Radio România Internațional

Tag: visit

April 26, 2023 UPDATE

Schengen — The migration situation in the EU, especially border protection and the perspective of Romanias Schengen accession were examined, on Wednesday, in Bucharest, by the Romanian and Austrian interior ministers, Lucian Bode and Gerhard Karner. The latter stated that Austria could not provide a definite date for Romanias accession to Schengen. The Austrian official repeated the same figures with which he motivated the vote against Romanias accession to the free travel area: last year, over 110,000 people entered Austria illegally, of whom over 80,000 were unregistered, with the border protection system being still non-functional. He told Romanians that he had a “deep understanding” of their expectations, that the authorities had made progress in securing the borders and managing migration, but that there was still a “long way to go”. In turn, minister Lucian Bode said that it was unnatural for Romania to only have obligations and not to benefit from the rights it is entitled to. We remind you that, at the end of last year, at the JHA Council, Romania was not admitted to the Schengen area, due to the opposition of Austria and the Netherlands. The Austrians voted against, and the Dutch decided to accept Romanias accession, but not Bulgarias, the two countries being analyzed on a common file. At the same time, Croatia received the green light to join Schengen.

Bucharest–9 – The Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, co-chaired, on Wednesday, together with his Polish counterpart, Mariusz Blaszczak, a new meeting of the defense ministers in the Bucharest 9 Format, held in Warsaw, Poland. According to a Romanian Defense Ministry press release, the activity represents an opportunity for harmonizing the positions of the B9 states on the eastern flank of the Alliance in order to promote and reflect common security interests on the allied agenda, including in the perspective of the NATO Summit due in Vilnius this summer. Also, the participants in the meeting approached aspects regarding the current security challenges generated by the latest developments of the war in Ukraine and the regional and Euro-Atlantic consequences, as well as the need to continue supporting the most vulnerable partners in the region, subject to hybrid threats from Russia, namely the Republic of Moldova, Georgia, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Gopo – The Gopo Awards Gala – the most important event dedicated to cinematography in Romania – awarded, on Tuesday evening, the best films in the industry released in cinemas or on View on Demand platforms in 2022. The film “Metronome” won the biggest number of prizes, and the audience award went to the film “Teambuilding”. The Gopo Awards Gala ceremony was also marked by special moments, such as the 100th birthday anniversary of the renowned filmmaker Ion Popescu Gopo. Ion Popescu Gopo (1923-1989) established himself, through his artistic creations, as a great personality of Romanian cinema, winning, in 1957, the “Palme dor” award at the Cannes International Film Festival.

Debates — The debate on the draft Education Laws was resumed in the Education Committee of the Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest on Wednesday. They were scheduled to end on Thursday, but the deadline could be extended. The vote in the plenum could be delayed by one week, due to the large number of amendments submitted. These days, the document aimed at pre-university education is being analyzed. The Social Democrats (in the governing coalition) proposed a series of amendments with a budgetary impact, among which the granting of disability pensions in the case of the teaching staff that lost their ability to work as a result of an occupational disease. Instead, an amendment by the opposition Save Romania Union – USR regarding teachers pay was rejected by vote.

Drills — At the Capu Midia shooting range, in Constanța county (south-east), live fire exercises took place on Wednesday – “EAGLE SHIELD” and “EAGLE ROYAL”, led by the French soldiers from the NATO Battle Group stationed in Romania. Soldiers from Romania, the US, Luxembourg and the Netherlands also participated in the two training exercises, the objective being the joint training of the allied troops. The exercises focus on capitalizing on and practicing anti-aircraft defense capabilities through combat firing with rocket launcher systems and anti-aircraft artillery guns against aerial targets. After the launch of the Russian invasion in neighboring Ukraine, on February 24, 2022, France deployed a MAMBA air defense system at Capu Midia, which can launch medium-range surface-to-air missiles that can hit targets at a distance of up to 100 km.

