume responsibility in Parliament next week on a series of tax measures. The document aims to reduce public spending and fight tax evasion, tax high profits and big wealth and eliminate some privileges. Some of the provisions are opposed by employers associations and trade unions. On Thursday, over 500 prison workers staged a protest in Bucharest, unhappy with the measures included in the tax and salary package, their working conditions and staff shortages. Representatives of the National Trade Union Bloc held talks with the finance minister Marcel Boloş about the new tax provisions, receiving assurances that the latter will be implemented in a transparent manner and following fair assessment within each institution.

TRAINING – A detachment of the US Air Forces in Europe (USAFE), made up of approximately 100 soldiers and four F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, arrived on Friday at the 86th Air Base Lieutenant Gheorghe Mociorniţă in Borcea, south-eastern Romania. The American military will carry out Reinforced Air Policing missions, as well as joint training missions with soldiers and F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft of the Romanian Air Forces. The joint air policing and training missions contribute to enhancing the response and deterrence capacity, as well as to strengthening the interoperability between the Romanian and American air forces, according to a press release of the Defense Ministry in Bucharest. The arrival of the American aircraft was announced at the beginning of the month by the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, after fragments of Russian military drones used in the attacks on the Ukrainian ports on the Danube were found on Romania’s territory.

MEETING – The Romanian foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu and the US secretary of state Antony Blinken on Thursday hosted the ministerial meeting entitled Women, Peace and Security at the UN headquarters in New York, on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. In her address, Odobescu emphasised the need to involve women in the decision-making processes relating to domestic and international peace and security. She said the subject is all the more important in the context of the war in Ukraine, which substantially affects the women of that country.

FESTIVAL – The George Enescu International Festival, one of the biggest classical music events in the world, is coming to an end on Sunday. First held in 1958, it is today in its 26th year and its theme this year was Generosity through music. The line-up brought together over 3,500 of the worlds best-known musicians and more than 40 orchestras from 16 different countries, and its programme featured first performances and educational concerts for children.

BILL – Drivers caught driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol will no longer be able to drive for a period of up to ten years, according to a bill submitted by the Social Democratic Party. The bill also provides for higher penalties for activities related to trafficking in and using psychoactive substances. Using minors in drug-related activities will be considered an aggravating circumstance and a prison sentence can no longer be postponed. The bill will first be debated by the Senate. (EE/CM)

22 September 2023
September 11, 2023 UPDATE

SCHOOL The Romanian
President Klaus Iohannis announced that the issue of drug consumption among
young people will be included on the agenda of the next meeting of the
country’s Supreme Council of National Defense. Attending the opening of the new
pre-university year at a school in Bucharest on Monday, he emphasized that this
phenomenon represents a serious challenge to national security. Klaus Iohannis
also said that he continued to support the increase in teachers’ salaries as of
January 1, 2024. He gave assurances that he remained firm and would support all
measures to make the commitments made by the Government this summer come true.
The new school year started, in Romania on Monday, for approximately 3 million
pupils and preschoolers. It will have 36 weeks of courses, and it is organized
in five modules, just like the previous one. The Green Week and
Doing School Differently will take place between September 11, 2023
– April 26, 2024 and can be set by schools in any of modules 1, 2, 3 or 4, in
intervals of 5 consecutive working days. The school year will end on June 21,
2024. The pupils entering the 5th grade will be the first to take an additional
high school entrance exam in the summer of 2027.

DEFICIT Romania’s trade deficit in the first seven months of this
year stood at 15.6 billion Euros, 17% lower as compared to the same period last
year, shows the latest data published by the National Institute for Statistics.
In this period, Romania’s exports totaled 55 billion Euros, 4.6% higher than
the similar period of the past year. At the same time, between January 1st
and July 31st 2023, Romania imported goods of 70 billion Euros, 1.1%
lower than in the same period of 2022. In July 2023, the country’s exports
stood at 8 billion Euros, while imports at 10 billion, which created a deficit
of 2 billion Euros. As compared to July last year, exports in July this year went
down by 3% while imports by 11.5%.

DRILL
The Romanian and US Naval Forces are jointly organizing, as of Monday until
Friday, September 15, a multinational exercise called Sea Breeze. It will take
place in the area of responsibility of the Romanian Naval Forces in the Black
Sea and the Danube Delta and aims to develop teamwork between the participating
countries in the field of combating explosive devices, especially sea mines, so
that navigation can take place freely. Soldiers from Bulgaria, Turkey, Ukraine,
France and the UK are also taking part in the exercise.

FOOTBALL
Romania’s national football side is playing at home on Tuesday the selection of
Kosovo, in a game counting towards Group one in the preliminaries of the
European Championship due in Germany, next year. After five matches in the
group, with two wins and three draws, Romania boasts nine points presently
ranking second after Switzerland with 11 points. The group also includes
Belarus and Andorra. The first two sides will be playing in the final
tournament. Romania last qualified for a European football tournament in 2016
and our latest participation in a World Cup was in 1998.

