Radio România Internațional

Tag: visit

  • January 31, 2025 UPDATE 2

    January 31, 2025 UPDATE 2

    Budget – Romania’s draft budget law for 2025 is going through the last stages of debate before the Government approves it in a meeting that is to take place on Saturday. The Finance Minister in the governing coalition (PSD-PNL-UDMR), Tanczos Barna, stated that there is money in the budget for investments in infrastructure, for the payment of salaries and pensions, at the level of November 2024. The budget will be built on a deficit of no more than 7% of the GDP. The funds allocated to the Presidential Administration, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies will decrease and the budgets of some ministries will increase, such as the environment, health, education or transport ministries.

     

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

     

    Rugby – The Romanian national rugby team will make their debut on Friday evening in Bucharest, in a match against Germany, in the 2025 edition of the Rugby Europe Championship. The Romanians will also play against Belgium, on February 8, away from home, in Mons, and against Portugal, on February 15, at home, in Botoşani (northeast). Romania can secure direct qualification for the Rugby World Cup in Australia, if it finishes the championship in one of the first two places of the group. With one exception, Romania has participated in all the world final tournaments.

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

     

  • November 17, 2024 UPDATE

    November 17, 2024 UPDATE

     

    VISIT Preserving the memory of the victims of wars and totalitarianism, as well as of those persecuted for their faith, for the search for justice and freedom, is a duty and a form of justice, said President Klaus Iohannis on Sunday, in the German Federal Parliament, during a ceremony on the Day of Commemoration of the victims of war and dictatorship. He also highlighted the importance of a stronger and more united European Union, adapted to the challenges of the future. Germany, said President Iohannis, will continue to find in Romania a partner deeply committed to European values, ready to work together to strengthen the Union and for freedom and democracy to be protected and accepted both in the EU and globally. During a visit to Berlin between November 15 and 18, president Klaus Iohannis had talks with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier about security and the support that Romania and Germany will continue to give to Ukraine. The agenda of consultations with Chancellor Olaf Scholz also included Romania’s full Schengen accession.

     

     

    EU Romania’s PM Marcel Ciolacu has a working visit to Brussels scheduled for Monday. He will have meetings with NATO’s new secretary general, Mark Rutte, with the president-elect of the European Council, António Costa and with the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. Marcel Ciolacu is accompanied by a governmental delegation which includes the foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu and the defence minister Angel Tîlvăr. The visit to Brussels comes ahead of the start of a new EU institutional cycle, following the elections held this June, and ahead of the endorsement of the new Strategic Agenda for 2024-2029.

     

     

    OBITUARY The former gymnastics coach Bela Karoly died at the age of 82. The cause of death has not been made public, but he was known to have had various health problems over the past few years. Bela Karoly coached the world-famous Nadia Comăneci, who got the first “perfect 10” in the history of the Olympic Games in Montreal, in 1976, followed by further outstanding performances. Karoly fell out of favour with the communist regime when he criticised the arbitration at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. A year later he defected to the US, where he came to coach a number of American gymnasts, some of whom became Olympic or world champions. Karoly and his wife chose to stay away from the public eye, after being targeted by allegations regarding the brutal methods he used in training.

     

     

    FORESTRY CODE Romania’s new Forestry Code, aimed at preventing wood theft, is waiting for the green light from Parliament’s specialist committees before being discussed in the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in this respect. The draft legislation still requires positive reports from the committees on agriculture and legal affairs, after being approved by the committee on environment. Several amendments have been introduced in the process, concerning among other things the planting of green areas around cities, access to all forests on foot or by bicycle and pre-emptive rights to top-quality materials for Romanian furniture producers. The new law will punish theft by seizure of the wood and of the vehicle used in the theft. A National Forestry Council will also be set up, to monitor compliance with ethical and professional standards among forestry staff. The new Forestry Code is a benchmark in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, and the government intends to have it endorsed by December.

     

     

    SAVINGS Nearly three-quarters of Romanians are concerned with price increases, and say they will spend less these holidays, according to an EU-wide survey. Moreover, some economists predict a complicated year ahead and call on people to save money. Apart from simple methods like setting a monthly budget and strictly monitoring expenses, experts have a savings solution for low-income categories as well. The Centre for Banking Dispute Settlement recommends the 52-week method, in which a person saves as much money as the number of the week in question, to reach EUR 277 during a year. Nearly 40% of Romanian consumers plan to spend between EUR 100 and 200 for their Christmas shopping. (AMP)

  • November 17, 2024

    November 17, 2024

    VISIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis, currently on a visit to Germany, has talks today with the president of the Bundestag, after a meeting with the president of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier yesterday in which they discussed security issues and the support Romania and Germany will continue to provide to Ukraine. Klaus Iohannis will give an address today at a ceremony commemorating the victims of war and dictatorship. The Romanian official’s agenda also includes a meeting with the president of the Christian Democratic Union, Friedrich Merz, whose party is seen as the most likely to win the early elections due in February 2025. On Friday, Klaus Iohannis had talks with the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, with whom he discussed Romania’s full Schengen accession, among other topics.

     

     

    EU Romania’s PM Marcel Ciolacu has a working visit to Brussels scheduled for Monday. He will have meetings with NATO’s new secretary general, Mark Rutte, with the president-elect of the European Council, António Costa and with the president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola. Marcel Ciolacu is accompanied by a governmental delegation which includes the foreign minister Luminiţa Odobescu and the defence minister Angel Tîlvăr. The visit to Brussels comes ahead of the start of a new EU institutional cycle, following the elections held this June, and ahead of the endorsement of the new Strategic Agenda for 2024-2029.

     

     

    OBITUARY The former gymnastics coach Bela Karoly died at the age of 82. The cause of death has not been made public, but he was known to have had various health problems over the past few years. Bela Karoly coached the world-famous Nadia Comăneci, who got the first “perfect 10” in the history of the Olympic Games in Montreal, in 1976, followed by further outstanding performances. Karoly fell out of favour with the communist regime when he criticised the arbitration at the 1980 Moscow Olympics. A year later he defected to the US, where he came to coach a number of American gymnasts, some of whom became Olympic or world champions. Karoly and his wife chose to stay away from the public eye, after being targeted by allegations regarding the brutal methods he used in training.

