Radio România Internațional

Tag: Visa waiver Canada

  • December 2, 2017 UPDATE

    December 2, 2017 UPDATE

    Messages on December 1 — Romania received messages of congratulations from abroad on the occasion of its national day marked on December 1. The Moldovan PM Pavel Filip thanked Romania for the permanent and unconditional support granted to the neighboring Republic of Moldova, with a majority Romanian-speaking population. He underscored that during 2017 the two countries’ relations of friendship and cooperation deepened. The American Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated that Washington was thankful to Bucharest for their strategic partnership and their cooperation in fulfilling the common goals of prosperity, security and democracy. Romania also received congratulations from the Republican congressman Michael Turner who thanked Bucharest on behalf of the Friendship Group for Romania within the American Congress, for the permanent cooperation in consolidating the two countries’ 137 year-old-relation. Republican Senator John McCain, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, congratulated Romania in an Internet post. He said that Romania made remarkable progress in strengthening democracy and that it was a model in the region and in the world for the efforts in fighting corruption. Romania’s National Day was marked both in the country and abroad. In Bucharest the focus of the National Day was the military parade which involved the participation of as many as 3,500 military and experts with the National Defense Ministry, the Interior Ministry and the Romanian Intelligence Service with more than 350 military equipment, of which 50 airplanes, as well as soldiers from several allied or partner countries.



    Holiday — Romanians have been on holiday since November 30th, a national holiday when Saint Andrew was also celebrated, followed by December 1, Romania’s National Day. For this extended weekend most Romanians have chosen local destinations, their favorites being the resorts on the Prahova Valley, the Southern Carpathians, Bukovina in the north as well as the spa resorts. Those who remained in Bucharest could enjoy, on Friday evening, the start of the winter celebrations marked by the switching on of the festive street lighting, whose theme was inspired this year by the Romanian traditions. Over 3 million Christmas lights adorn the capital, the festive lighting system covering 33 kms. A Christmas Fair was also inaugurated in downtown Bucharest, to last until December 27. The Fair displays Romanian traditional food products in more than 100 stalls and also a skating rink. Many Romanian artists will perform as part of the Christmas Fair celebrations in Bucharest.



    Fire — The Romanian Foreign Ministry officials inform that the Romanian citizens who were in the building that caught fire on Friday in the German town of Bergkamen (northwest) are safe and sound. The Foreign Ministry through Romania’ General Consulate in Bonn continues to monitor the case and keeps in permanent contact with both the Romanian citizens affected by the fire and the local authorities that opened an investigation. According to the Presidential Administration, the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis expects the investigation to urgently shed light on the circumstances of the fire. Over 30 people who inhaled smoke were taken to hospital, but they were subsequently discharged.



    Handball — Romania’s women’s handball team on Saturday defeated 29-17 the team of Paraguay in their debut match at the World Women’s Handball Championship hosted by Germany until December 17th. On Sunday the Romanian handballers will take on the team of Slovenia. Romania will play in Group A alongside France, Spain, Slovenia, Angola and Paraguay. Of the 4 groups, the first 4 teams of each group will go to the eighth finals. In the previous World Championship of 2015 Romania won the bronze medal, being the only team to have participated in all the 22 editions of the championship held so far.



    Visa waiver — The Romanian citizens can travel without visas to Canada, as of December 1, for stays of 6 months at the most, for tourist purposes, based on a valid passport. Also as of December 1 they can find online the application for obtaining the Electronic Travel Authorization, eTA, which they need in case they travel to Canada by plane. This authorization can only be obtained online and it is compulsory for all foreign citizens who don’t need a visa for Canada. Those who travel to Canada by sea or land need just a valid passport.



    Weightlifting — The Romanian athlete Loredana Toma has won three gold medals in the 63 kg bodyweight category at the World Weightlifting Championship in Anaheim, California. Toma won in the Snatch defeating Maude Charron of Canada and Lina Marcela Rivas Ordonez of Columbia. In the Clean and Jerk the Romanian came first, being followed by the Thai athlete Rattanawan Wamalun and Lina Marcela Rivas Ordonez (Columbia). In the overall classification Loredana Toma is gold medal winner, silver went to Lina Marcela Rivas Ordonez of Columbia and bronze to another Columbian, Mercedes Isabel Perez Tigrero. At the 2011 World Weightlifting Championship Romanian Roxana Cocoş won bronze in the Clean and Jerk.