Eurostat — The average electricity prices for household consumers in the EU continued to rise significantly in the second half of 2022, as compared to the same period in 2021, from 23.5 Euros/100 kWh to 28.4 Euros/100 kWh — show data published on Wednesday by the European Statistical Office (Eurostat). Romania is the EU member state with the most significant advance, in the national currency (112%), followed by the Czech Republic, Denmark, Lithuania and Latvia. The average prices for natural gas for household consumers in the EU also increased in the second semester of 2022, as compared to the similar period in 2021, from 7.8 Euros/100 kWh to 11.4 Euros/100 kWh. The most significant advance, expressed in the national currency, was in the Czech Republic (231%), Romania (165%), Latvia (157%), Lithuania (112%) and Belgium (102%).

Handball — Romania’s national mens handball team was defeated, on Wednesday, in Bucharest score 30-35, by the Austrian national team, in its penultimate match in the 4^th group of the EHF EURO 2024 preliminaries in Germany. In the decisive round, Romania will face Ukraine on Sunday, and if they win, they can reach the final tournament in Germany scheduled for January 2024. In the group ranking, the Austrians are on first place (10 points) being followed by the Romanians (four points). The Faroe Islands and Ukraine have two points each. The top two teams in each group qualify for the final tournament. Besides them, the best four teams on the 3^rd places will go to the European Championship. Romania’s national team last participated in a European Championship in 1996. (LS)

26 April 2023
April 25, 2023

VISIT The
president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, is on an official visit to Argentina
today, the last stage of his south-American tour which also included Brazil and
Chile. He will be received by his Argentinian counterpart, Alberto Fernandez. President
Iohannis will affirm Romania’s willingness to work with Argentina in promoting shared
foreign policy goals, including the two countries’ position on Russia’s war of
aggression against Ukraine, and on its consequences at various levels. The
talks will also touch on the need to work together to mitigate the negative
effects of the pandemic on sustainable development, the challenges and
opportunities of cooperation in various regional formats, the importance of
consolidating democracy in Latin America and of strengthening the bi-regional
partnership with the EU. The two leaders will also discuss concrete avenues to
consolidate and broaden cooperation in key sectors such as energy, trade, IT&C,
cyber security, agriculture, education, the environment, emergency situations
and maritime security. A memorandum of agreement will be signed on this
occasion between the Department for Emergency Situations within the Romanian
Interior Ministry and the White Helmets, the Argentinian agency in charge of international
cooperation and humanitarian assistance. A bilateral cooperation document will
also be signed in the field of agriculture research. This visit by president Iohannis
in Argentina is the first at this level in 30 years.

FILM Bucharest is
hosting today the Gopo Awards Gala, celebrating the Romanian film industry achievements
this past year. The 17th edition of the even brings together over 900
Romanian film personalities. The nominations for the best fiction feature
include ‘Metronome’, ‘Immaculate’, ‘Men of Deeds’, ‘Miracle’, ‘Blue Moon’, ‘You
Are Ceauşescu to Me’. Alina Grigorei (‘Blue Moon’), Monica Stan and George
Chiper-Lillemark (‘Immaculate’), Alexandru Belc (‘Metronome’), Bogdan George
Apetri (‘Miracle’) and Paul Negoescu (‘Men of Deeds’) are nominated for best
director. The audience award, granted to the Romanian production with the best
box office performance, will go this year to ‘Teambuilding’, directed by Matei
Dima, Cosmin Nedelcu and Alex Coteţ. Actor Mircea Andreescu and actress Ioana
Crăciunescu will receive Gopo lifetime achievement awards.

SANCTIONS A political agreement on sanctions against actors
that work to destabilise the constitutional order in the Republic of Moldova
was adopted in Luxembourg on Monday by the EU foreign ministers. The Romanian
diplomacy chief, Bogdan Aurescu, emphasised that any measure designed to
improve security in the neighbouring Republic of Moldova would also benefit
Romania. Bucharest, he added, is already working with the authorities in Chişinău
on a first list of people to be subject to these sanctions.

MIGRANTS
Austria’s interior minister, Gerhard Karner, will be on an official visit to
Romania on Wednesday for bilateral talks with his Romanian counterpart Lucian
Bode, the Austrian mass media report. The main topic of discussion will be
migration in the EU, with a focus on fighting migrant smuggling and asylum
abuses, as well as protecting the EU borders. Last year the Austrian official
opposed Romania’s and Bulgaria’s Schengen accession, on grounds that Romania was
on the Balkan illegal migration route. The allegation was denied at the time by
the Romanian government and by EU institutions, including the EUROPOL.