     

     

    MEDICAL SCHOOLS In the university cities of Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca (centre), Târgu Mureş (centre), Craiova (south-west), Iaşi (north-east) and Timişoara (west), residency admission exam take place today, with over 10,000 medical school graduates in Romania sitting. They compete over the 4,961 places and 237 positions available, meaning an average 2 candidates per place and 44 candidates per position. The exam is a multiple-choice test with 200 questions in each sub-field and a duration of 4 hours. Romania has been struggling for years with a major shortage of human resources in the healthcare system. According to the National Statistics Institute, at the end of 2023 Romania had 72,740 physicians, i.e. 357 per 100,000 people. This is below countries like Bulgaria (with 480 physicians per 100,000 people), Germany, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Cyprus, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia, Finland and Sweden.

     

     

    SAVINGS Nearly three-quarters of Romanians are concerned with price increases, and say they will spend less these holidays, according to an EU-wide survey. Moreover, some economists predict a complicated year ahead and call on people to save money. Apart from simple methods like setting a monthly budget and strictly monitoring expenses, experts have a savings solution for low-income categories as well. The Centre for Banking Dispute Settlement recommends the 52-week method, in which a person saves as much money as the number of the week in question, to reach EUR 277 during a year. Nearly 40% of Romanian consumers plan to spend between EUR 100 and 200 for their Christmas shopping.

     

     

    FORESTRY CODE Romania’s new Forestry Code, aimed at preventing wood theft, is waiting for the green light from Parliament’s specialist committees before being discussed in the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in this respect. The draft legislation still requires positive reports from the committees on agriculture and legal affairs, after being approved by the committee on environment. Several amendments have been introduced in the process, concerning among other things the planting of green areas around cities, access to all forests on foot or by bicycle and pre-emptive rights to top-quality materials for Romanian furniture producers. The new law will punish theft by seizure of the wood and of the vehicle used in the theft. A National Forestry Council will also be set up, to monitor compliance with ethical and professional standards among forestry staff. The new Forestry Code is a benchmark in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, and the government intends to have it endorsed by December. (AMP)

  • November 15, 2024

    November 15, 2024

     

    VISIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis is on an official visit to Germany as of today, at the invitation of his counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier. The Romanian official will also have meetings with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the president of the Bundestag. Talks will focus on consolidating the Romanian-German cooperation at political, economic and security level, including on strengthening the deterrence posture on NATO’s Eastern flank and the trans-Atlantic relationship. Other topics include continuing support for Ukraine and for the stabilisation and development of the Republic of Moldova. Germany is Romania’s main trade partner and the second-largest investor in the Romanian economy.

     

    FLOODS The number of Romanian nationals who died in the recent floods in the region of Valencia, Spain, has reached 9. The information has been confirmed by the Romanian foreign ministry. According to a special task force set up by the Spanish government to centralise data on the floods in Valencia on 29 October, of the total number of victims 26 were foreign nationals, and the largest number of these were Romanians. Meanwhile, on Thursday, Spain faced new floods caused by heavy rainfalls. The city of Málaga (south) was flooded, and so were smaller towns and villages on the peninsula. Thousands of people were evacuated.

     

    SALARIES The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis signed into law a bill transposing the EU legislation on minimum wages. PM Marcel Ciolacu announced that as of 1 January 2025, minimum wages in Romania will be increased to approx. EUR 810. Romania has reported the highest increase rate for minimum salaries in the EU in the last 10 years.

     

    MOLDOVA The new Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, as amended following the referendum of 20 October, has been published in the country’s Official Journal. Unde the new act, Radio Chişinău reports, EU integration is a strategic goal of Moldova, and the identity of Moldova’s nation is European. The new Constitution also stipulates that Romanian is the official language of the Republic of Moldova.

     

    CHRISTMAS The Christmas Fair in Sibiu (central Romania), one of the most visited in Eastern Europe, opens on Friday. The Sibiu Fair is the oldest such event in Romania, and receives around 300,000 Romanian and foreign visitors every year. Craiova (south) also opened its Christmas fair today, while similar events in the cities of Braşov (centre) and Oradea (north-west) are scheduled to begin on 29 November.

     

    SHOPPING Nearly three-quarters of Romanians are concerned with price increases, according to the 2024 Holiday Shopping Report, conducted at European level. 72% of the Romanians will have smaller budgets for the winter holidays and plan on cutting down certain types of spending substantially. France reports similar concerns, followed by Spain and Italy. Worried about price rises, energy costs and personal financial pressures, Europeans tend to focus on essential expenses.

     

    FOOTBALL Romania takes on Kosovo on home turf tonight, in the 5th round of the UEFA Nations League. A win secures the top place in the group for Romania, therefore interest in the match is huge. However, the 55,000-seat National Arena will not be filled, as a stadium section will be closed because of a penalty ruled against Romania in the game against Lithuania on 9 September. Romania’s last match in the group is against Cyprus, on Monday, 18 November. (AMP)

  • November 14, 2024 UPDATE

    November 14, 2024 UPDATE

    VISIT – The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, will pay an official visit to Germany from Friday to Monday, in response to an invitation extended by his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. According to the Presidential Administration in Bucharest, the agenda of the visit includes official talks between the two heads of state and meetings between president Iohannis and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as well as the president of the Bundestag (the lower house in the German Parliament), Barbel Bas. On Sunday, president Iohannis is expected to give a speech at the Federal Parliament on the sidelines of a solemn ceremony devoted to the Day of Commemoration of the victims of war and dictatorship. According to official statistics, Germany is Romania’s top trade partner and the second-largest investor in Romanian economy. The two countries are allies in NATO and partners in the European Union. An ethnic German, Iohannis next month will conclude his second and last term as president. The first round of the presidential election is scheduled for November 24, while the second round will take place on December 8. The parliamentary election has been slated for December 1, the National Day of Romania.

