Radio România Internațional

Tag: victims

  • New tragedy hits Romania’s hospitals

    New tragedy hits Romania’s hospitals

    Last November, when Romania was struggling with thousands of daily new coronavirus infections, the intensive care unit of the County Emergency Hospital in Piatra Neamţ (north-east of the country) was the scene of a devastating fire that killed 10 of the hospitals patients.



    In the wake of the event, Public Health Directorate teams and experts with the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations conducted inspections in all ICUs across the country, to check installations and the procedures for operating relevant medical equipment. The checks revealed that there are counties in Romania where no hospital has a fire safety permit. A public healthcare trade union warned at the time that the Piatra Neamţ tragedy may repeat itself anywhere in the country, because of the worn-out equipment and overworked personnel.



    Early on Friday morning, a fire broke out in one of the buildings of the Matei Balş Infectious Disease Hospital in Bucharest, a state-of-the-art healthcare unit which has been, as the saying goes, on the frontline of the coronavirus fight. Only COVID patients with medium and severe forms of the disease are cared for in this hospital. This incident, too, made victims among the patients.



    Dr. Beatrice Mahler is the head of the Marius Nasta Institute in Bucharest, one of the units that took over the patients evacuated from Matei Balş. She told Radio Romania that investments in infrastructure are vital and must come as soon as possible.



    In turn, the health minister Vlad Voiculescu does not deny the need for radical changes in the public health system and for substantial investments. He says however the responsibility in such situations rests with the hospital manager.



    Vlad Voiculescu: “Before talking about major changes in the healthcare system, we need managers to do their job at each level and yes, very often we need funding, which may come from multiple sources, but more often than not this is about the hospital management. We shouldnt get lost in general healthcare policy issues. Because the fact is that a building does not catch fire because of the system, but rather because some rules have not been observed and some investments have not been made, or have been made inadequately.



    The former manager of the Matei Balş Institute, Adrian Streinu-Cercel, Ph.D., currently a Social Democratic Senator in opposition, vowed that the hospital has all permits in order. The building affected by the fire is an old one, but it had been revamped, including in terms of oxygen supplies, Streinu-Cercel explained.



    The mass media are looking back at similar incidents occurring in hospitals, and there have been rather many of them. One of the most devastating took place in August 2010, when a fire that broke out in the intensive care ward of a maternity hospital in Bucharest killed 5 new-borns. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

  • November 17, 2020

    November 17, 2020

    COVID-19 Romania reports the highest SARS-CoV-2 test positivity rate in 24 hours: over 43%. On Monday the authorities announced 4,931 cases out of around 11,200 tests. The total number of cases since the start of the pandemic in late February is now over 365,000. With the 149 deaths reported on Monday, the death toll exceeds 9,000, whereas the number of patients in intensive care is now 1,187. Nearly 70% of the total number of patients have recovered. As of today, 5 towns and a village in Alba County, central Romania, are under a 2-week lockdown because of the large number of coronavirus infections. Also as of today, Constanta city in the south east is closing parks and playgrounds, and streets, pavements and market places will be disinfected on a daily basis. The city of Sibiu (centre) and 3 other localities in the same county also introduced a lockdown on Monday, while the city of Bistriţa (centre) is waiting for approval from the National Public Health Institute to implement the same measure.



    FIRE Investigators have completed inquiries into the fire that occurred on Saturday at the ICU of the Piatra Neamt County Hospital, treating Sars-Cov-2 patients. The criminal case concerns manslaughter and bodily harm offences, as 10 people died and 7 others were injured. Five of the victims could not be identified and DNA tests were required. Doctor Ioan Cătălin Denciu remains in a serious condition—he tested positive for COVID-19 prior to being transferred to Belgium, and the injuries are more severe than originally thought. The physician has 2nd degree burns on 75% of the body, which he suffered while trying to rescue the patients from the intensive care unit during the fire. The manager of the Piatra Neamţ Hospital has resigned. Joint teams from Public Health Directorates and the General Inspectorate for Emergencies have been conducting inspections, since Monday, in all intensive therapy units across the country, to check electrical installations and the state of medical equipment. The health minister Nelu Tătaru says many hospitals underwent rushed revamping in 2020, and now the authorities have to check whether safety rules were complied with.



    UNIONS Members of the SANITAS healthcare workers union Tuesday observed a moments silence for the victims of the Piatra Neamt hospital fire, in front of the Government headquarter. SANITAS had scheduled a rally for Tuesday, but the union decided to replace the protest with a commemoration of the victims and of the healthcare workers who lost their lives on the job. Unionists warn that the tragedy may occur again, anywhere in the country, because of the worn out equipment and overworked personnel. They call on civil society to put pressure on politicians to reform the Romanian public healthcare sector. SANITAS officials Monday submitted a list of demands to all county prefect offices.



    GAUDEAMUS The 27th edition of the Gaudeamus Book Fair organised by Radio Romania since 1994, is taking place online until November 22nd. The event will end on Sunday and will take place exclusively online due to the new coronavirus pandemic. Attending the event are more than 100 companies, among which prestigious book publishers and distributors, music and educational games producers. Hundreds of events can be followed online on gaudeamus.ro, the website of the event, which this year is organised jointly with elefant.ro. Writer Norman Manea, nominated several times for the Nobel Prize for Literature, is the honorary president of this edition of the Gaudeamus book fair.