(bill)

11 September 2023
The Summit of the Three Seas Initiative

Romania reached its targets at the Summit of the Three Seas Initiative, said, Wednesday, Romanias President Klaus Iohannis, who was the host, in Bucharest, of the leaders of the European Union countries located between the Baltic, Black and Adriatic seas. During the meeting, two permanent objectives of the Initiative were reconfirmed: reducing the development gaps between the region of the three seas and the rest of the Union, as well as increasing the regional contribution of the Initiative to the process of strengthening transatlantic ties. The talks in Bucharest mainly focused on three key fields of cooperation: transport, energy and digitization.

Also in Bucharest, Greece became the 13th member country of the Three Seas Initiative, while Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova received the status of associated states. In a joint final statement, the leaders participating in the summit reiterated their unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, again condemning Russia’s aggression. They have pledged to play a key role in the reconstruction of Ukraine, taking due account of all the efforts made at the international and European Union levels.

The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who made a video speech at the opening of the Three Seas Initiative summit, said he was strongly opposed to any further restrictions on Ukrainian grain exports, because his country still needs funds, in the context in which they have to survive after the multiple Russian attacks. From this perspective, at the meeting in Bucharest, the issue of creating new transport routes for grain from Ukraine was also addressed.

After the summit, the 5th edition of the Business Forum of the Three Seas Initiative has been scheduled for Thursday. An opportunity for the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu to have several meetings with delegations of important American companies on the sidelines of the Forum. Besides the digitization of the administrative system, the discussions focused on the development of research and innovation projects in such fields as artificial intelligence and cyber security. Also in Bucharest, the US special presidential envoy for climate, John Kerry, recalled that Romania is among the first countries in the world and the first in Europe to introduce the innovative technology of small modular reactors. The American official warned that the goal of zero emissions by 2050 cannot be achieved without nuclear energy, and the technology of these reactors can contribute to accelerating the achievement of environmental targets. (LS)

7 September 2023
September 2, 2023 UPDATE

Budget — The European Commission might agree to a higher budget deficit than the one originally assumed by Romania for this year, says the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, after the meeting, in Brussels, on Friday, with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Romania assumed a deficit of 4.4%, but it wants to increase it to over 5%. He said that the fact that Romania was not accepted in the Schengen Area contributed to the increase of the countrys budget deficit by almost 2%. Ciolacu added that the plan to combat evasion, the reform of the administration and the measures to reduce the deficit will be included in a law for which the Romanian Government will take responsibility in Parliament in the autumn parliamentary session, which starts on Monday. He said that the value added tax for goods and services will not exceed 19%, and for foodstuffs and medicines it will be maintained at 9%.

Summit — The US President Joe Bidens special envoy on climate issues, John Kerry, is coming to Bucharest. The US State Department announces that, on Wednesday, he will participate in the Summit of the Three Seas Initiative, a diplomatic format that includes 12 member states of the European Union located between the Baltic, Black and Adriatic seas. John Kerry will talk about how an accelerated transition to clean energy strengthens energy security and resilience in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as about new nuclear technologies, including Romanias role in the construction of small modular reactors. John Kerry was Secretary of State between 2013 and 2017, during the second term of President Barack Obama.

Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea qualified, for the first time, in the round of 16 of the US Open tournament, the last Grand Slam competition of the year, on Friday, in New York, after her surprise victory over Kazakhstans Elena Rîbakina, with the score 6 -3, 6-7, 6-4. The Romanian (30 WTA) achieved her best performance at Flushing Meadows. In the round of 16, Sorana Cîrstea will face the Swiss Belinda Bencic. Also in New York, in the womens doubles, the Romanian-Ukrainian pair Gabriela Ruse/Marta Kostiuk qualified for the round of 16, after defeating the Russian-Australian pair Irina Hromaceva/Daria Saville 6-2, 6-2. Ruse and Kostiuk reached the semifinals of the doubles event at the Australian Open this year, stopped in the round of 16 at Roland Garros and in the second round at Wimbledon.

Statistics – Romania imported in the first half of this year over a third less than in the same period of last year, show data provided by the National Institute of Statistics. Domestic production increased in the first six months of this year by 6%. According to the estimates of the National Strategy and Forecast Commission, natural gas production is estimated to rise at an average annual rate of 3.6% in the period 2023-2026, after a decrease of approximately 1% in 2022. As regards imports of natural gas, for this year a sharp decrease of almost a quarter is forecast, a trend that will be maintained until 2026. According to the National Institute of Statistics the import of natural gas registered a decrease of 16.5% last year.

Air traffic – Air traffic for passengers in Romania increased in the first half of this year by over 26%, compared to the same period of last year. According to the National Institute of Statistics, from almost 9 million passengers in 2022, 2023 saw more than 11 million passengers. The largest flows were recorded at “Henri Coandă” Airport in Bucharest, “Avram Iancu” in Cluj-Napoca (north-west) and Iasi International Airport (north-east). In international passenger transport, most passengers disembarked in Romania took off from Luton airport in London, Bergamo in Milan and Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv. Most passengers from Romania boarded planes heading for London, Milan and Brussels. The passengers disembarked in Romania mainly came from such countries as Italy, Great Britain, Germany and Spain.