     

    SALARIES – The law raising the minimum wage to half of the average earnings in the country has been ratified and will come into effect on January 1, 2025. The increases will be operated according to a formula based on clear economic indicators, and in a first stage, the amount of the minimum gross salary will be approximately 800 EUR, according to a government-employer-union agreement. This is an increase between 47 and 52% of the average gross earnings at national level, according to a formula developed by specialists from the Ministry of Labor, based on criteria such as purchasing power, wage growth rate and labor productivity at national level. 1,8 million people are expected to benefit from these wage increases.

     

    GDP GROWTH – Romania’s gross domestic product did not change in the third quarter of this year, compared to the previous quarter, and it went down by 0.2% compared to the same quarter in 2023, according to data published on Thursday by the National Statistics Institute. In its latest “World Economic Outlook” report, the International Monetary Fund has downgraded to 1.9% its forecast on the Romanian economy this year, from 2.8% in April. In September, the National Strategy and Forecast Commission revised the economic growth projection for this year, from 3.4% previously to 2.8%.

     

    F-35 – As a decision-making body, the Bucharest Senate approved the draft law regarding Romania’s purchase of 32 F-35 fighter jets from the USA. The F-35 aircraft has very advanced technological performance features, the STEALTH one in particular, which ensures a reduced radar signature. The 32 F-35 planes would gradually replace, starting from 2030, the second-hand F-16 planes bought by Romania in the last decade. Later, Bucharest would buy another 16 F-35 planes, with the final goal being to constitute 3 complete squadrons of fighter planes. According to the American company Lockheed Martin, more than 1,060 F-35s have been built so far and have accumulated more than 940,000 flight hours. More than 2,600 pilots and 17,000 technicians have already been trained in the world. 19 countries, most of them NATO members, are involved in the program.

     

    FLOODS – The October 29 devastating floods in southeastern Spain killed at least 26 people of foreign nationality, including 9 Romanians, according to an official report published on Thursday, AFP reports. The Data Integration Center, a body established after the floods of October 29, which allows the authorities to collect information about victims in the Valencia region, announced that there were a total of 216 fatalities, 190 of Spanish nationality, and the rest foreign citizens from 11 different countries. In Spain, the areas of Valencia (south-east) and Malaga (south) were affected by a code red alert against heavy rain these days. The rivers overflowed and several localities were flooded. Over 4,000 people were evacuated in Malaga. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent, heavy rains were also reported in the south of Catalonia, the north of the Castellón region, the Balearic Islands and the Granada area.

     

    MOLDOVA – The new Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, amended by the October 20 referendum, was published on Wednesday in the Official Gazette of Chișinău. In its new form, the Fundamental Law of the Republic of Moldova provides that integration into the European Union is a strategic objective of the country, the European course is irreversible, and the identity of the people of the Republic of Moldova is European, Radio Chișinău reports. The new version of the Constitution also includes the fact that Romanian is the official state language in the Republic of Moldova. The October 20 referendum passed with a fragile majority: 50.38% of the voters said “Yes” to amending the Constitution to include the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the EU, and the difference compared to the “No” option was 11,400 votes.

     

    TENNIS – Romania lost 2-1 to Japan in the first round of the Billie Jean King Cup final tournament in a match hosted by Malaga on Thursday. In the first match, Ana Bogdan won 6-2, 6-4 to Nao Hibino. Ena Shibahara then defeated Jaqueline Cristian 6-4, 7-6. In the doubles match, Monica Niculescu and Gabriela Ruse lost to Shuko Aoyama and Eri Hozumi. Japan will play Italy in the quarterfinals. This is the first time Romania has qualified to the final tournament of the Billie Jean King Cup. (VP)

  • The Romanian PM pays visit to London

    The Romanian PM pays visit to London

    The Romanian Prime Minister made a working visit to the UK.

     

    On Tuesday and Wednesday, Marcel Ciolacu paid the first visit by a Romanian prime minister to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in the last 17 years. It was an occasion to discuss with his British counterpart, Keir Starmer, about bilateral economic cooperation, energy, security, including in the Black Sea area, as well as about the good collaboration between the intelligence services of the two states. The importance of the Romanian community in Great Britain was not overlooked . Marcel Ciolacu: ʺThe Romanian community is very respected by the British authorities and it is normal that we started to have some accords regarding the import of traditional products, which are very much needed by the Romanian community. We had talks on renewable energy and green energy, even on nuclear energy, but also on fact that we need security in the Black Sea. We have a very good relation in the field of ​​intelligence, as the Prime Minister said, which will continue. Somehow, Britain is in the middle between Eastern NATO and Western NATO, so that we understand the strategic importance of Great Britain within NATO.ʺ

     

    The agenda of the Romanian PM’s visit to London also included an Economic Forum, during which were presented the sectors of interest for the British investors, in the Romanian economy. The forum was opened by the Lord Mayor of the City of London, Alastair King. In his message, he pointed out that Romania is an important dynamic market, where both the Britons and the Romanians can learn and have mutual benefits. Energy, infrastructure development projects, defense and the food industry were topics of the Romanian-British Economic Forum.

     

    We must be much more efficient in terms of British investments in Romania, in parallel with reducing the number of Romanians leaving the country, Prime Minister Ciolacu also said. ʺI wish that today we succeed together in convincing more and more managers of the British companies that Romania is a very good country for investments. This way, we have a win-win relationship: you find new opportunities for development in Romania, and we keep our workforce at home and grow the local economy.ʺ

     

    At a meeting with representatives of the Romanian community in London, Marcel Ciolacu told them that the state understands that it must come up with medium-term programs for those who want to return to the country. This year, for the first time, more Romanians have returned to Romania than those who left, the prime minister said.