    MOLDOVA The Republic of Moldovas ex-PM, the Pro-European Maia Sandu, is the first woman elected president of the country. In Sundays ballot she won 57.75% of the votes, according to the final data announced by the Electoral Committee in Chişinău. The incumbent president, pro-Russian Igor Dodon, who got 42%, announced however he was challenging the result. Maia Sandus priorities include ending corruption and public money theft and reforming the political class. The election result is a moral victory of pro-European forces which want genuine change, political commentators in Chisinau say. However, they warn that a tense period may follow, because Igor Dodons Socialists hold the largest number of seats in Parliament. (translated by A.M. Popescu)

  • Flooding makes victims in Romania

    Flooding makes victims in Romania

    In Romania, the flash floods caused by the heavy rains of the past few days have killed people and caused substantial damage. Most rivers in the country are subject to code orange and yellow alerts until Friday, and the situation is even worse in the north, where hydrologists have a code red alert in place until Thursday at noon for the river Tisa, in Maramureş County, and Prut, in Botoşani County. In these areas in particular, the risk of flash floods remains high.



    Until Thursday, weather experts have also issued a code yellow alert for temporarily severe unstable weather for all mountain areas, for the north, centre, east and parts of the south regions of the country.



    Flash floods have already been reported in three-quarters of the counties, and emergency teams have been deployed to pump water out of households. Strong winds have brought down trees and electricity poles, also requiring emergency intervention.



    Tens of people were evacuated and temporarily housed in buildings offered by local authorities or relatives, some of them as a precaution and others because their own houses were simply washed away.



    Households, gardens, farm land and streets have been flooded, and the situation could have been even more dramatic, had people not been warned by the RoAlert system. This is how some of the victims describe what happened:



    “The water was knee deep. We were flooded from both sides because of the brook, water came down both from the gardens, and from the street side.



    “Our animals are still in the water—the pigs, the horse, the cow. This is not the first time weve been flooded, but its not been that bad in a long time. Its a disaster.



    “This keeps happening for several years now. We need a dam. There is so much work and so much spending every time this happens, and it happens a lot. Water is half the height of the house walls. As for the garden, you dont want to know. But we are especially upset about the house—the furniture, the flooring, everything.



    In some towns as well, basements have also been flooded, and in the north of Bucharest the sewage system was temporarily unable to handle the situation. Radio Romania correspondents from around the country report collapsed roads, traffic jams, landslides or disrupted railway transport.



    In the west of the country, the most affected area is Alba County, where heavy rains triggered landslides. Hundreds of households and industrial units went under water, and scores of people were left without homes. Bridges were also damaged, and so were national and county roads and streets. A railway bridge was also damaged by mudslides, causing the traffic to be suspended. Tens of military firefighters, gendarmes and police, as well as Volunteer Emergency Services personnel were deployed to address the problem.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • February 8, 2020

    February 8, 2020

    Government – The PM designate of Romania, Ludovic Orban, announced he would submit, on Monday, in Parliament the list of ministers and an updated governing program with a view to starting procedures for the investment of a new government. The announcement came after President Klaus Iohannis designated the Liberal leader to from a new cabinet. The decision was made after the first Orban government was dismissed on Wednesday through a no confidence motion initiated by the main opposition party, the Social Democratic Party, following the government’s decision to assume responsibility for a bill on returning to the election of mayors in two rounds of voting, only a few months ahead of the elections. The Romanian president also reiterated his opinion that holding early elections was the best option for Romania at the moment. The interim leader of the PSD Marcel Ciolacu said he was considering notifying the Constitutional Court over the re-designation of the outgoing PM Ludovic Orban as the new PM. To call early elections the Parliament should reject two proposals of PM designate.



    USR — The political committee of the Save Romania Union party (USR) represented in the Romanian Parliament and the National Council of PLUS, led by the former PM and European Commissioner Dacian Ciolos, are meeting today in separate meetings to decide on a merger. The USR deputy Ionut Mosteanu pointed out that the national bureaus proposed that a merger congress should take place in July, but the decision lies with the leaderships of the two parties. In another development, following internal elections, 91% of the USR members voted for their party to be positioned on the center-right side of the political spectrum. The referendum called at the initiative of the USR president Dan Barna unfolded for 7 days starting on February 1.



    Flu — 23 Romanians have so far died of the flu since the beginning of the flu season. The latest flu victims are two women and three men aged between 26 and 67. They all suffered from other diseases and had not been allegedly vaccinated. On Thursday the Romanian healthcare authorities officially declared a flu epidemic. More than 16 thousand pupils from across Romania are affected by the partial or full suspension of classes due to the flu. Experts say that the upward trend of flu cases will be maintained in the coming weeks, since lots of Romanians have not got a flu shot.



    Tennis – The matches pitting the Romanian and Russian teams in the playoff of the Fed Cup World Group continue Saturday in the northwestern Romanian town of Cluj Napoca. In the singles competition Ana Bogdan will play against Ekaterina Alexandrova and Elena Gabriela Ruse against Veronika Kudermetova while in the doubles the pair Irina Bara/Raluca Olaru will be up against Ana Blinkova/Ana Kalinskaia. On Friday evening, after the first day of competition, the two teams were on a par with the same number of points 1-1. The Romanian Elena Gabriela Ruse (166 WTA) was defeated in 2 sets by Ekaterina Alexandrova (28 WTA), and Ana Bogdan (90 WTA) won against the Russian Veronika Kudermetova (38 WTA) in 3 sets. The winning nations will advance to the inaugural Fed Cup Finals in Budapest scheduled for April 14 to 19.