TENNIS Two
Romanian players, Ana Bogdan and Sorana Cirstea, are playing today in the first
round of the WTA 1000 tournament in Madrid. Another Romanian Irina Begu (seed
no 31), will play straight in the second round, against the winner of the match
pitting Anett Kontaveit (Estonia) against Karolina Muchova (the Czech Republic).
Also in Madrid, Jaqueline Cristian will take on Sloane Stephens (US), while Gabriela
Ruse faces Leolia Jeanjean (France) today, in the last qualifier round of the
Madrid tournament. (AMP)

25 April 2023
April 23, 2023 UPDATE

VISIT The international community has a
duty to support Ukraine, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis and his Chilean
counterpart Gabriel Boric said in Santiago de
Chile. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent, president Boric condemned
the war and expressed his country’s solidarity with Ukraine. Mr. Iohannis announced that the first Romanian language department in Latin
America will be established this year at Universidad de Chile. During the
visit, a memorandum was signed concerning cooperation in emergency situations,
such as earthquakes and wildfires. Previously, president Iohannis was in
Brazil, and the last stage of his south-American tour is Argentina.

SPENDING Romanian authorities are looking at a plan to
reduce public spending, which will be endorsed by the government in an
emergency order next week, after the
measures have been approved in a meeting of the ruling coalition made up of the
Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of
Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. Both the Liberal PM Nicolae Ciucă and the Social
Democratic finance minister, Adrian Câciu, promised that salaries and
investments would not be cut, nor would additional taxes and charges be
introduced. In the last government meeting, held a few days ago, PM Ciucă called
on large-scale taxpayers to meet their obligations to the budget, and urged fiscal
authorities to ensure tax collection.

REFUGEES Nearly 266,000 Romanian and foreign
citizens Saturday crossed in and out of Romania, the border police announced.
According to a news release issued on Sunday, out of the over 112,000 people
who entered Romania, 8,784 were Ukrainian nationals. Since February
10, 2022, two weeks before the start of the Russian invasion of that country,
more than 4 million Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania. Most of them
transited the country en route to Western Europe,
but over 100,000 have chosen to stay here. The government of Romania decided
that private citizens that host Ukrainian refugees will only be refunded
accommodation and meal expenses until the end of this month. As of May 1, the
people coming into Romania from Ukraine will receive directly a fixed amount to
cover immediate accommodation and food expenses for 4 months. The money will be
paid from the funds of emergency inspectorates. After this 4-month period,
financial aid will only be provided for accommodation, until the end of this
year, and the refugees are encouraged to enrol with Romanian employment
agencies in order to benefit from the same rights and benefits as Romanian
nationals.

EDUCATION Trade unions in the public education sector intend to step
up protests primarily concerning staff salaries, after the Government announced
plans to cut down budget spending, including a freeze on salaries and hiring in
the public sector. Major trade union federations in the sector threaten that
the current school year might be ended sooner than scheduled, as they are
considering an all-out strike as of May 22. Next Tuesday and Wednesday, they
will be picketing the government headquarters, and on May 10 a protest rally is
scheduled in Bucharest. The education minister, Ligia Deca, said she was
confident solutions would be found to avoid a strike.

HOLIDAY Christians Sunday celebrated St. George, who is also
the patron saint of the Romanian Land Forces. According to tradition, St.
George was a high-ranking soldier in the Roman Army under Emperor Diocletian, who
was tortured and sentenced to death for refusing to recant his Christian faith.
St George is one of the most venerated saints in Christianity, and a large
number of settlements have claimed him as a patron saint. Over 1 million
Romanians bear his name.

COIN The National Bank of Romania Monday releases a celebratory
silver coin on the occasion of the 90th birthday anniversary of the
great poet Nichita Stănescu. The coins will be accompanied by authenticity
certificates and presentation leaflets in Romanian, English and French. The 5,000
coins will be sold for EUR 90 per piece.