    Moscow — The delegation of the Romanian Orthodox Church headed by Patriarch Daniel was received Saturday by Patriarch Kiril of Moscow and of entire Russia, according to basilica.ro. Patriarch Daniel will be in Moscow between 2nd and 5th of December on the occasion of the festivities marking 100 years since the re-establishment of the Patriarchate institution within the Russian Orthodox Church.



    Chisinau — Several thousand people participated Saturday in Chisinau, the Republic of Moldova, in the Union March, dedicated to the anniversary of 99 years since the Great Union of the Romanian Principalities on December 1, 1918. The march started in downtown Chisinau and ended at the former building of the Country Council where on March 27, 1918 the union of Bessarabia with Romania was voted for. (news translated by Lacramioara Simion)

  • December 2, 2017

    December 2, 2017

    Messages on December 1 — Romania received messages of congratulations from abroad on the occasion of its national day marked on December 1. The Moldovan PM Pavel Filip thanked Romania for the permanent and unconditional support granted to the neighboring Republic of Moldova, with a majority Romanian-speaking population. He underscored that during 2017 the two countries’ relations of friendship and cooperation deepened. The American Secretary of State Rex Tillerson stated that Washington was thankful to Bucharest for their strategic partnership and their cooperation in fulfilling the common goals of prosperity, security and democracy. Romania also received congratulations from the Republican congressman Michael Turner who thanked Bucharest on behalf of the Friendship Group for Romania within the American Congress, for the permanent cooperation in consolidating the two countries’ 137 year-old-relation. Republican Senator John McCain, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, congratulated Romania in an Internet post. He said that Romania made remarkable progress in strengthening democracy and that it was a model in the region and in the world for the efforts in fighting corruption. Romania’s National Day was marked both in the country and abroad. In Bucharest the focus of the National Day was the military parade which involved the participation of as many as 3,500 military and experts with the National Defense Ministry, the Interior Ministry and the Romanian Intelligence Service with more than 350 military equipment, of which 50 airplanes, as well as soldiers from several allied or partner countries.



    Holiday — Romanians have been on holiday since November 30th, a national holiday when Saint Andrew was also celebrated, followed by December 1, Romania’s National Day. For this extended weekend most Romanians have chosen local destinations, their favorites being the resorts on the Prahova Valley, the Southern Carpathians, Bukovina in the north as well as the spa resorts. Those who remained in Bucharest could enjoy, on Friday evening, the start of the winter celebrations marked by the switching on of the festive street lighting, whose theme was inspired this year by the Romanian traditions. Over 3 million Christmas lights adorn the capital, the festive lighting system covering 33 kms. A Christmas Fair was also inaugurated in downtown Bucharest, to last until December 27. The Fair displays Romanian traditional food products in more than 100 stalls and also a skating rink. Many Romanian artists will perform as part of the Christmas Fair celebrations in Bucharest.



    Fire — The Romanian Foreign Ministry officials inform that the Romanian citizens who were in the building that caught fire on Friday in the German town of Bergkamen (northwest) are safe and sound. The Foreign Ministry through Romania’ General Consulate in Bonn continues to monitor the case and keeps in permanent contact with both the Romanian citizens affected by the fire and the local authorities that opened an investigation. According to the Presidential Administration, the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis expects the investigation to urgently shed light on the circumstances of the fire. Over 30 people who inhaled smoke were taken to hospital, but they were subsequently discharged.



    Handball — Romania’s women’s handball team will take on today the team of Paraguay in their debut match at the World Women’s Handball Championship hosted by Germany until December 17th. Romania will play in Group A alongside France, Spain, Slovenia, Angola and Paraguay. Of the 4 groups, the first 4 teams of each group will go to the eighth finals. In the previous World Championship of 2015 Romania won the bronze medal, being the only team to have participated in all the 22 editions of the championship held so far.