  • November 12, 2024 UPDATE

    November 12, 2024 UPDATE

     

    VISIT Romania’s PM Marcel Ciolacu is on official visit to the UK on Tuesday and Wednesday, where he has meetings with the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, and the Lord Mayor of London, Alastair King. According to a Government press release, PM Marcel Ciolacu will also attend the Romania-UK Economic Forum, and will meet with members of the Romanian community. “The government is interested in consolidating the Strategic Partnership with the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, in all fields of bilateral interest, responding to changing challenges and opportunities. The Romanian community in the UK is big, and fostering the rights of our compatriots is a key pillar of bilateral cooperation”, PM Marcel Ciolacu said. This is the first visit of a Romanian Prime Minister to the UK in 17 years.

     

    EC Roxana Mînzatu, nominated by Romania for European commissioner, said during her interview by the European Parliament’s specialist committees that Europeans will face many challenges in the coming years, and they need to be prepared for this, which is the first pillar of her programme. The second pillar, which she described as a key one, concerns quality jobs. The third element of her term in office is social justice. Roxana Mînzatu, nominated for executive vice-president of the EC for people, skills and preparedness, has been interviewed by the members of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs and the Committee on Culture and Education. Roxana Mînzatu, 44, was a state secretary with the Ministry for European Funds in March-September 2015. In 2016-2020, she was a member of the Romanian Parliament, and in 2019 she also served as Minister for European Funds. In June this year she was also elected MEP, backed by the Social Democratic Party. Roxana Mînzatu has a Bachelor’s degree in political sciences and a Master’s degree in European integration.

     

    ELECTION Some 200 postal votes for the parliamentary and presidential election in Romania have already arrived from Romanians living abroad and will be counted together with the other votes, the chairman of the Permanent Election Authority (AEP), Toni Greblă, has said. 6,650 citizens have requested to vote by post and must send their options no later than two days before the start of the vote in the country. The first round of the presidential election is slated for November 24, the second round for December 8, while the parliamentary election will take place on December 1.

     

     

    INFLATION The annual inflation rate climbed from 4.62% in September to 4.67% in October, the National Statistics Institute reports. Food prices went up by 4.75%, while prices for non-food products also increased by 3.45%. Service prices also went up 7.66%. The National Bank of Romania has adjusted its inflation estimate for the end of 2024, from 4% previously to 4.9%. The Bank expects the inflation rate to go down to 3.5% at the end of 2025, according to a report made public by Governor Mugur Isărescu this Monday. On the other hand, Romania’s trade deficit went up 15% in the first 9 months of 2024, reaching some EUR 23.5 bln, the National Statistics Institute reports. Exports have exceeded EUR 69 bln, a 1.4% drop, while imports totaled nearly EUR 93 bln, accounting for a 2.3% increase.

     

    GOTECH WORLD Officials and representatives of the business sector took part in the opening of GoTech World 2024, an event hosted by Bucharest over November 12-13. This year’s edition of B2B Expo brings together over 120 experts from the sector and nearly 100 exhibitors. Organizers expect a turnover of some 15,000 guests. GoTech World (previously known as Internet & Mobile World) is the biggest conference and expo in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as a regional hub for digital economy, providing professionals in the region with access to B2B tech solutions, insights into various digital fields and networking opportunities. (VP, AMP)

  • November 9, 2024 UPDATE

    November 9, 2024 UPDATE

     

    FLOODS The Romanian foreign ministry announced that, according to information from the Spanish authorities, two other Romanian citizens initially reported missing following the floods in Valencia have been found dead. The ministry sends its condolences to the bereaved families. According to the ministry, following the devastating floods in Spain, four Romanian nationals have died and seven are still missing. The embassy of Romania in Madrid and the consular office in Castellon de la Plana continued to check public information regarding the death of several Romanian citizens in the recent floods in the region of Valencia, but so far no confirmations have been received from the Spanish authorities.

     

    VISIT The Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu will visit the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on November 12 and 13. He will have a meeting with his British counterpart, Keir Starmer, and will participate in the Romania-UK Economic Forum, the Romanian government announced. The government spokesperson Mihai Constantin explained that, ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to London, the Romanian government approved a memorandum that updates the Convention between the two countries in the field of taxation and prevention of tax evasion. According to Constantin, the new document takes into account the changes made in the Romanian legislation during the year 2023, as well as those related to Romania’s goal of joining the OECD. The leader of the Social Democratic Party (in power in Romania as part of a coalition with the National Liberal Party), Ciolacu is running for the presidency of Romania this month, on behalf of his party.

     

    UKRAINE The EU foreign policy coordinator, Josep Borrell, assured Ukraine of Europe’s unwavering support on Saturday in Kyiv. The European Union has already provided EUR 122 billion in military and financial support to Ukraine and has trained about 60,000 Ukrainian soldiers, Josep Borrell said, adding that the bloc aimed to reach 75,000 by the end of winter. Josep Borrell, whose term in office ends in December, announced that EU defence ministers will meet next week to discuss continued military and diplomatic support for Ukraine, and will call for “increased support at this critical time”. European leaders, convened in Budapest recently, called on US President-elect Donald Trump to maintain support for Ukraine, to avoid trade wars and preserve global order.

     

    SCHENGEN A meeting attended by Austria, Romania and Bulgaria will be organised in Budapest, Hungary on November 22, when Vienna might give up its opposition to the full accession of the two countries to the Schengen Area, Austrian media announced. The accession decision could be announced on December 12, at the upcoming Justice and Internal Affairs Council. The Austrian minister of the interior, Gerhard Kärtner, confirmed participation in the meeting with his Romanian and Bulgarian counterparts, and said discussions with both countries are ongoing. He reiterated that the essential condition for Romania’s and Bulgaria’s full Schengen accession remains the effective protection of external borders and, if necessary, controls at internal borders. According to Austrian media, the change in attitude is due to the decrease in migration in the Balkans and in the number of asylum applications in Austria.