Covid – The number of people sick with COVID-19 has increased at a “quite alarming” rate, warned the manager of the “Sfânta Parascheva” Infectious Diseases Hospital in Iasi (northeast). He said that this is due to the people’s crowing during the holidays and to the small number of tests for Covid. Wearing a protective mask remains the most effective method of prevention, according to physicians. They also recommend testing at the first signs of illness, avoiding crowded spaces, avoiding contact with infected people, washing hands and vaccination to avoid severe forms of the disease.

Swimmer – The Romanian librarian Avram Iancu finished, on Friday, his swimming race on the Rhine, through which he wanted to support, in his own way, the importance of Romanias accession to the Schengen Area. A multi-sport athlete, he managed to cover the 1,032 kilometers of the river in 48 days, without a neoprene suit or other aids, making an effort that he described as titanic and unimaginable. In the summer of 2017, Avram Iancu became the first man in the world who managed to cross the Danube River using only the strength of his arms. (LS)

2 September 2023
September 2, 2023

Budget — The European Commission might agree to a higher budget deficit than the one originally assumed by Romania for this year, says the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, after the meeting, in Brussels, on Friday, with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Romania assumed a deficit of 4.4%, but it wants to increase it to over 5%. Marcel Ciolacu also mentioned the package of laws that the government will take responsibility for in Parliament, stating that among the fiscal measures considered, there will not be an increase in the VAT rate over 19%. In Brussels, the Prime Minister Ciolacu also met with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. They reiterated their support for Bucharests accession to Schengen and, on the other hand, they thanked Romania for the strong support offered to neighboring Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova.

Summit — The US President Joe Bidens special envoy on climate issues, John Kerry, is coming to Bucharest. The US State Department announces that, on Wednesday, he will participate in the Summit of the Three Seas Initiative, a diplomatic format that includes 12 member states of the European Union located between the Baltic, Black and Adriatic seas. John Kerry will talk about how an accelerated transition to clean energy strengthens energy security and resilience in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as about new nuclear technologies, including Romanias role in the construction of small modular reactors. John Kerry was Secretary of State between 2013 and 2017, during the second term of President Barack Obama.

Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea qualified, for the first time, in the round of 16 of the US Open tournament, the last Grand Slam competition of the year, on Friday, in New York, after her surprise victory over Kazakhstans Elena Rîbakina, with the score 6 -3, 6-7, 6-4. The Romanian (30 WTA) achieved her best performance at Flushing Meadows. In the round of 16, Sorana Cîrstea will face the Swiss Belinda Bencic. Also in New York, in the womens doubles, the Romanian-Ukrainian pair Gabriela Ruse/Marta Kostiuk qualified for the round of 16, after defeating the Russian-Australian pair Irina Hromaceva/Daria Saville 6-2, 6-2. Ruse and Kostiuk reached the semifinals of the doubles event at the Australian Open this year, stopped in the round of 16 at Roland Garros and in the second round at Wimbledon.

Swimmer – The Romanian librarian Avram Iancu finished, on Friday, his swimming race on the Rhine, through which he wanted to support, in his own way, the importance of Romanias accession to the Schengen Area. A multi-sport athlete, he managed to cover the 1,032 kilometers of the river in 48 days, without a neoprene suit or other aids, making an effort that he described as titanic and unimaginable. In the summer of 2017, Avram Iancu became the first man in the world who managed to cross the Danube River using only the strength of his arms. (LS)

2 September 2023
August 11, 2023 UPDATE

Inflation – Romanias annual inflation rate dropped to 9.4% in July from 10.3% in June, while the price of foods went up by over 16%, of non-foods by 4.25% and of services by almost 12%, according to data published on Friday by the National Institute of Statistics. The National Bank of Romania revised its inflation forecast for the end of year up to 7.5% from 7.1% and to 4.4% for the end of 2024, the central bank governor Mugur Isărescu said on Wednesday. The projection is based on the legislation in force and does not take into account the impact of the fiscal consolidation measures recently proposed by the authorities.

Transit — The Romanian Transport Minister, Sorin Grindeanu, announced that measures will be taken in the next period to increase the transit capacity of Ukrainian grains through Romania from 2 to 4 million tons per month. The statement was made following discussions with high officials from the US, the European Union and the Republic of Moldova about alternative transport routes, following Russias withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The meeting took place on Friday in Galati, a port on the Danube, in eastern Romania. The importance of Romanian land, rail, and naval transport routes for maintaining a continuous flow for exports and imports from Ukraine was emphasized. “Despite Russias merciless destruction of Ukrainian port infrastructure and grain warehouses, we remain committed to ensuring the uninterrupted continuity of Ukrainian grain exports to meet global demand,” the US Embassy in Bucharest announced. The US officials again accused the Kremlin of “turning food into a weapon and of endangering global food security.”