    Rugby — Romania’s national rugby team is playing today against Portugal, away from home, in the 2nd round of the Rugby Europe Championship, after having been defeated in the first round by Georgia. This is the 25th match between Romania and Portugal, with the Romanians winning 21 of the 24 matches played since 1967. In the 3rd round of the Rugby Europe Championship, Romania will take on Spain on February 22 in Botosani, northeastern Romania.(translation by L. Simion)

  • May 17, 2019

    May 17, 2019

    WEATHER More than 3,000 fire fighters were deployed on Thursday and Friday to support the authorities and citizens in 22 villages and towns, pumping water out of the houses following the heavy rainfalls and flash floods of recent days. The most affected counties were Bistriţa Năsăud and Mures, in the centre, Gorj and Teleorman in the south, Hunedoara in the south-west and Maramureş in the north. Scores of people have been evacuated in Bistriţa-Năsăud County over the past few days, hundreds of households, company offices and public institution headquarters have been flooded, and hail damaged the farms. The National Meteorology Agency has extended the alert for unstable weather across the country until Sunday.




    INFLATION The Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isărescu, has presented today the institutions quarterly inflation report. The Central Bank updated its year-end inflation forecast to 4.2% and estimates an inflation rate of 3.3% for 2020. Inflation has reversed the downward trend reported in the last quarter of 2018, and prices went up in the first 3 months of this year more than the National Bank had expected, Mugur Isărescu said. He also warned that the demand for products and services is still in excess of what the domestic economy can produce, leading to a rise in imports and a trade imbalance. Inflation in Romania is in fact among the highest in the European Union, alongside the rate in Hungary. According to the central bank governor, in the coming 3 quarters inflation will remain above target, and is expected to go down later on to around 3.5%.




    CEREMONY The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis decided to postpone the May 20 ceremony at Cotroceni Palace, when the year 2019 was scheduled to be declared the “Year of Gratitude honouring the victims of communism, 30 years after the Romanian Revolution of December 1989. The Presidency announced on Friday that the head of state wants to remove any suspicions that the event may be used for electoral purposes. According to the same source, ever since taking over his office, the President has constantly worked to condemn the crimes and abuse committed by the communist repression system, and to pay tribute to the victims of totalitarianism.





    ECOFIN The Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici is chairing on Friday in Brussels the EU Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN), as part of Romanias presidency of the Council of the EU. According to a news release from the Finance Ministry in Bucharest, the agenda of the meeting includes the Directive on the structure of excise duty on alcohol and alcoholic beverages, the Directive on general arrangements for excise duties, the digital services tax, and a review of the EU list of non-cooperative jurisdictions. Also on Friday, the Romanian Finance Minister attends the Economic and Financial Dialogue between the EU and the Western Balkans and Turkey.




    SWINE FEVER African swine fever is still present in Romania, in 84 villages in 16 counties, the National Veterinary and Food Safety Authority announced. Of the around 400 active outbreaks, 10 are in agricultural holdings. More than 365,000 pigs have been slaughtered so far because of this disease, which was first reported in 2017, in Satu Mare County. African swine fever does not affect humans, but has a major negative economic and social impact.




    EUROVISION Ester Peony, representing Romania in the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest with a piece called On a Sunday, failed to qualify to Saturdays finals in Tel Aviv, where the second semi-final was held on Thursday night. Romanias best performances in this competition were 2 third places, won by Luminiţa Anghel & Sistem in Kiev in 2005, and by Paula Seling and Ovi in Oslo in 2010, and a 4th place won by Mihai Trăistariu, in Athens, 2006.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • March 11, UPDATE

    March 11, UPDATE

    BUDGET The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis Monday signed into law the 2019 social security budget bill. As regards the state budget bill, he asked MPs to reanalyse it thoroughly. The head of state once again criticised the Government led by the Social Democrats. The two-chamber Parliament in Bucharest will re-discuss the 2019 budget bill this week at the request of president Iohannis. The government majority formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats say they won’t make any changes to the bill because its current provisions ensure the necessary resources in the important sectors of the economy. The opposition say, however, that the budget cannot come into force in its current version, which is one of stagnation and under-development. Once the bill returns to the president, the latter has to sign it into law. He sent the bill back to Parliament after the Constitutional Court dismissed his objections regarding the way the bill was drawn up. The government say Iohannis’ move is a political gesture ahead of the presidential elections later this year.




    GOVERNMENT The agenda of Tuesdays Cabinet meeting includes several draft resolutions, including one that concerns a financing contract with the European Investment Bank for the rehabilitation of the healthcare sector and another one concerning the organisation and functioning of the National Authority for Child Protection and Adoption. A bill ratifying the agreement signed by Romania and Hungary in October 2018 on the mutual protection of classified information is also on the agenda. Viorica Dăncilăs Cabinet will also discuss a memorandum on the negotiation of a 177-million euro loan agreement between Romania and the Council of Europe Development Bank for a project aimed at upgrading Romanias judicial infrastructure.