     

    STRIKE The Romanian foreign ministry warns Romanian citizens who are in Italy or transiting or planning to travel to that country that on November 12 a 4-hour national strike will be organised by airport staff, between 1 PM and 5 PM. The strike will affect Rome’s Fiumicino International Airport, as well as the Pescara, Naples and Perugia airports. In this context, flight delays or cancellations are possible. Romanian citizens can request consular assistance at the telephone numbers of the Embassy of Romania in Italy, with calls being forwarded to the Contact and Support Center for Romanian Citizens Abroad (CCSCRS) and answered by Call Center operators around the clock.

     

    TOURISTS Over 300 American and Canadian tourists arrive this weekend in Constanța Port at the Black Sea, on board two cruise ships, the National Maritime Port Agency announced on Saturday. The 2 vessels are Viking Kadlin, with 178 American and Canadian passengers on board, and the River Adagio, with another 144 American tourists. “The tourist programme will include trips in the Danube Delta, wine tasting sessions in Murfatlar, walks in the old center of the city of Constanţa and in Mamaia,” the agency explained.

     

    UKRAINE Drones launched by the Russian invasion army hit Odessa, the largest Ukrainian port city at the Black Sea, where they killed one person and wounded 13, including two children, the regional governor Oleh Kiper said on Saturday, according to international news agencies. Residential buildings, private homes, shops and dozens of cars were damaged. Russia launched 51 drones, focusing on Odessa and the surrounding region, the Ukrainian air forces announced, claiming to have shot down 32 enemy aircraft.

     

    GAZA The Gaza Strip Civil Defence Saturday announced the death of 14 people, killed in 2 Israeli strikes, one on “a school”, the other in a camp of “tents for displaced persons”. A rocket fire on the Fahad al-Sabah school in Gaza City, turned into an emergency accommodation centre like most schools in the Strip, left “5 dead, including children, and 22 wounded”. The other Israeli airstrike targeted “tents for displaced people in Khan Younis” and resulted in “9 dead and 11 wounded”. The Israeli army fighting the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza Strip, said it had struck 50 terrorist targets in the last 24 hours in Gaza and Lebanon, where it says it plans to eliminate the Hezbollah Shia Islamists. Sources endorsed by the UN claim that more than 43,500 Palestinians have been killed since the start of the war in Gaza on October 7, 2023. (AMP)

  • November 9, 2024

    November 9, 2024

     

    FLOODS The Romanian foreign ministry announced that, according to information from the Spanish authorities, two other Romanian citizens initially reported missing following the floods in Valencia have been found dead. The ministry sends its condolences to the bereaved families. According to the ministry, following the devastating floods in Spain, four Romanian nationals have died and seven are still missing. The embassy of Romania in Madrid and the consular office in Castellon de la Plana continued to check public information regarding the death of several Romanian citizens in the recent floods in the region of Valencia, but so far no confirmations have been received from the Spanish authorities.

     

    VISIT The Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu will visit the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland on November 12 and 13. He will have a meeting with his British counterpart, Keir Starmer, and will participate in the Romania-UK Economic Forum, the Romanian government announced. The government spokesperson Mihai Constantin explained that, ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to London, the Romanian government approved a memorandum that updates the Convention between the two countries in the field of taxation and prevention of tax evasion. According to Constantin, the new document takes into account the changes made in the Romanian legislation during the year 2023, as well as those related to Romania’s goal of joining the OECD. The leader of the Social Democratic Party (in power in Romania as part of a coalition with the National Liberal Party), Ciolacu is running for the presidency of Romania this month, on behalf of his party.

     

    SCHENGEN A meeting attended by Austria, Romania and Bulgaria will be organised in Budapest, Hungary on November 22, when Vienna might give up its opposition to the full accession of the two countries to the Schengen Area, Austrian media announced. The accession decision could be announced on December 12, at the upcoming Justice and Internal Affairs Council. The Austrian minister of the interior, Gerhard Kärtner, confirmed participation in the meeting with his Romanian and Bulgarian counterparts, and said discussions with both countries are ongoing. He reiterated that the essential condition for Romania’s and Bulgaria’s full Schengen accession remains the effective protection of external borders and, if necessary, controls at internal borders. According to Austrian media, the change in attitude is due to the decrease in migration in the Balkans and in the number of asylum applications in Austria.

     

    STRIKE The Romanian foreign ministry warns Romanian citizens who are in Italy or transiting or planning to travel to that country that on November 12 a 4-hour national strike will be organised by airport staff, between 1 PM and 5 PM. The strike will affect Rome’s Fiumicino International Airport, as well as the Pescara, Naples and Perugia airports. In this context, flight delays or cancellations are possible. Romanian citizens can request consular assistance at the telephone numbers of the Embassy of Romania in Italy, with calls being forwarded to the Contact and Support Center for Romanian Citizens Abroad (CCSCRS) and answered by Call Center operators around the clock.

     

    RUGBY Romania’s national rugby team plays in Bucharest today against Tonga, in their first test match this month. Romania (20th place in the world ranking) and Tonga (16th place) have met in 5 games so far, with Romania winning twice. The last time the two teams were face to face was last year, at the World Cup in France, when the Pacific team won 45-24. As part of their preparation for the 2027 World Cup qualifiers in Australia, Romania will also play at home against Canada on November 16 and Uruguay on the 23rd. In order to reach the final tournament, Romania must rank among the top two teams in Group B, i.e. win two of the three games it has to play: against Germany (February 1/2, 2025, in Bucharest), Belgium (February 8/9, away from home) or Portugal (February 15/16, again in Bucharest). Romania has taken part in all Rugby World Cup finals so far, except for the 2019 edition, when it was disqualified because it had used a naturalised Tongan player, who did not have the right to play.