SPORTS The Romanian athlete Denis Florin Mihai won the
bronze in the 55 kg Greco-Roman wrestling category at the European championships
held in Zagreb, Croatia, after defeating Bulgaria’s Stefan Hristov Grigorov. Before
the last day of the competition, Romania had won a total of 5 medals, including
2 gold ones, for Andreea Beatrice Ana, in the 55 kg and Alexandra Nicoleta
Anghel in the 72 kg categories, and 3 bronze ones, won by Cătălina Axente in
the 76 kilo, Kriszta Tunde Incze in the 65 kg category, and Denis Florin Mihai.
At the previous edition, hosted by Budapest, Hungary, Romania won 4 medals, including
one gold (Andreea Ana – 55 kg), one silver (Nicu Ojog – 97 kg Greco-Roman), and
two bronze (Alina Vuc -55 kg and Kriszta Incze – 65 kg). (AMP)

23 April 2023
April 23, 2023

VISIT The international community has a
duty to support Ukraine, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis and his Chilean
counterpart Gabriel Boric said in Santiago de
Chile. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent, president Boric condemned
the war and expressed his country’s solidarity with Ukraine. Mr. Iohannis announced that the first Romanian language chair in Latin
America will be established this year at Universidad de Chile. During the
visit, a memorandum was signed concerning cooperation in emergency situations,
such as earthquakes and wildfires. Previously, president Iohannis was in
Brazil, and from Chile he is next to go to Argentina.

SPENDING Romanian authorities are looking at a plan to
reduce public spending, which will be endorsed by the government in an
emergency order next week, after the
measures have been approved in a meeting of the ruling coalition made up of the
Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of
Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. Both the Liberal PM Nicolae Ciucă and the Social
Democratic finance minister, Adrian Câciu, promised that salaries and
investments would not be cut, nor would additional taxes and charges be
introduced. In the last government meeting, held a few days ago, PM Ciucă called
on large-scale taxpayers to meet their obligations to the budget, and urged fiscal
authorities to ensure tax collection.

REFUGEES Nearly 266,000 Romanian and foreign
citizens Saturday crossed in and out of Romania, the border police announced.
According to a news release issued on Sunday, out of the over 112,000 people
who entered Romania, 8,784 were Ukrainian nationals. Since February
10, 2022, two weeks before the start of the Russian invasion of that country,
more than 4 million Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania. Most of them
transited the country en route to Western Europe,
but over 100,000 have chosen to stay here. The government of Romania decided
that private citizens that host Ukrainian refugees will only be refunded
accommodation and meal expenses until the end of this month. As of May 1, the
people coming into Romania from Ukraine will receive directly a fixed amount to
cover immediate accommodation and food expenses for 4 months. The money will be
paid from the funds of emergency inspectorates. After this 4-month period,
financial aid will only be provided for accommodation, until the end of this
year, and the refugees are encouraged to enrol with Romanian employment
agencies in order to benefit from the same rights and benefits as Romanian
nationals.

HOLIDAY Christians are celebrating St. George today, who is
also the patron saint of the Romanian Land Forces. According to tradition, St.
George was a high-ranking soldier in the Roman Army under Emperor Diocletian, who
was tortured and sentenced to death for refusing to recant his Christian faith.
St George is one of the most venerated saints in Christianity, and a large
number of settlements have claimed him as a patron saint. Over 1 million
Romanians bear his name.

SPORTS The Romanian athlete Denis Florin Mihai won the
bronze in the 55 kg Greco-Roman wrestling category at the European championships
held in Zagreb, Croatia, after defeating Bulgaria’s Stefan Hristov Grigorov. Before
the last day of the competition, Romania had won a total of 5 medals, including
2 gold ones, for Andreea Beatrice Ana, in the 55 kg and Alexandra Nicoleta
Anghel in the 72 kg categories, and 3 bronze ones, won by Cătălina Axente in
the 76 kilo, Kriszta Tunde Incze in the 65 kg category, and Denis Florin Mihai.
At the previous edition, hosted by Budapest, Hungary, Romania won 4 medals, including
one gold (Andreea Ana – 55 kg), one silver (Nicu Ojog – 97 kg Greco-Roman), and
two bronze (Alina Vuc -55 kg and Kriszta Incze – 65 kg). (AMP)