Football – Romanias football champions Farul Constanța defeated Flora Tallinn of Estonia 3-nil on Thursday evening at home in the first leg of the third preliminary round of the UEFA Conference League. In the same leg, the vice-champions FCSB drew nil-all against FC Nordsjaelland of Denmark in a match in Bucharest, while the winner of the Romanian Cup, Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe, drew 1-all at home against FC Aktobe of Kazakhstan. The decisive matches will be held next week.

Exercise — Approximately 250 soldiers from France and Luxembourg and 65 pieces of technical equipment from the NATO Battle Group in Romania will participate, between August 14 and 18, in the DEPLOYEX exercise in the Babadag range (south-east), the Defense Ministry announced on Friday. The movement of troops and technical means will take place on Monday, and the purpose of the DEPLOYEX organization is to practice the rapid deployment of the troops and equipment of the Battle Group, according to the aforementioned source. Also, this exercise contributes to improving the level of interoperability of the forces within the NATO Battle Group. This group contributes to increasing Romanias military cooperation with the participating countries – France, the Netherlands and Belgium (by rotation), as well as with Luxembourg and, implicitly, contributes to consolidating the security of the Euro-Atlantic area on the Eastern Flank.

Deposit-refund – The deposit-refund scheme will become functional in Romania as of the end of November, announced the Environment Minister, Mircea Fechet. This means that, from that date, bottles, PETs and aluminum cans can be returned to stores. In exchange for them, citizens will receive money or vouchers, as happens in the other EU member states. The deposit-refund scheme is to help Romania reach the 55% recycling rate imposed by Brussels by 2025.

Navy – The Romanian Naval Forces are carrying out activities dedicated to the Romanian Navy Day in the run-up to 15th August, the Christian holiday of the Assumption, the Virgin Mary being considered the patron of sailors. Various events are scheduled in the capital city, in the Romanian Black Sea ports of Constanţa and Mangalia and the Danube ports of Brăila, Tulcea and Galaţi. On 15th August, Constanţa will play host to a demonstration exercise entitled The Romanian Naval Forces 2023 on the maritime stage in from the Fleet Command. The opening ceremony involving helicopters and speed boats flying the flags of Romania and NATO, will be followed by a parade by Romanias flagship vessel, Mircea. (LS, CM)

11 August 2023
June 2, 2023

Strike — The Romanian Education Minister, Ligia Deca, emphasized, on Friday, that all salaries in the education system will increase. She said that, through an emergency ordinance, a gross sum worth 1,000 lei (about 200 Euros) per month will be granted for the teaching and auxiliary teaching staff and, respectively, 400 lei (about 80 Euros) per month for the non-teaching staff. On Thursday, after the last round of negotiations with the government, the union leaders announced that the all-out strike in the Romanian education system would continue after Tuesday, when the mini-vacation ends. They again rejected the increases proposed by the Government, increases transposed in an emergency ordinance adopted on the same day. President Klaus Iohannis, who had shown readiness to negotiate a political agreement aimed at ending the strike, believes that the government has given the education system employees everything they asked for and that they no longer have reasons to protest.

Visit — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis receives King Charles III today. The two will have face-to-face talks, and then a meeting with the state authorities, the civil society representatives and the Diplomatic Corps. The British ambassador to Bucharest, Andrew Noble, told AGERPRES news agency that the visit of the new monarch is private and that he will meet with President Iohannis as a courtesy gesture. It is the first time that a British monarch visits Romania. On May 6, Charles III was crowned King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. He became king last September after the death of his mother Elizabeth II. As Crown Prince, Charles visited Romania several times, the first time in 1998, and declared himself an admirer of the country and especially of Transylvania, the historical province that bears the traces of the cultural heritage of the ethnic Germans who came to these parts 8 centuries ago. Charles got involved in preserving the Romanian cultural heritage, buying and restoring old houses in the countryside, which he saved from destruction. In 2015, the Prince of Wales Romania Foundation was launched, a charitable organization that supports the preservation of architectural heritage, agriculture and sustainable development in Romania. In 2017, the Presidency granted him the National Order “Star of Romania” in the rank of Grand Cross, in sign of “appreciation for his activity in Romania and for promoting the country’s image in the world”.

Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Irina Begu meets, today, the Czech Karolina Muchova, in the third round at Roland Garros, the second Grand Slam tournament of the year. The Romanian player defeated Muchova this spring in Madrid. Begu remained the only representative of Romania in the singles competition on the Parisian clay court. In the womens doubles, the Romanian-Ukrainian pair Gabriela Ruse/Marta Kostiuk qualified for the second round on Thursday, after defeating the Russian pair Ana Blinkova/Varvara Graceva, in three sets. Ruse and Kostiuk will face Kirsten Flipkens (Belgium)/Shelby Rogers (USA) in the second round.

Football – The former Romanian football champions, CFR Cluj (north-west) qualified for the Europa Conference League, after defeating FC U Craiova with a score of 1-0, after extra time, on Thursday evening. The CFR Cluj players will play in the third continental competition alongside the 2ndplaced team in the championship, FCSB (Bucharest) and the winner of Romania’s Cup, Sepsi Sf. Gheorghe. The title holder, Farul Constanta (southeast), will play in the Champions League.