     

    TENNIS The Romanian tennis player Irina Begu qualified for the semifinals of the WTA 125 tournament in Cali (Colombia), after defeating Australia’s Tina Smith, 6-1, 6-3. Begu (102 WTA), seed no. 2, won after an hour and 12 minutes against a younger and lower ranked opponent (322 WTA). The Romanian won USD 8,000 and 81 WTA points. Begu, who defeated her compatriot Anca Todoni in the quarter-finals, will play the final against the winner of the match between Hungarian Panna Udvardy (146 WTA) and the Slovenian Veronika Erjavec (199 WTA). (AMP)

  • November 5, 2024 UPDATE

    November 5, 2024 UPDATE

    Visit – The European commissioner for agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, is paying an official visit to Romania on Wednesday, the EC announced in a statement. The commissioner will participate in the conference themed “Multi-sectoral Pact for an Integrated Agricultural Policy of Romania – objective 2035”. At the same time, the official is a special guest in the EU-Romania Interactive Dialogue on the Future of Agriculture. According to the press release, the commissioner will talk about the perspectives of European farmers in the context of environmental and geo-political challenges and of the EU enlargement. At the same time, he will have an intervention in the plenary session, with the theme “Vision and action for the sustainable transformation of agriculture”. Janusz Wojciechowski was quoted as saying that ‘First of all, it will be an opportunity to thank Romanian farmers for their vital contribution to food security, both in Europe and outside it. In recent years, farmers in Romania have shown remarkable resilience, passing well through a pandemic, through economic recessions and through the energy crisis, besides climate-related challenges,” said commissioner Wojciechowski.

     

    Commissioner – Roxana Mînzatu, proposed for the position of European Commissioner from Romania, received a favorable opinion, on Tuesday, in the specialized commissions of the Romanian Parliament. At the hearings, she stated that the “People, Competences and Training” portfolio, which she will handle, accounts for almost 20% of the EU’s multiannual budget. She mentioned that, as executive vice-president of the European Commission, she will also coordinate the area of ​​preparation for emergency situations. Roxana Mînzatu will be one of the six vice-presidents of the future European Commission, led by Ursula von der Leyen.  Mînzatu aims to make the teaching career more attractive, in a Europe where at least 24 states are facing a crisis of teachers and, at the same time, she wants to improve the Erasmus+ program, considered far too expensive by many Romanian students. On November 12, Roxana Mînzatu will be heard in the specialized commissions of the European Parliament.

     

    IMF – The International Monetary Fund representatives started, on Tuesday, technical talks with the Romanian authorities to analyze the economic and financial developments of Romania in the last period. The delegation will have meetings in particular at the Central Bank and the Finance Ministry. The officials will discuss the evolution of inflation and the economy, the balance of payments, public debt and budget deficit, monetary and fiscal policy. Although Romania currently does not have an agreement with the Fund, the financial institution annually evaluates the country’s economy and makes recommendations. The IMF mission in Romania will end on Friday.

     

    Spain – The Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE) announced on Tuesday that, according to the information sent by the Spanish authorities, so far, two Romanian citizens have died and seven are reported missing, following the meteorological phenomena that affected Spain. The MAE also informs that the representatives of the Romanian Embassy in Madrid and the Romanian Consulate in Castellon de la Plana remain in permanent contact with the competent Spanish authorities regarding the Romanians affected by the recent meteorological phenomena. At the same time, Romanian citizens can request assistance from the Romanian consulates in the main Spanish cities – the MAE also announced. In Spain, the Madrid government has declared a state of natural disaster in the affected areas and has pledged to cover all the urgent expenses of the affected municipalities. A first emergency plan worth 10.6 billion Euros was adopted, with direct aid and fiscal facilities for citizens and 30,000 companies.

     

    Meeting – The Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu had a meeting in Bucharest on Tuesday with a delegation of Japanese investors from the fields of energy, research and technology, industry, infrastructure and banking. The head of the executive appreciated the level of bilateral relations, developed on the basis of the Strategic Partnership. He emphasized Romania’s role as a factor of stability in Europe and in the region, as well as the geostrategic, economic and political advantages that qualify it as a destination for investors. The Japanese delegation expressed its interest in strengthening financial support for Romania in projects in the fields of transport infrastructure, energy, digitization and high technology. Previously, during a bilateral Energy Forum that took place in Bucharest, the Romanian Energy Ministry and the Japanese company Itochu Corporation signed a Memorandum of Understanding for the development of the Tarnița-Lăpuștești investment (in central Romania). It is a project of strategic importance for balancing the energy system in Romania, necessary in the context of increasing the share of energy from renewable sources. (LS)

  • November 4, 2024

    November 4, 2024

    Visit – The Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu is paying a working visit to France today, where he will meet with his counterpart, Michel Barnier, as well as representatives of the Romanian community in the Paris region. The visit begins at the Euronaval Exhibition, the largest and oldest exhibition in the world dedicated to the naval defense industry, which opened its doors this morning near Paris. This year’s edition of the exhibition, featuring over 500 exhibitors from around the world, is dedicated to naval security and enhancing combat capabilities, in a tense geopolitical context where the industry needs to provide rapid solutions to military Navies involved in conflicts and for protecting sensitive areas. France is one of Romania’s most important trade partners and investors. The relationship between the two countries has consistently strengthened in recent years, including in the political and defense areas, thanks to the strategic partnership and France’s commitment to its role as the framework nation of NATO’s multinational battle group in Romania, following the war of aggression Russia started against Ukraine.

     

    Floods – The Romanian Foreign Ministry is verifying, through the Romanian Embassy in Madrid and the Romanian Consulate in Castellon de la Plana, the information regarding four Romanian citizens who are reported missing following the recent weather phenomena in Spain. The rest of the individuals previously reported as missing are safe. The Valencia region, located in southeastern Spain, has been hit by devastating floods described by experts as “unprecedented,” which killed at least 217 people, including one Romanian. Dozens of others remain missing. The Spanish press also wrote on a Romanian family that lost their lives in the floods in La Torre, a district near Valencia. The ministry stated in a press release that the representatives of the diplomatic mission and the consulate office remain in constant contact with the Spanish authorities, and mobile consular teams have kept in contact with the Romanian citizens, depending on their requests.