23 April 2023
April 19, 2023

VISIT The president of Romania
Klaus Iohannis is carrying on his visit to Brazil today. He travels to Rio
de Janeiro, where he has meetings scheduled with the deputy governor and the deputy
mayor of the city, and will pay tribute to the World War II heroes. On Monday, Mr.
Iohannis met with his counterpart Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The two officials
signed a joint statement on the development of bilateral relations. Klaus
Iohannis assured his counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, of Romania’s
support for advancing the EU – Brazil agenda through projects designed to
benefit citizens. This is the first stage of the Romanian president’s
south-American tour, which also includes Chile and Argentina. The goal is to rekindle
the top-level dialogue with these countries and to present Romania’s position,
as an EU and NATO member, with respect to the war launched by Russia in
neighbouring Ukraine.

AGRICULTURE A
simple motion tabled by the opposition against the agriculture minister Petre
Daea has been dismissed in the Chamber of Deputies today. The motion was
discussed in parliament on Tuesday. The initiators argued that
Daea
was directly responsible for the steep rise in the prices of basic foodstuffs, for
the poor handling of the swine fever and avian influenza crises, and also for
the failure to secure EU funding for the Romanian farmers affected by the grain
imports from Ukraine. The agriculture minister said none of the allegations
were based on actual figures. On the other hand, he is set to discuss with his
Ukrainian counterpart Mykola Solskyi today, about the situation created by the duty-free
Ukrainian grain imports to the EU. Last week, Poland and Hungary, followed by
Slovakia, announced a temporary ban on these imports. Poland also suspended
grain transit on its territory, but following talks between the two parties an
agreement was reached on Tuesday to resume transit, provided that the grains
are not sold in that country. Hungary also announced that Ukrainian grain
shipments would be sealed and monitored while on Hungarian territory. In
Bucharest, the Social Democratic Party intends to persuade the ruling coalition
to temporarily suspend these imports, in order to protect Romanian farmers, in
the absence of sufficient compensation from the European Commission. Brussels
on the other hand finds the measure unacceptable and has called for coordinated
decisions, while promising a new aid package for the affected farmers.

ART Since the
start of the Timisoara – 2023 European Capital of Culture programme this
February, over 12,000 Romanian and foreign art lovers have visited the National
Art Museum in Timişoara, western Romania, to see the first retrospective
exhibition devoted to Victor Brauner. Probably no other exhibition in the
history of the museum has attracted so many visitors as ‘Victor Brauner: Inventions
and magic did in only two months, the museum director Filip Petcu said on
Monday. Some 100 works, including paintings, drawings, sketches, etchings and
documents by the Romanian surrealist artist are on display in Timişoara. Of
these, 40 are on loan from the Pompidou Centre in Paris, while others have been
made available by Saint-Etienne Metropole, Musee Cantini Marseilles and other
museums or private collections in Romania and abroad.

FINANCE One of
the indicators taken into account by Fitch Agency when improving Bucharest’s
long-term issuer default rating was the adjustment of expenditure to revenues, the
mayor Nicuşor Dan announced on Wednesday. In a Facebook post, he says that the
municipality’s efforts to achieve financial stability are beginning to yield
fruit, given that Fitch has improved Bucharest’s standalone credit profile from
‘BBB+’ to ‘A’, a class higher than the national rating, which means a good
capacity to meet financial obligations. On April 15, Fitch Ratings reconfirmed
Bucharest’s ‘BBB-‘ ratings for long-term foreign and local currency debt and
upgraded the outlook from negative to stable. Last month Fitch had also
reconfirmed Romania’s BBB-/F3 rating for long and short-term foreign currency
debt and upgraded the outlook from negative to stable. With a population of approx.
2.16 million, Bucharest accounts for over 30% of
Romania’s economy, and its local wealth level is more than four times the
national average.