    JUDICIARY The independence of the Romanian judiciary must not be affected, and the fight against corruption must carry on, said the first vice-president of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, on Monday. He added he did not notice any progress since the latest Cooperation and Verification Mechanism report on Romania, and that he would like EC experts and the Government of Romania to discuss the issues that need to be settled. The European official was granted the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the National School of Political and Administrative Studies. In his address on this occasion, Frans Timmermans spoke about the rule of law, which he believes is one of the decisive topics for the future of Europe.




    COMMEMORATION The European Day of Remembrance for the victims of terrorism is commemorated every year on March 11, under a European Parliament resolution. The original proposal was September 11, the day of the largest-scale terror attacks in the world (USA, 2001), but the 4 attacks perpetrated in Madrid, in the morning of March 11, 2004, which left behind 192 dead, including 16 Romanians, and nearly 2,000 wounded from 17 countries, prompted the change of date. Fifteen years ago, in Madrid, 4 commuter trains were blown up by members of a Jihadi cell inspired by the Al Qaida terrorist network. Three attackers were caught and sentenced to thousands of years behind bars. This was the most severe terrorist attack in Spain, and it made the country pull out its troops from Iraq.




    VOTERS The total number of eligible voters in Romania included in the Electoral Registry on February 28, 2019 was 18,937,258, the Permanent Electoral Authority announced on Monday. At the previous public announcement on the topic, made late last year, the Electoral Registry counted 18,937,058 Romanian voters. The variation comes as a result of changes reported by mayors as regards the number of voters in their localities, and of data imports from the Directorate for Personal Records and Database Management. Of the total number of Romanian voters in the Electoral Registry, 18,266,936 have their declared residence in Romania, and 670,322 abroad.




    BOEING Boeing stock opened 11% down on Monday, after China, Indonesia and Ethiopia requested airlines to ground the Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft, after a second deadly crash in 5 months. If the same level is reported on closing time, this will be the most severe fall for Boeing shares in nearly 2 decades, ending an upward trend that tripled the share value in little over 3 years, to a record-high 446 US dollars last week. A Boeing 737 MAX 8 operated by Ethiopian Airlines, heading for Nairobi, went down within minutes after take-off in Addis Ababa, on Sunday, and all the 157 passengers died. The same plane model, operated by Lion Air, had crashed off the Indonesian coast in October, killing all the 189 people on board. Both planes were new and crashed just minutes into the flight.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • January 16, 2019

    January 16, 2019

    BREXIT Britains government must clarify its position after Parliament voted down the Brexit agreement, the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis said in Bucharest today. In his opinion, this decision is regrettable. He added however not that all the procedures which may lead to the approval of the deal have been used, and that the Romanians living in the UK need not worry because European leaders are prepared for other options as well. The agreement approved by the 27 member states will not be renegotiated, the head of the Romanian state added.




    VOTE A no-confidence vote against the government is scheduled today in Britains Parliament, which yesterday rejected by a large majority the Brexit agreement with the EU. According to Radio Romanias correspondent, there are slim chances for Theresa Mays Cabinet to be dismissed, given that Northern Irelands representatives in Parliament seem to continue to support the Government. Also, although over 100 Tories voted against the deal, it is unlikely that they will do the same against their own government. The rejection of the Brexit deal is the harshest defeat for a British cabinet in modern times, and questions Britains withdrawal from the European Union, less than 3 months before it is scheduled to take effect. Analysts predict a severe crisis in the UK. Several scenarios have been discussed, including early elections and the holding of a second referendum.




    SCHENGEN The Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Meleşcanu said on Tuesday in Strasbourg that there is no reason to deny Romanias Schengen accession, and voiced hopes that a solution will be reached during the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU. He promised that the Romanian presidency will allow for “very open discussions with the countries opposing Romanias entry, and will invite those countries to present the reasons why they are against Romanias inclusion in the visa-free area. “We hope to be as convincing as possible and to reach a solution, Teodor Melescanu added.




    STRIKE The Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă has talks today with the Energy and Economy ministers, Anton Anton and Niculae Badalau, respectively, and with officials from energy companies, concerning the state of the national energy system in the context of the miners strike at the Oltenia Energy Corporation. Also today, a new round of negotiations is scheduled at the Governments headquarters, in search of a solution to the strike. Previously, the mixed negotiation commission approved, apart from holiday vouchers, a further 150 euro gross monthly pay raise for workers andnearly 80 euros for section chiefs, as of May 1. The coal workers demand a 45% pay raise, holiday vouchers and better working conditions. Thermal power plants, working at full capacity these days, only have coal supplies for another 4-5 days left.




    FLU Nine people have died of the flu in Romania so far. According to the authorities, the 9th victim is a 40-year old man who had previous medical conditions and had not been vaccinated. The man tested positive for the AH1 flu virus. Because of the large number of viral respiratory infections, visitor access has been restricted in many hospitals in the country. Nearly 53,000 respiratory infections and over 100 flu cases have been confirmed since the first week of the year.