Moldova — On June 1, the Republic of Moldova (an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population) was the host of the second summit of the European Political Community. The meeting was attended by 48 heads of state and government, who discussed security and peace, the development of economic and social infrastructure in Europe and resilience in the face of the threats caused by the war in Ukraine. At the same time, the European officials reiterated their support for the Republic of Moldova in order to achieve the commitments assumed as a candidate state for EU accession. The European Political Community is a new political coordination platform, which aims to promote political dialogue and cooperation to address issues of common interest and to strengthen the security, stability and prosperity of the European continent. The idea of the initiative of a European political community belongs to the French President Emmanuel Macron, who, on May 9, 2022, presented this project to the European Parliament, in Strasbourg, in full debates on the launch of Ukraines accession process. Five months later, the first summit of the European Political Community took place in Prague.

Debt -The US Congress has approved a deal to lift the countrys borrowing limit, days before the worlds largest economy is due to default on its debt, the BBC reports. The bipartisan measure sped through the Senate, a day after it was approved by the US House of Representatives. President Joe Biden has said he will enact the measure into law. This will save the US from defaulting on its debt of more than 31 billion dollars, something considered catastrophic. The country is forecast to overshoot its current debt ceiling on Monday 5 June, according to the BBC.

Project – The European program “Rendez-vous aux jardins” (“Meetings in the Gardens”) that has now reached the 20thedition, being organized by the French Ministry of Culture and coordinated, in Romania, by the National Heritage Institute is taking place between June 2 and 4,. “Rendez-vous aux jardins” is an event organized on the first weekend of June since 2003, following the European Heritage Days model, and aims to capitalize on the cultural and natural assets of each country. The project takes place in more than 2,300 parks and gardens in Europe, which open their gates to the public, some of which are exceptionally accessible, and which offer various activities for visitors of all ages. (LS)

2 June 2023
May 21, 2023 UPDATE

EDUCATION On Monday the staff in Romania’s public undergraduate
education will go on strike, the trade unions in the sector announced after
Sunday’s talks with government officials. The protest will continue until
unions have received a credible solution from the government, the leader of
the Spiru Haret Trade Union Federation, Marius Nistor, said. The government put
forth a clear roadmap for the endorsement of the new salary law and promised pay
raises for non-teaching staff, which according to unionists would only amount
to EUR 20 a month. Financial incentives for entry-level teachers and experienced
staff teaching in underprivileged areas have also been proposed. The higher
education staff will also go on token strikes as of Monday, the head of the Alma
Mater National Trade Union Federation Anton Hadăr announced. Trade unions said
negotiations would continue in the coming days.

MOLDOVA
A large-scale rally was held in Chişinău on Sunday, at the initiative of
president Maia Sandu, in order to prove Moldovans’ support for the country’s EU
accession. Europe is the Republic of Moldova. The Republic of Moldova is
Europe. Moldova is not alone, the president of the European Parliament, Roberta
Metsola said in Romanian at the European Moldova National Assembly. Participants
adopted a resolution confirming the support of Moldovan citizens for the
country’s EU accession efforts. The rally takes place as the Republic of
Moldova, an EU accession candidate country, would like to begin accession
negotiations by the end of this year. For this stage to begin, Moldova must
complete 9 recommendations, which will be assessed by this autumn in a European
Commission report. In Bucharest, the Organisation of Moldovan Students
organised a similar rally in front of Moldova’s Embassy. Scores of people
watched the speeches in Chisinau jointly with the Moldovan Ambassador to
Bucharest, Victor Chirila.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu takes part on
Monday in the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. The EU
foreign ministers will discuss measures to mitigate the effects of Russia’s
aggression in Ukraine and the situation in the Horn of Africa. The EU officials
will also touch on the bloc’s commitment in Central Asia, developments in Tunisia,
the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the context of high-level EU
diplomatic contacts with both countries. According to the Romanian foreign
ministry, Bogdan Aurescu will reiterate Romania’s firm, multidimensional and
continuing support for Ukraine and will express hopes that an agreement will be
reached as soon as possible on the 8th support package for the
Ukrainian air forces under the EU Peace Facility. Minister Aurescu will also
highlight the importance of keeping pressure on Russia by consolidating
sanctions, and will reiterate the idea of setting up a special international tribunal
for the crime of aggression to prosecute Russian crimes of aggression during
the war in Ukraine.

RAILWAYS The president of Romania’s Competition Council, Bogdan
Chiriţoiu, made statements concerning Carpatica Feroviar, a new company that
will take over the operations of the state-owned railway freight corporation CFR
Marfă. The new company will take over the profitable contracts and the
equipment needed for completing them, while the other assets will be sold in order
to cover as much as possible of the old company’s debts to the state budget
Chiriţoiu explained. He emphasised that current operations will not be
discontinued. The financial performance of CFR Marfă improved slightly in 2022,
but the company still owes some EUR 400 mln to the state budget and social
security budget.