     

    Moldova – The incumbent president of the Republic of Moldova (an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population), the pro-European Maia Sandu, has won a second term in office after defeating the pro-Moscow candidate Alexandr Stoianoglo in the decisive round of presidential election held on Sunday. According to data provided by the Central Electoral Commission in Chișinău, Sandu received over 55% of the votes. She thanked the Moldovan citizens living in the Diaspora for voting for her in large numbers. The voter turnout in the diaspora, including in neighboring Romania, is considered historic, being the highest in the last 30 years. Over 320,000 Moldovan citizens voted abroad on Sunday, compared to nearly 240,000 in the first round of voting. The voter turnout in the second round of elections in the Republic of Moldova was 54.31%.

     

    Strike – A token strike was announced by the employees of the National Archives in Romania, the first in the 192-year history of this institution. The archivists from the 42 branches across Romania are unhappy that their salaries are much lower than those from the institution’s central structures. There are differences of 2,000 lei (500 Euros) between employees with the same skills and duties, say the trade unionists. Moreover, they want to warn the authorities that funds are needed to improve the conditions in which the documents, some of which are of inestimable value, are kept. Today’s token strike could turn into an all-out strike on November 11, if the authorities do not come up with an answer to the employees’ demands.

     

    Campaign – During this period, the campaigns for the presidential and parliamentary elections are being held simultaneously in Romania. On November 24, the first round of the presidential election will take place, on December 1 – the voting for the appointment of deputies and senators, and on December 8 – the second round of the presidential election. In the electoral campaign for the parliamentary elections, the parties, alliances or independents must convince the electorate to vote for them in order to win as many of the 466 seats of senators or deputies as possible. On the other hand, 10 candidates proposed by political parties and 4 independents are competing to become president of the country.

     

    US election – The Democratic candidate Kamala Harris and the Republican Donald Trump remain in a tight race in the seven swing states ahead of the US presidential election, according to the final New York Times/Siena College poll. The opinion poll shows that Vice President Harris has minimal advantages in Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin and the former President Trump in Arizona. According to the survey of 7,879 likely voters conducted in the seven states between October 24 and November 2, the two are very close in Michigan, Georgia and Pennsylvania. In all seven states, the results were within the poll’s 3.5% margin of error. About 40% of respondents have already voted and Kamala Harris leads by 8% among them, while Donald Trump leads among those who say they are very likely to vote but have not yet, the poll shows. Both candidates participated in campaign events at the end of the week in the swing states.

     

    Searches – 130 searches are taking place today in Bucharest and in six counties in the south of Romania, in a file regarding non-compliance with the arms and ammunition regime, qualified smuggling and drug trafficking. Also, 60 people, including the gallery leader of a football club and a singer, are brought to hearings. According to the judicial source, the investigations revealed that a foreign citizen of Turkish origin organized, together with several Romanians, a criminal group specialized in the procurement and sale of lethal firearms, without identification markings, made from components produced in Turkey. These weapons, known as ghost guns, are illegal in all European states. The traffickers brought them into Romania by road, hidden in goods transport vehicles or in the component parts of cars and they were sold through intermediaries to violent clans or individuals. So far, almost 50 such weapons have been confiscated. (LS)

  • October 23, 2024 UPDATE

    October 23, 2024 UPDATE

    PODGORICA During his formal visit to Montenegro on Wednesday, at the invitation of his counterpart Jakov Milatovic, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis reiterated Romania’s staunch support for the EU enlargement process with the partners in the Western Balkans and the candidates from the eastern vicinity. The head of the Romanian state said that Montenegro had taken major steps in the negotiation process, its attachment to European values being also visible in its complete alignment with the EU’s common security and foreign policy. At the bilateral level, the two officials have reconfirmed the common readiness to contribute to boosting economic and sectorial cooperation, which may better reflect the potential of the political relations. The two sides have agreed to support a stronger presence of the Romanian companies in Montenegro, an increased number of contracts at the level of the business environment, particularly at the level of the small and medium size enterprises, supported by an effective and periodical dialogue between the authorities. The two officials have also underlined the interest in developing cooperation in various fields with a view to bringing tangible benefits for citizens, such as defence, internal affairs, tourism, energy and agriculture. President Milatovic thanked Romania for supporting Montenegro in its EU integration process and appreciated the visit, the first formal one, by a Romanian president since the country got its independence, which is a strong sign of friendship and partnership between the two countries.

     

    BUDGET MEPs are proposing a budget of roughly 201 billion euros for 2025. According to the project voted on Wednesday by the European Parliament, the budget will be focusing on research, healthcare, education and climate. The formula proposed by Parliament, a higher budget, which benefits the countries with lower contributions to the European budget, like Romania, which benefits from the fund distribution through the programmes of the EU policies. According to MEP Victor Negrescu, one of the two negotiators of the Legislature, who will join the final negotiation between Parliament and the Council, it is the support offered by the European Parliament to the programme devoted to border protection as well as the coordination of the social security system, which would allow the European Diaspora, including the Romanian one to easily transfer their rights and social benefits, including pensions, from one state to another.

     

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

     

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

    (bill)

  • October 23, 2024

    October 23, 2024

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

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

     

  • October 22, 2024 UPDATE

    October 22, 2024 UPDATE

    Montenegro – Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis, will pay an official visit to Montenegro on Wednesday, at the invitation of his counterpart Jakov Milatovic. Talks between the two presidents will focus on political-diplomatic and defense cooperation, support for Montenegro’s European path and the main regional and global security challenges. As regards the sectoral areas of cooperation, opportunities for increasing investments and commercial exchanges and boosting contacts in the fields of energy, tourism, agriculture, internal affairs, research, education and culture will be addressed.

     

    Salaries – The Chamber of Deputies adopted, on Tuesday, as a decision-making body, a draft law that ensures a new mechanism for establishing the level of the minimum wage, according to the provisions of a European directive in the field. Employees have access to minimum wage protection, in the form of a legal minimum wage or in the form of decent wages and working conditions established under collective labor contracts, collective agreements or other written agreements. According to the bill, the gross minimum basic salary per country guaranteed in payment is established annually by Government decision and is applied from January 1 of the following year, with periodic updating once a year, after consultations with the representative trade union and employer confederations at the national level. The minimum gross basic salary per country guaranteed, in payment, established by Government decision can be granted to an employee for a maximum period of 24 months, from the date of conclusion of the individual employment contract.