    TENNIS The Romanian player Irina Begu (70 WTA) has been defeated today by the Czech Petra Kvitova (6 WTA), 1-6, 3-6, in the second round of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tournament of the year. The other Romanians still in the race are world no 1 Simona Halep and Marius Copil. Also today, in the womens doubles, the Romanians Irina Maria Bara and Monica Niculescu qualified into the second round, after beating the Spaniards Lara Arruabarrena / Arantxa Parra Santonja, 6-1, 6-1. In the next stage they are facing the winners of the match pitting Lucie Hradecka (Czech Republic) / Ekaterina Makarova (Russia) against Mona Barthel (Germany) / Sofia Kenin (USA). Other Romanians play in the doubles: Irina Begu and Mihaela Buzărnescu, Sorana Cîrstea playing together with Latvias Jelena Ostapenko and Raluca Olaru with Galina Voskoboeva (Kazakhstan).



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Homage paid to the victims of the Colectiv fire

    Homage paid to the victims of the Colectiv fire

    A subway breaks down in-between stops on the morning after the fire at the Bucharest-based nightclub Colectiv. The passengers start to interact. In brief, this is the plot of the independent production “We Get Off at the First Stop, directed by Tedy Necula and premiered on Tuesday evening in Bucharest, to mark three years since the tragedy that left a whole country horror-struck.



    On October 30, 2015, during a concert of the rock band Goodbye to Gravity at Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest, a fire broke out after a spark from the bands pyrotechnics ignited the clubs acoustic foam, making the fire spread rapidly. Hundreds of people found themselves trapped inside, with only one exit. The victims died either to burns or after inhaling a deadly mix of toxic discharges. A total of 64 people died and 200 others were injured. Nearly two years after the tragedy, a young man who had survived the fire committed suicide, suffering from severe psychological trauma.



    The capital city Bucharest and other cities across Romania on Tuesday hosted commemorative events devoted to the Colectiv victims. In Bucharest, special religious services were held and a commemorative march titled “The March of the Guitars. Hundreds of people gathered in Union Square in downtown Bucharest and marched to the place of the tragedy. Many others joined and once they reached the club, they observed a moment of silence at 10:30 PM, the exact time the fire broke out. Relatives, friends and colleagues of the victims and passers-by laid wreaths and lit candles in memory of the victims, heart-broken and helpless to bring about any change in politics, healthcare or society as a whole.



    Speaker: “Theres much to learn here and we ought to always remember theres something that needs changing in our country, and we should do something about it.



    Speaker: “This will only take five minutes, you know how people make a fuss about things but then they let it all settle and everyone goes about his business.



    Three years on, Health Minister Sorina Pintea admitted that Romania is incapable of dealing with a fire of such magnitude. Hospitals all over the country can accommodate only 11 patients suffering from severe burns and authorities would have to call on outside help should a similar tragedy occur. Moreover, to this day Romania still has scores of bars, nightclubs, guesthouses and shopping malls running without a permit from the fire department. As regards the criminal case regarding the Colectiv fire, it is still ongoing in the court of first instance, with the victims families still waiting for justice to be served.


    (translated by: Vlad Palcu)

  • August 7, 2018 UPDATE

    August 7, 2018 UPDATE

    REACTION – The Romanian Presidency criticizes the budget adjustment operated by the Government, saying that the slashing of funds from the Presidency will make Romania unable to comply with its international commitments such as organizing the Three Seas Initiative summit, the Presidency’s spokeswoman Manadalina Dobrovolschi has announced. President Klaus Iohannis believes that that the budget adjustment announced by the Government is an attempt to block, through budget restrictions, the activity of a fundamental institution, the Presidency’s spokeswoman has also said. In his turn, Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici rejected the accusations and said that the Presidency has all the funds it needs to continue its activity until the end of the year. The Romanian Finance Ministry has finalized the bill for the first budget adjustment this year, grounded on a budget deficit of 2.97% of the GDP. According to a press release, economic results are encouraging and reflect a 5.5% growth rate, underlying the state budget for 2018. The budget adjustment is positive, calculated on a surplus of budget revenues of nearly 1.3 billion euros. Additional funds will go to local authorities and the National Social and Health Insurance Fund. The ministries of health, education, interior and agriculture will get additional money. More funds have been earmarked to the Ministry of Public Finance, in order to ensure Romania pays its contribution to the EU budget. At the opposite end, the budgets of the Presidency, the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Romanian Foreign Intelligence Service, the ministries of Research, Energy and Foreign Affairs will be slashed. The budget adjustment law will be adopted in the second half of August.




    ROMANIA’S JUDICIARY — US Senators John McCain of the Republican Party and Christopher Murphy of the Conservative Party have addressed a joint letter to the Romanian Prime Minister, Viorica Dancila, expressing concern with the dismissal of the chief anti-corruption prosecutor and calling on the Government to step up its efforts to combat corruption. The two Senators wrote that, as strong supporters of the US-Romania relationship, they noted with regret that President Klaus Iohannis was recently forced by a court ruling to dismiss Laura Codruta Kovesi. We recall that President Klaus Iohannis removed Kovesi from office last month following a Constitutional Court ruling. In another development, the New Europe publication headquartered in Brussels has drawn up an analysis, claiming that Kovesi’s dismissal provides Romania with the opportunity of eliminating past abuses. New Europe analysts claim Romania is by far the European country with the highest number of human rights violations. New Europe also highlights the fact that anti-corruption prosecutors assigned by Kovesi were recorded while discussing attempts to fabricate evidence.