USA
Fox News, the TV channel of choice of US Conservatives, has agreed to pay USD
787.5 million to the voting technology company Dominion, after a last-minute
settlement to avoid a lawsuit concerning its coverage of the 2020 presidential
elections, France Presse reports. Dominion had originally claimed USD 1.6 bln.
The settlement saves the pearl of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire from what the New
York Times described as the defamation trial of the century. The lawsuit was generally
viewed in the US as a test for the limits of the freedom of expression
guaranteed by the First Amendment of the US Constitution, and of the fight
against misinformation. (AMP)

19 April 2023
April 14, 2023 UPDATE

Visit — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will pay official visits to Brazil, Chile and Argentina from April 18 to 26, the Presidential Administration announced on Friday. According to the aforementioned source, these visits are meant to re-launch the high-level dialogue with the Latin American states and to revitalize bilateral relations at political, diplomatic, and sectoral levels, being intended to open new opportunities for collaboration in areas of high interest, including in relation to the common response to a series of global challenges. The Presidential Administration shows that the Romanian president will highlight in all official discussions the unprecedented security challenges that Romania must manage at the national level and, together with its partners, at the European and Euro-Atlantic levels, given the complexity of the current global context.

Space – The European Space Agency’s Juice probe blasted off, on Friday, on a mission to Jupiter to discover whether Jupiters moons are capable of hosting extraterrestrial life, France Press reports. The spacecraft was launched on an Ariane 5 rocket from Europes spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. “Juice is the most complex probe ever sent to Jupiter,” emphasized ESAs Director General, Josef Aschbacher. It has ten scientific instruments on board (optical camera, imaging spectrometer, radar, altimeter, magnetometer and many more). The probe is also equipped with huge solar panels, measuring 85 square meters – the size of a basketball court – to maintain power in an environment where the Suns light is 25 times weaker than on Earth.

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

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

14 April 2023
April 6, 2023

Protests — On Friday, the Romanian farmers are organizing protests in several counties and in Bucharest, dissatisfied with the solution found by the European Commission to the problems and serious imbalances facing the Romanian agri-food sector, against the background of market distortions caused by the armed conflict in Ukraine. According to the farmers, the total elimination, since the middle of last year, of customs duties on all goods from Ukraine has exported the effects of the war, commercially speaking, to the neighboring countries, creating an involuntary dumping effect, as it has stimulated Ukrainian farmers to sell cheaper. The representatives of the Romanian farmers point out that this measure has not helped and will not help the Ukrainians to resume their production cycle. Instead, it has strongly disrupted the market in Romania.

Beijing – The head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the French President Emmanuel Macron are discussing today, in Beijing, with the Chinese President, Xi Jinping, especially about Chinas role in finding a peace solution in Ukraine. The two are trying to convince the Chinese leader to exert his influence on Russia to end the war. Shortly after arriving in Beijing, Emmanuel Macron expressed concern about growing tensions between China and the West, and Ursula von der Leyen adopted a tougher stance, warning that the future relations between China and the EU will be influenced by how Beijing will approach the war in Ukraine. For the moment, Western allies only see an ever-closer economic rapprochement between China and Russia. The issue was on the agenda of the meeting of the NATO foreign ministers on Wednesday, who expressed concern about the Chinese-Russian partnership, which threatens Ukraine. In response, NATO decided to close ranks with its partners in the South Pacific. The NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg announced that the leaders of Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand are also invited to the summer summit of the Alliance in Vilnius, in which the Ukrainian president will also participate.

Gaudeamus – The Gaudeamus Radio Romania Book Fair, organized for the 22nd time in the heart of Transylvania, in the city of Cluj, takes place from Thursday until Sunday. The event is hosted in 14 exhibition pavilions, including over 60 stands that bring together the offer of numerous publishing houses, Romanian and foreign book distributors, producers and distributors of music and games. The virtual stands of the participants can be found on www.gaudeamus.ro, in the online version of the fair, so that the editorial novelties, special offers and surprises prepared by the participants are also accessible to book lovers who cannot visit the fair. More than 30 book launches and presentation sessions are organized, numerous book-prize contests, as well as the “Miss Reading” contest – one of the highlights of the Gaudeamus Fairs for over 15 years.