BEEKEEPERS Romanian beekeepers say they are left with large amounts
of unsold honey because of imports of cheaper and poorer-quality honey. The
head of the Romanian Beekeepers Association, Ioan Fetea, says the situation is
particularly serious as last year’s yield was a lot smaller than in previous
years. Last year beekeepers saw modest yields, but they could not even sell those,
precisely because of these dumping practices, obviously explained by the fact
that that honey is not in line with EU regulations. Almost half of the honey
imported into Europe is adulterated, counterfeit, and obviously sold very
cheaply, which puts tremendous pressure on local producers, Fetea explained. Beekeepers
are also struggling with a fall in the number of bee families, because of the
use of insecticides in agriculture.

UKRAINE The US president Joe Biden Sunday announced new military aid
measures for Ukraine, following talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima. The new aid package will
consist of ammunitions, artillery and armoured vehicles, Joe Biden explained, just
days after approving the provision of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. According
to Reuters, this new package is worth up to USD 375 mln and is designed to
strengthen Ukraine’s defence in the war against Russia. The British PM Rishi
Sunak also announced in Hiroshima that his country would start training
Ukrainian pilots this summer, to support Ukraine’s air forces in the conflict.
Rishi Sunak added that no one wants peace more than Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but
the terms for peace, he added, should be based on Ukraine’s principles. In the
3-day summit in Japan, the G7 nations voiced their willingness to stand by
Ukraine in the long run.

ROWING Romania won 2 gold and 3 silver medals at
the 2023 European Rowing Under 19 Championships in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France,
in which it took part with 11 boats. Romania came out second in the overall nations
tables, behind Italy and ahead of Turkey. In last year’s competition, Romania
had won 5 medals (3 gold, one silver and one bronze), and finished top of the
ranking by nations. (AMP)

21 May 2023
May 21, 2023

EDUCATION
In Bucharest, the Liberal PM Nicolae Ciucă, the Social Democratic leader Marcel
Ciolacu and the labour minister Marius Budăi invited trade unions in public
education to talks in order to avoid an all-out strike announced for tomorrow. Unionists
said protests could only end when the solutions to their demands, particularly
concerning salaries, were introduced in officially endorsed legislation. The
finance minister Adrian Câciu said the teaching staff’s demands could have been
solved, if Romania had received the money in the second disbursement round
under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which is currently suspended
because of targets that have not been met in the field of energy, for which the
National Liberal Party is responsible. On the other hand, PM Nicolae Ciucă said
the solution to the unions’ demands has to do with the unified salary law that
the labour ministry headed by the Social Democrats has failed to finalise in
spite of the support of the entire ruling coalition. Amid these disagreements, the
president of the Social Democratic Party, Marcel Ciolacu, demanded that
negotiations on the new cabinet make-up following the PM rotation should be
suspended until the issue in the education sector has been solved, and the Democratic
Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, a junior partner in the ruling
coalition, agreed. The Liberals on the other hand argue that the government
transition should be completed quickly in order to maintain stability and
balance. Under a protocol signed by the 2 parties, on 26 May the Social
Democrats should take over the prime minister post from the Liberals, for the
next 1,5 years, until the next general elections.

MOLDOVA
A large-scale rally is held in Chişinău today, at the
initiative of president Maia Sandu, in order to prove Moldovans’ support for
the country’s EU accession. Europe is the Republic of Moldova. The Republic of
Moldova is Europe. Moldova is not alone, the president of the European
Parliament, Roberta Metsola said in Romanian at the European Moldova National
Assembly. Participants adopted a resolution confirming the support of Moldovan
citizens for the country’s EU accession efforts. The rally takes place as the Republic
of Moldova, an EU accession candidate country, would like to begin accession
negotiations by the end of this year. For this stage to begin, Moldova must
complete 9 recommendations, which will be assessed by this autumn in a European
Commission report. In Bucharest, the Organisation of Moldovan Students
organised a similar rally in front of Moldova’s Embassy. Scores of people
watched the speeches in Chisinau jointly with the Moldovan Ambassador to
Bucharest, Victor Chirila.

UKRAINE The US president Joe Biden Sunday announced new military aid
measures for Ukraine, following talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima. The new aid package will
consist of ammunitions, artillery and armoured vehicles, Joe Biden explained, just
days after approving the provision of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. According
to Reuters, this new package is worth up to USD 375 mln and is designed to
strengthen Ukraine’s defence in the war against Russia. The British PM Rishi
Sunak also announced in Hiroshima that his country would start training
Ukrainian pilots this summer, to support Ukraine’s air forces in the conflict.
Rishi Sunak added that no one wants peace more than Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but
the terms for peace, he added, should be based on Ukraine’s principles. In the
3-day summit in Japan, the G7 nations voiced their willingness to stand by
Ukraine in the long run.

FLOODING
In Italy, code red alerts for heavy rainfalls with landslide risks are valid
today as well, in the Emilia Romagna region in the north of the country, already
affected by unprecedented flash floods. Fourteen people died and 36,000 others
were evacuated by the authorities. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent
in Italy, in Ravenna province alone, the most severely hit by the floods, over 16%
of the territory has been evacuated. A preliminary estimate by Confagricoltura,
the association of Italian farmers, indicates that the flooding in Emilia
Romagna caused crop damages of over EUR 1.5 bln.