    VIRUS — The African swine fever virus continues to spread across Romania, the number of hotbeds now reaching 580 in over 100 towns in villages in 8 counties, according to the latest toll. Some 78,000 pigs were slaughtered. Authorities continue to take specific action to prevent the virus from spreading. Wild boars carrying the disease in affected areas will be shot down, while special disinfection checkpoints will be set up in border crossing points. Farmers will be compensated for their losses, while the recent budget adjustment has earmarked additional funds to the program aimed at eradicating this disease.




    VICTIMS — Another two Romanian citizens have been identified among the people injured in Monday’s blast near the airport in Bologna, the Romanian Foreign Ministry has announced. So far three Romanians are among the injured. Romania’s Consulate in Bologna continues to monitor the situation and keeps in touch with the local authorities, the injured people and the hospital where they are being treated. A tanker truck carrying a highly flammable gas exploded after crashing into a truck on a crowded motorway in the northern Italian city of Bologna killing one person and injuring several dozens.




    INFLATION — The National Bank of Romania expects the inflation rate to drop in the third quarter of the year and to stand at around 3,5%, close to the maximum limit set by the Bank. Governor Mugur Isarescu said that, according to preliminary reports, Romania will have a negative inflation rate starting July and will see a drop in prices. The National Bank decided to maintain the monetary policy interest rate at 2.5% per year, against the backdrop of the evolution of the inflation rate.




    WEATHER — The Foreign Ministry in Bucharest has issued a travel warning for Germany in place until Thursday against temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius and thunderstorms. Croatia is under a code red alert against extreme heat and heavy traffic. Spain and Italy have seen the first casualties due to the recent heat wave. On Monday thermometers read 46.8 degrees in Portugal, while a wildfire has razed over 1,000 hectares of woodland to the ground. Another wildfire on the French-Spanish border has disrupted traffic on a highway in the Pyrenees. In the Netherlands, several segments of motorways have been shut down while four nuclear reactors were pre-emptively closed in France. Code red and orange alerts against extreme heat are in place in several European countries.







  • July 26, 2018 UPDATE

    July 26, 2018 UPDATE

    EU PRESIDENCY Romania has finalised a calendar of the events and meetings to be held in the country and abroad during its presidency of the EU Council in the first half of 2019. The announcement was made by the Minister Delegate for European Affairs, Victor Negrescu, who presented a report of his term in office so far. The calendar includes 1,400 formal meetings in Brussels and Strasbourg, and another 300 meetings in Romania. Negrescu added that the venues for these meetings have also been chosen.



    ANTI-CORRUPTION In Bucharest, the 4 candidates for the office of head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate were interviewed on Thursday by the Justice Minister Tudorel Toader. On Friday a decision will be reached on either the nomination of one candidate, or the restart of the procedure, Tudorel Toader said. The 4 candidates are prosecutor Florentina Mirică – head of the Corruption Combating Division of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, prosecutor Cristian Lazăr – deputy chief of the Prosecution Division in the General Prosecutors Office, prosecutor Marius Iacob – deputy chief of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate and prosecutor Elena Grecu – head of division in the central structure of the Directorate. The former head of the National Anti-Corruption Directorate Laura Codruţa Kovesi was dismissed under an order issued on July 9 by President Klaus Iohannis, further to a ruling by the Constitutional Court of Romania.




    GREECE The Foreign Ministry in Bucharest has announced there is no information on whether there are any Romanians among the victims of the wildfires in Greece. The latest death toll of the wildfires that recently ravaged Greece stands at 81; 200 other people have been wounded with scores still missing. The Custodian of the Crown of Romania and president of the Romanian Red Cross, Margareta, has conveyed a message to Greece in which she expressed her compassion for the fire victims at the same time pledging support from the Romanian Red Cross. In turn, the Romanian Orthodox Church has urged all its churches around the country and abroad to donate money in order to give financial support to the victims of the fires in Greece. The funds raised will be eventually donated to the Archbishopric of Athens. On Wednesday Romania dispatched two planes to the fire-affected areas: one fitted with fire-extinguishing equipment and a Hercules C-130 to provide logistic support. Sweden has also reported a series of forest fires close to the Arctic Circle where several towns have already been evacuated.




    SWINE FEVER – In Romania, the authorities are trying to contain African swine fever, with an emergency committee set up by the Agriculture Ministry to monitor the outbreak. The ministry has also informed the European Commission that it will apply for compensations for the producers who have been forced to kill their animals. Some 440 hotbeds have been identified since the beginning of the year.



    AIR POLICE Two British Typhoon fighters were launched on Thursday from the Mihail Kogalniceanu Air Base in south-eastern Romania, because a Russian aircraft flying over the Black Sea was heading for NATO airspace. A news release issued by the British Air Force mentions that the Russian bomber was a Su-24 FENCER aircraft. In May, when they were deployed on their 4-month mission in Romania, the British fighters were also forced to respond to a Russian aircraft approaching NATO airspace. The British aircraft are in Romania on enhanced air policing missions.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • “Colectiv” two years on

    “Colectiv” two years on

    Hundreds of people participated on Friday evening in a march commemorating the 64 young people who died two years ago, on October 30, in a fire in the Colectiv night club, in downtown Bucharest. 27 died in the night of the tragedy, while the other 37 died later on, in hospitals in Bucharest and abroad.