     

    IMF – The International Monetary Fund has revised downwards the estimates regarding the growth of the Romanian economy this year, from 2.8% as forecast in April, shows the latest report published on Tuesday by the international financial institution. According to the IMF, after an increase of 2.1% last year, the advance of the Romanian economy will slow down to 1.9% this year, and will accelerate up to 3.3% in 2025. The institution also expects a continuation of the worsening of Romania’s current account deficit, up to 7.5% of the GDP this year. As regards inflation, the IMF forecasts that Romania will register an average annual price increase of 5.3% this year, followed by a 3.6% increase in 2025. As for the unemployment rate, the IMF estimates that it will remain stable, to 5.6% this year and to 5.4% next year.

     

    Moldova – The Romanian Foreign Ministry hails the organization by the Chisinau authorities, at high democratic standards, of the presidential election and the constitutional referendum of October 20 in the Republic of Moldova. The entry into the second round of the election, with a solid score, of the candidate with the most authentic and deep pro-European commitment, President Maia Sandu, as well as the result of the constitutional referendum, proves, despite the challenges, the citizens’ attachment to the European, democratic future of the Republic of Moldova”, reads a press release. Maia Sandu won the first round of the election and will face the candidate of the Socialist Party, Alexandr Stoianoglo, in the 2nd round. The referendum on the country’s EU accession passed with a difference of less than 12,000 votes. The EU and the White House welcomed the election results, while Moscow, accused of meddling in the election process, denied its interference and said that the elections had not been free.

     

    Loan – The European Parliament approved, on Tuesday, a loan of up to 35 billion Euros to Ukraine, which will be financed from the profits generated by the Russian assets frozen in Europe, AFP reports. The sum represents the EU’s contribution to the assistance package worth almost 45 billion Euros, agreed upon in June by the world’s major economies, gathered in the G7 group. The US, Canada, Great Britain and Japan are yet to decide to what extent they will participate in this loan. According to AFP, Russian assets worth around 280 billion Euros were frozen in the EU following the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

     

    Visit – The Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, is paying a working visit to Turkey, in Istanbul, between October 22-24, at the invitation of his counterpart, Yaşar Guler. The two officials will have a bilateral meeting, during which they will discuss the results recorded since the implementation of the MCM Black Sea project and the necessary steps to follow in the creation of the military mobility corridor between Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey, according to the Letter of Intent signed last week at Meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels. On the sidelines of the visit, minister Angel Tîlvăr had a meeting with Haluk Gorgun, the president of the Defense Industry Agency (SSB) and participated in the SAHA EXPO 2024 International Defense and Aerospace Exhibition, a reference event in the field of defense and the aerospace industry organized at the Center Exhibition in Yeşilkoy, Istanbul.

  • September 5, 2024 UPDATE

    September 5, 2024 UPDATE

    VISIT Romania supports Israel’s right to self-defence – Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said during the meeting he had on Thursday with the head of the Israeli government, Benjamin Netanyahu. According to Radio Romania correspondent, Ciolacu voiced concern regarding the security situation and the danger of regional escalation. The Romanian Prime Minister paid a working visit in Israel where he was accompanied by the Ministers of Defence, Foreign Affairs and Economy. It was the second visit, Ciolacu paid to Israel since October 17th last year, ten days after Israel had been attacked by the Islamist group Hamas.

     

    DONATION The Romanian president Klaus Iohannis on Thursday promulgated a law on donating a US surface-to-air Patriot missile system to third parties. The law, which was earlier endorsed by Parliament, refers to the donation, agreed upon with the US partner, of such a system to the neighboring Ukraine, a country currently invaded by the Russian troops. The new law enables the Romanian government to commence the required moves aimed at rebuilding the country’s ground-based air-defence capabilities by submitting the contracts on the purchase of another Patriot missile system to the US government.

     

    TOURISM The total number of tourists who got accommodation in Romania’s travel structures in the first seven months of this year stood at 7.666 million, 3.8% higher than the same period in 2023, data released by the National Institute for Statistics shows. According to official statistics, between January 1 and July 31 2024, Romanian tourists accounted for 82.9 % out of the total number of arrivals, whereas the number of foreign tourists stood at 17.1%. The cities with the largest number of visitors were Bucharest, Constanta in the south-east and Brasov in central Romania. Most of the foreign tourists came from Germany (128,900), Italy (117,800) and Israel (83,100). 81.1 % of the foreign tourists came from EU countries.

     

    MOLDOVA Moldova’s EU accession process would make good progress next year during Poland’s term at the helm of the EU Council, Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk said during his Wednesday’s visit to Chișinău. The Polish official met his Moldovan counterpart, Dorin Recean, and held a speech in Parliament in Romanian, boycotted by the pro-Russian opposition. Donald Tusk then met the president of Moldova, Maia Sandu, who argued that Poland is a clear example of how EU integration can transform a country. The presidents of Romania and Baltic States also paid visits to Chișinău last week to express support for Moldova’s EU accession efforts. In October, the Republic of Moldova will host a referendum regarding the country’s EU accession, jointly with the presidential election.

     

    FOOTBALL Romania’s national football team is playing its debut match in the 2024-2025 season of Nations League on Friday. In the first group fixture, Romania will play Kosovo away from home, while on September 9 it will take on Lithuania at home. Romania’s group, C2, also includes Cyprus. The top position ensures direct promotion to League 2 in the next season of Nations League, while teams in second place will play promotion playoffs. Teams in last place will be directly relegated to League D, while teams in third position will play in C2 the next season. Nations League standings also impact the European preliminary matches for the 2026 World Cup. Romania’s new headcoach is Mircea Lucescu, who returns to the national squad after 40 years. We recall Edward Iordănescu resigned at the end of EURO 2024, a tournament where Romania reached the round of 16.

    (bill)