    Visa waiver — The Romanian citizens can travel without visas to Canada, as of December 1, for stays of 6 months at the most, for tourist purposes, based on a valid passport. Also as of December 1 they can find online the application for obtaining the Electronic Travel Authorization, eTA, which they need in case they travel to Canada by plane. This authorization can only be obtained online and it is compulsory for all foreign citizens who don’t need a visa for Canada. Those who travel to Canada by sea or land need just a valid passport. (news translated by Lacramioara Simion)

  • December 1, 2017

    December 1, 2017

    Romania’s National Day — As many as 3,500 military and experts with the National Defense Ministry, the Interior Ministry and the Romanian Intelligence Service with more than 350 military equipment, of which 50 airplanes, as well as soldiers from several allied or partner countries have participated today, December 1, in the military parade held in Bucharest on the occasion of Romania’s National Day. The over 300 foreign military come from Bulgaria, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Republic of Moldova, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, the US, Turkey and Ukraine. Also in Bucharest, a military and religious ceremony took place, when wreaths of flowers were laid at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Romania’s national day was also marked in the theaters of operations where Romanian soldiers have been deployed. In Kandahar, Afghanistan, a military and religious ceremony was held and 15 Romanian soldiers in Afghanistan were promoted to a higher rank on the occasion of the national day and another 20 received distinctions from their American partners. Romania’s National Day is also celebrated abroad through cultural events organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute representations in cooperation with Romania’s diplomatic missions. December 1 became Romania’s National Day after the December 1989 anti-Communist revolution and it marks the completion, at the end of WWI, in 1918, of the process of creating the Romanian unitary nation state, when all the provinces included in the neighboring multinational empires, with a majority Romanian-speaking population, came under the authority of Bucharest.



    Messages on December 1 — In a video message on Romania’s National Day the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said that, ahead of Romania celebrating 100 years since the great union of 1918, Romanians have the opportunity to think of what their country would look like in the future. He underlined that only together, involved and determined, Romanians would manage to build a strong and respected country in Europe and the world. In turn, PM Mihai Tudose said that the centenary of the Great Union represented Romanians’ commitment to redefining the national values. The speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Liviu Dragnea, said that Romania should have an ideal, that of a sovereign and prosperous country, respected in the world, while the speaker of the Senate, Calin Popescu Tariceanu said that we are currently experiencing a period when the rights and freedoms of citizens are threatened, a period when it seems that Romanians cannot decide their future on their own. He expressed his conviction that Romanians would overcome these difficulties as they have done in the past 25 years. On Romania’s National Day, the Royal Family of Romania wished the Romanian people happy anniversary and paid homage to the Romanian nation that made great sacrifices to achieve the great union.



    Visa waiver — The European Commission has hailed Canada’s decision to lift visa requirements, as of December 1, for all Romanian and Bulgarian citizens. According to the Commission representatives, this decision is the result of intense diplomatic efforts and of permanent negotiations at political and technical level between the EU, Canada and Romania and Bulgaria. The citizens of the two countries will be able to travel without visas to Canada, as of December 1, for stays of 6 months at the most, for tourist purposes, based on a valid passport. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, those who intend to travel to Canada by plane have to obtain previously, online, an Electronic Travel Authorization, eTA. Those who travel to Canada by sea or land need just a valid passport.



    Handball — From December 1st to 17th Germany will be hosting the World Women’s Handball Championship. Romania will play in Group A alongside France, Spain, Slovenia, Angola and Paraguay. In the debut match on December 2, the Romanian handballers will take on the team of Paraguay. Of the 4 groups, the first 4 teams of each group will go to the eighth finals. In the previous World Championship of 2015 Romania won the bronze medal, being the only team to have participated in all the 22 editions of the championship held so far. Romania’s handball team is now being trained by Spanish Ambros Martin.



    Brussels — The European Parliament on Thursday passed, in Brussels, the EU budget for 2018, whose rapporteur was the Romanian MEP Siegfrid Mureşan. The EU budget amounts to 160 billion euros. According to Siegfrid Mureşan, the EU allotted for the first time in the annual budget for 2018, 4.9 million euros for fighting disinformation and fake news. He added that the EU would finance, in 2018, a pilot project worth 12 million euros for providing at least 30 thousand free train tickets for the young people of member states who turn 18 in 2018 and who want to visit other EU states. The EU budget provides for an increase in allocations for investments, jobs for the youth, research, innovation, and security as well as in allocations for states in the eastern neighborhood, including the Republic of Moldova. The total value of structural and cohesion funds stands at 46 billion euros, higher by 54% as compared to the 30 billion allotted in 2017. (translated by Lacramioara Simion)