    The fire broke out during a concert by the rock band “Goodbye to Gravity. The lead singer of the band has survived. The participants in the commemoration march, relatives and friends of the victims, as well as people who knew them, walked silently, dressed in white T-shirts impressed with photos of the victims or simply carrying photos of the victims, candles and flowers. They wanted to show that they will never forget the people who died, and also to deplore the authorities incapacity to find the culprits. Although the tragic event was followed by large-scale rallies against corruption in local and central administration, the street protests only led to the resignation of the government led by the Social Democrat Victor Ponta. However Pontas resignation was not enough for all the problems of the system to be solved. A participant in Friday rally shared his opinion with us:



    “Unfortunately, few things have changed. At political level we saw the resignation of the prime minister, but from a technical point of view not much has been done, in the sense that all they did was to close down a couple of clubs that were not authorized and to issue a couple of regulations in this regard.



    The authorities claim however that changes did occur after the Colectiv fire. The number of applications for certificates and fire safety authorizations has increased by almost 85% in the past two years, according to data provided by the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations. Over 23,000 clubs, bars, discos, shopping malls, restaurants and stores have been inspected by fire fighters. Of them, more than 100 have been closed down and 350 have suspended their activity.



    As far as the healthcare sector is concerned, changes have been insignificant. And not only has the shortage of staff, medication and equipment remained the weak spot of the public healthcare system, but the situation has become even worse. Romanian hospitals can now provide treatment and care to only 11 people suffering from major burns, as compared to 10 in 2015. Doctor Raed Arafat, the head of the Department for Emergency Situations, admits that many things are still to be improved.



    Raed Arafat: “We have managed to refurbish the Burn Hospital in Bucharest, but we cannot say that we have a higher capacity now as compared to what we had before. On the contrary, sometimes we have problems finding places to treat severe burns in hospitals all over the country, so this problem is quite urgent.



    Many had hoped that corruption and superficiality, the underlying causes of the Colectiv tragedy, would be eliminated. However, apart from several isolated legislative amendments, nothing has actually been done.


    (translated by: Lacramioara Simion)

  • Romanians, victims of terror attacks

    Romanians, victims of terror attacks

    An increasing number of Romanians has recently fallen victims to terror attacks in various parts of the world, attacks that have become much more frequent in the past 16 years. In recent years however terrorists have seemingly changed their tactics and manner of operating. If until now their favorite weapons were the more sophisticated and lethal types, such as explosives and assault rifles, in the past two years terror masterminds used vehicles to mow down pedestrians in Nice, Berlin, London and Stockholm.



    Among their latest victims is Andreea Cristea, a 31-year old Romanian killed in the terror attack on the Westminster Bridge in London two weeks ago. Andreea Cristea fell off the bridge after the attacker, a radical Islamist born in Britain, had rammed his vehicle into the pedestrians on Westminster Bridge. The second Romanian tourist injured in London, Andreea’s partner, left the hospital shortly after the attack. Another Romanian was admitted to hospital with double leg fracture in the aftermath of the latest terror attack in Sweden.



    The 83 year-old woman was hit by fragments of concrete projected by a lorry used by a terrorist to mow down pedestrians in Stockholm. Other Romanians have become victims of terrorism as well, although Romania has not been targeted directly. The first Romanians to fall victims of terror were four people killed in the 2001 attacks, the ones that were said to have changed the world. Three years later, 16 Romanians were killed in the bomb attacks in Madrid. Many other countries from Europe and other continents have become targets of bloody attacks masterminded by terror networks such as Al Qaeda, ISIS and their radical sympathizers. Two Romanians were killed and two others were injured in the 2015 November attack in Paris.



    In March 2016, Brussels, the EU’s administrative capital and the city hosting NATO’s headquarters, became the scene of bomb attacks targeting the underground and the airport. 4 Romanians were injured in the attacks in Brussels. Last year a Romanian was killed and another one injured in the attack in Nice, France. Such acts of terror targeting innocent people have no justification, the authorities in Bucharest have repeatedly underscored, recalling that Romania remains firmly committed to combating all forms of terrorism reiterating the need for concerted international efforts to fight the scourge. World leaders have voiced compassion for the victims and also determination to put an end to terrorism.



    (Translated by Daniel Bilt)

  • UPDATE London attack: Three people died and about 40 were injured

    UPDATE London attack: Three people died and about 40 were injured

    Three people were killed and about 40 injured in London on Wednesday after an attacker drove his car into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing two people, before crashing it outside parliament and trying to enter the building, armed with a knife. The attacker stabbed an unarmed police officer who later died from the injuries, before being shot by armed police. Investigators say they believe they know the identity of the attacker, and that he is thought to have acted alone but was “inspired by international terrorism”.



    According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, two Romanian citizens, a man and a woman, are among the people injured in the attack. Romania’s Ambassador to London, Dan Mihalache, has said that the young Romanian tourists were on the Westminster Bridge when the assailant drove his car into the crowd. The woman was thrown into the Thames from the bridge. She was rescued from the water but had sustained injuries and is now in critical condition in hospital. Her partner only had small injuries and has been released from hospital.

  • A year on from the Colectiv tragedy

    A year on from the Colectiv tragedy

    Thousands took to the streets of Bucharest on Sunday to participate in a march of silence held to commemorate the victims of a devastating fire that killed 64 young people in a nightclub in Bucharest a year ago. Many died in the following weeks as a result of the wounds and hospital-acquired infections. The tragedy sparked off mass-protests against high-level corruption and eventually forced the Ponta government to step down. The disaster has also revealed a series of the flaws in the system and had numerous destinies changed. A year after the tragedy, questions are still unanswered and there are many unhealed wounds in the families mourning for their loved ones and many suffering for those over 100 wounded, most of whom are still fighting to recover.