GREECE
Greece is holding elections today for its single-chamber 300-seat parliament, with
around 9.5 million people expected to take part in the vote. As many as 36 parties
and political associations are running for parliamentary seats, for which they
need at least 3% of the votes. The most likely to win is incumbent PM Kyriakos
Mitsotakis’s party, New Democracy, with 33% of the voting intentions in polls. The
left-of-centre Syriza party, headed by Alexis Tsipras, is predicted to carry
26% of the votes. A novelty in this election is the scrapping of the 50-seat
bonus for the winning party. Unless the parties manage to form a new
government, early elections will be held in July, with a return to the previous
bonus system. (AMP)

21 May 2023
April 14, 2023

Ukraine – Romania will continue to support Ukraine as long as it is necessary to protect its sovereignty and territorial integrity, said the Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr, on Thursday, in Bucharest, after the meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov. The Ukrainian defense minister was on his first official visit to Romania, where he participated in the first conference on security in the Black Sea organized within the International Crimea Platform. During the meeting, the Romanian minister condemned in the toughest terms the war of aggression illegally and unjustifiably launched by Russia against Ukraine, which killed many civilians and destroyed critical infrastructure in many regions of Ukraine. The agenda of the meeting included talks on aspects related to the intensification of bilateral cooperation, also in the context of the EU and NATO, the Romanian side reiterating the importance of continuing the political and military dialogue and its implementation by prioritizing the implementation of the Comprehensive Assistance Package within the Alliance.

Expenses — All Romanian ministries have presented plans to reduce expenses to balance the budget, but many do not want to give up the allocated funds. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent, they justified every penny they received from the budget, while others came with small reductions, so that, all in all, the sum of the proposed spending reductions is far from the target of 20 billion lei (approx. 4 billion Euros), which should be saved until the end of the year. The Labor Ministry proposes a 20% reduction in fuel expenses and a reduction in non-essential internal and external trips. The Tourism Ministry is also considering the tourism marketing chapter. However, there are also ministries that will not substantially reduce expenses, such as the Ministry of European Investments and Projects, where the employees are paid mostly from European money, while the Ministry of Culture proposed savings of only 2 million lei. All proposals will be analyzed next week in the government meeting. Also next week, the Finance Ministry is expected to come up with its own analysis regarding the reduction of expenses and the increase in budget receipts.

Good Friday – Easter is celebrated on Sunday, but until then, Orthodox Christians (majority in Romania) and the Greek Catholics mark Good Friday today. This is a day when they remember the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and His placement in the tomb. Good Friday is the day when Jesus Christ was crucified between two thieves, being accused of blasphemy and opposing the Roman authority. According to the Gospel texts, at the moment when Jesus died on the cross, the earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke. After being taken down from the cross, Jesus was placed in the tomb provided by Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy man of the time. The burial of Jesus is symbolized today by the placement of the Holy Epitaph in the middle of the churches, which is then carried around the church. This procession takes place during the Good Friday service, which is actually a symbolic funeral service for our Lord Jesus.

Washington – A member of the US Air National Guard, suspected of being the author of the recent leaks of classified information of the Pentagon, was arrested on Thursday in Massachusetts, in the northeast of the United States. His name is Jack Teixeira and he is 21 years old. According to American media, he runs “Thug Shaker Central”, an online group where about 20-30 people express their passion for guns and video games. Originally posted on the groups web page – “Thug Shaker Central”, the secret documents that have been leaked since last weekend also on the Twitter and Telegram social networks give an image of the information gathering activities carried out by the US on a global level. Information was leaked about the Russian-Ukrainian war and the Western military aid offered to Kyiv. Dated from February and March, these documents show the shortcomings of both the Russian and Ukrainian armies. (LS)

14 April 2023
March 31, 2023

DEFENCE The strategic partnership between
the US and Romania has never been stronger, said the US secretary of defence,
Lloyd Austin, during the talks with his Romanian counterpart Angel Tîlvăr in
Washington on Thursday. According to a news release from the Pentagon, the US
official praised the excellent relations between the two countries’ armed
forces and thanked Romania for hosting thousands of US and Allied troops to
bolster deterrence on NATO’s eastern flank, and for its role as a leader in the
Black Sea region. The two officials condemned Russia’s reckless war of choice
in Ukraine and reiterated their firm support for Ukraine. The Romanian defence
minister is on a visit to the US for several days, and has meetings scheduled
with senior US officials in the following days.

B9 The meeting of foreign
ministers in the Bucharest 9 format carries on today in Łódź (Poland),
co-chaired by the head of the Romanian diplomacy Bogdan Aurescu and his Polish counterpart, Zbigniew Rau. On
Thursday, the Romanian official announced that the first high-level conference
on security in the Black Sea region will take place in Bucharest on April 13.
During the talks in Lodz, B9 ministers focused on the consequences of Russia’s
war of aggression against Ukraine at regional and Euro-Atlantic level, with an
emphasis on the need to continue supporting Ukraine and to consolidate
trans-Atlantic ties, the Romanian foreign ministry said. In his address, Mr.
Aurescu called on B9 ministers to maintain increased Allied attention and
involvement in the Black Sea region, which has strategic importance for the
entire Euro-Atlantic space, as well as to strengthen trans-Atlantic
coordination. Bogdan Aurescu reiterated Romania’s firm commitment to
further provide multidimensional support to Ukraine. He also encouraged the
Allies on the eastern flank to continue supporting Ukraine’s neighbours, which
are vulnerable to Russia’s aggressive moves, especially Georgia and the
Republic of Moldova, which is facing hybrid threats designed to destabilise the
country and to undermine its EU accession efforts.