    The blaze was caused by the fireworks during a concert given by a rock band named Good Bye to Gravity. The non-fireproof insulating material used in the construction led to the rapid propagation of fire turning, the Colectiv nightclub into a death trap. The 350 people inside fought to escape through the club’s single access door. A year on from the tragedy, a monument was unveiled close to the place where the fire started, in front of the Colective nightclub, where people observed a moment of silence while a spotlight sent a ray of light to the sky.



    President Klaus Iohannis laid a wreath of flowers and lit a candle to the memory of those who died in the fire: “Romania has changed. Control and checking procedures are tighter and thoroughly applied in such places where events are being staged. Procedures have improved and clarified. But there are some other things that haven’t changed, in my opinion, in a series of domains. For instance, we would like to know after one year, who is responsible for this terrible accident.”



    An investigation, that hasn’t been finalized by prosecutors yet, has revealed that what happened in the Colectiv nightclub, the worst disaster in the past decades in Europe, was caused by a series of irregularities, such as allowing the access of way too many people or the way in which licenses were being granted. Three cases in the Colectiv case are still under investigation by military and civilian authorities.



    Also attending the commemorative events on Sunday, Romanian Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos said quote ‘it is the duty of every man to learn from the Colectiv tragedy and not forget the harm that lies, arrogance and corruption can do.” Unquote A charity concert was held by several rock bands and the money was donated to the Colectiv survivors who still need treatment for the wounds caused by the fire.


    (Translated by Daniel Bilt)

  • October 29, 2016

    October 29, 2016

    COMMEMORATION – A rally will be held in Bucharest on Sunday to commemorate the victims of the tragedy that took place on October 30 last year in “Colectiv night club in the capital city. Sixty-four people died and more than 100 were injured on that occasion. The Government has approved a 2-year extension of the funding for those who undergo treatment abroad. The club owners were sent to court under charges of manslaughter, bodily harm and of failing to ensure workplace safety and health standards, and the owners of the company that supplied the fireworks. Abuse of office charges were also brought against some employees of the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, who failed to take any measures although the club did not have a fire security license. The General Prosecutors Office has also been investigating whether the Colectiv victims were treated appropriately in the hospitals in the country, following criminal complaints from the families of the patients who died from hospital acquired infections rather than burns. The Colectiv tragedy was followed by large scale street protests that triggered the resignation of the Social Democrat Victor Pontas Cabinet.




    DST – Romania falls back from Daylight Saving Time to standard time tonight, with 4 AM local time becoming 3 AM local time (GMT+2). Sunday will thus be the longest day of the year – 25 hours. The measure reverses the switch to DST operated in March, when clocks were advanced by one hour so as to ensure maximum use of sunlight and reduce electricity consumption. Romania will switch back to DST on the last Sunday in March.




    MOLDOVA – In the Republic of Moldova the election campaign ended and the first round of the presidential election is scheduled on Sunday. Citizens are electing their president through direct voting, after 16 years in which the head of state was designated by Parliament. According to analysts, the vote is crucial for the future geopolitical course of Moldova. The pro-Russian Socialist leader Igor Dodon is seen as the most likely to win in all opinion polls. His main challenger is the former reformist Education Minister Maia Sandu, who pleads for a reform of the state and European integration, and who has the support of other pro-Western candidates having pulled out of the race.




    ROSIA MONTANA – The Romanian Culture Minister, Corina Şuteu, has announced that Roşia Montană in the centre of the country has been included in a UNESCO tentative list, which is the first step towards inclusion in the much shorter UNESCO Heritage List. Roşia Montană was the most active mining centre in the Western Carpathians, starting with the Bronze Age, to ancient times, the Middle Ages and down to modern times. Traditional mining, based on family initiatives and small miner associations, was ended by the nationalisation of 1948, and was followed by a form of large-scale industrial mining which came to an end in 2006. The defining features of the site are the galleries, the over ground landscape and the mining fair. Several NGOs have requested international protection for this town in the Western Carpathians, hoping this will prevent the implementation of a controversial gold mining project in the area.




    CETA – The European Union and Canada will hold a summit meeting on Sunday to sign the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the president of the European Council Donald Tusk announced last night. The signing ceremony will take place in Brussels. The deal became possible after it was approved by the Parliament of Wallonia, which had initially opposed it. Bucharest, too, had opposed the free trade agreement with Canada until the latter accepted the gradual lifting in 2017 of travel visa requirements for Romanians. At present Romanians and Bulgarians are the only EU citizens who need visas in order to enter Canada.




    DIPLOMACY – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Lazar Comănescu, and his Ukrainian counterpart, Pavlo Klimkin, are attending today the Taras Sevcenko bust unveiling ceremony, in Sighetu Marmaţiei, near the Romanian-Ukrainian border. Taras Sevcenko is the national poet of Ukraine. The event is organised by the Ukrainian Union in Romania. Lazăr Comănescu has visited today the new consular office of Romania in Slatina, across the river Tisza, which will open on Monday, and had meetings with representatives of the Romanian community in Transcarpathia.

    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)