VISIT The PM of Romania Nicolae Ciucă travels
to Sweden today, the country that holds the rotating presidency of the EU. His
agenda includes a meeting with his Swedish counterpart Ulf Kristersson. According
to Radio Romania’s correspondent, talks will focus on Russia’s aggression
against Ukraine and its impact on the countries in the region, on the
enlargement of the Schengen area, on the priorities of the Swedish presidency
of the EU Council and on bilateral cooperation, which PM Nicolae Ciucă has
recently described as very good. Nicolae Ciucă will also have a meeting with
the speaker of the Swedish parliament, Andreas Norlén. Also today, the Romanian
head of government will attend a public conference on Threats and
opportunities in the Black Sea region, which will also mark the end of his
visit to Sweden.

GREEN ENERGY The European Commission
vice-president Frans Timmermans travels to Bucharest today, for talks on
the European Green Deal and the bloc’s strategy to switch to a zero-emission
economy. The agenda of the visit includes meetings with president Klaus
Iohannis, with the environment minister Tánczos Barna, and with other
government officials. Frans Timmermans will also have meetings with civil
society members, to discuss ways to fight climate change in Romania and the
role of the European Commission in this respect.

AGRICULTURE
The European Commission intends to revise the amount of compensations granted
to farmers from 5 countries affected by the imports of cheap grains from
Ukraine. The Commission is to disburse another EUR 75 mln, of which Romania
might get EUR 15mln, in addition to the EUR 10mln earmarked already. In an open
letter to the government, Romanian farmers argue however that Romania has lost
a lot more because of the priority and advantages received by Ukrainian
producers in the European market.

TENNIS The Romanian player Sorana Cîrstea
(74 WTA) today takes on Petra Kvitova of the Czech Republic (12 WTA), in the
semis of the WTA 1000 tournament in Miami (Florida). Twice a Wimbledon champion (2011,
2014), Kvitova qualified into the semifinals on Thursday, when she defeated
Russia’s Ekaterina Alexandrova in 3 sets. On Wednesday Sorana Cîrstea had outplayed Arina Sabalenka of
Belarus, no 2 in the world. This will be the 11th direct
match between Sorana Cîrstea and Petra Kvitova, with
the Czech athlete winning 6 of them so far. The winner will take on Elena Rybakina
of Kazakhstan in the final. (AMP)

31 March 2023
Romanian American strategic partnership

Accompanied by the Chief of the Romanian General Staff, General Daniel Petrescu, and other officials from Bucharest, the Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, is visiting the United States these days. A visit with a busy agenda, according to the schedule sent by the Romanian Embassy in the USA, which includes discussions in Washington with the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the US Armed Forces, as well as at the White House, the National Security Council. The agenda also includes meetings with the presidents of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives Commiittee in Armed Services as well as with representatives of the American defense industry and of the strategic reflection and expertise domain.

Last but not least, on the occasion of the visit to the USA, the Romanian delegation will mark 30 years since the establishment of the partnership between the Romanian Armed Forces and the Alabama National Guard. The Romanian officials will travel to the state of Alabama, where, between April 2 and 4, they will have meetings with the governor of the state, and the leadership of the Alabama National Guard, among others. On Thursday minister Angel Tîlvăr had discussions with the American Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, during which the high-ranking American official said that the strategic partnership between the United States and Romania is stronger than ever.

According to a Pentagon statement, Defense Secretary Austin welcomed the excellent relationship between the armies of the two countries. The Pentagon spokesman, General Pat Ryder, said, following the talks between Austin and -Tîlvărthat: quote “Secretary Austin thanked Romania for hosting thousands of U.S. and allied forces to defend NATO’s eastern flank, and for Romania’s leadership role in the Black Sea region. The two leaders also saluted the 30-year anniversary of Romania’s State Partnership Program with the Alabama National Guard. The secretary looks forward to future meetings and opportunities to work with our Romanian allies. Unquote

In a press conference, General Ryder also said that the two defense ministers condemned Russia’s savage war against Ukraine. At the same time, they reiterated their firm support for Ukraine. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin showed that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a threat to regional security, Radio Romanias correspondent to Washington reports, and the Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, assessed that President Putin was the most significant and direct threat to European, Euro-Atlantic and regional security. The Strategic Partnership between Romania and the U.S. was launched on July 11, 1997, on the occasion of the visit to Bucharest of the U.S. President, Bill Clinton, and ever since it has represented an essential landmark of Romania’s foreign policy. (LS)

31 March 2023