Codes – The Romanian Chamber of Deputies adopted the draft laws that regulate the criminal and criminal procedure codes in the form drafted by the Ministry of Justice, without any amendment. Thus, they gave up the setting of a value threshold from which criminal sanctions are applied for abuse and negligence in office, as the senators had decided. Also, they kept the possibility of using phone tapping made by specialized services as evidence in the case of several crimes, including tax evasion and corruption. The Chamber of Deputies is a decision-making body in this case.

NATO – On Friday, the NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană will visit the South-East Multinational Brigade from Craiova (southern Romania), whose Command has the mission to ensure the command and control of a NATO operation of the Article 5 type – Collective Defense, contributing, in this way, to the consolidation of the South-Eastern flank of the Alliance, to the security of the territory and the population of the member states. The NATO official made this announcement in an interview given to AGERPRES news agency, in Brussels, after the conclusion of the meeting of foreign ministers from the allied states, which took place on Tuesday and Wednesday. Mircea Geoana spoke in the interview about the expansion of the North Atlantic Alliance and the relationship with the partner countries, as well as about the agenda of his mandate as NATO Deputy Secretary General, which was extended until October 2024. Mircea Geoana also referred to the war in Ukraine. In his opinion, the Kremlin leadership has been using the nuclear rhetoric in the most unprofessional and irresponsible way, even before the start of the war in Ukraine.

Visit – The former president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, is visiting Bucharest today. He will be received by president Klaus Iohannis and will be granted the title of Doctor Honoris Causa by the Academy of Economic Studies (ASE). The event takes place in the context of the manifestations organized by the higher education institution, on the occasion of the 110th anniversary of its establishment on April 6. Jean-Claude Juncker was the President of the European Commission from 2014 to 2019.

6 April 2023
April 2, 2023

NATO – Romania will promote the strengthening of the transatlantic relationship and the strategic partnership between NATO and the EU, says President Klaus Iohannis, in the context of the 74-year anniversary of the establishment of the North Atlantic Alliance and NATO Day in Romania marked on April 2. “We will remain involved in allied missions and commitments, and strengthening the national defense capacity will continue to be a priority for Romania, including by allocating, starting this year, 2.5% of the GDP for Defense”, said the Romanian president, according to a communiqué issued by the Presidential Administration. “Europe is facing the worst security crisis since the Second World War, and in the face of these challenges, our countrys membership to the Euro-Atlantic community of values is all the more relevant”, the Romania foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu also said. He recalled that in the 19 years since Romania became a member of NATO, the Romanian diplomacy has demonstrated its ability to fulfill its obligations based on this fundamental role. “We are constantly and significantly contributing to the consolidation of Romanias position within NATO and to its reputation as a provider of security and stability. We are engaged in complying with our commitments to allies and partners and, equally, we support the strengthening of our military capabilities, in the transatlantic relationship and in the allied solidarity”, said Bogdan Aurescu.

Visit – Two European commissioners are coming to Romania early next week for the launch of national programs financed under the EU cohesion policy. The European Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights, Nicolas Schmit, and Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira will meet on Monday, in Bucharest, with Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, with the Minister of European Projects, Marcel Boloş, and with the Labour Minister, Marius Budai, after which they will go to Iaşi (northeast) and Vaslui (east). The two European officials will also visit a center for Ukrainian refugees.

Palm Sunday — The Roman Catholic Christians are celebrating today Palm Sunday or Jesus Christ’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. This marks the entry into the Holy Week, the last until Easter. In the Roman Catholic Church, the day of Palm Sunday also marks Youth Day, when public processions with flowers and branches are organized in memory of the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, almost 2,000 years ago. Such a procession is also organized in Bucharest. This year, the Catholics and Protestants celebrate Easter a week earlier than the Orthodox and Greek Catholics.

Elections – Today, the Bulgarians elect their representatives in Parliament for the fifth time in two years. The massive anti-corruption protests of 2020 led to the fall of the Borisov Government, and since then no political party could obtain a parliamentary majority for the stability of the government. Opinion polls suggest that the GERB party of the former prime minister Boiko Borisov and the party of pro-Western reformers, led by Kiril Petkov, who was also prime minister until last year, when he was dismissed by a no-confidence motion, are competing in the elections. Also voters in Finland go to the polls today, to designate the new parliament makeup, with three party leaders having a chance to become prime minister. Opinion polls show that there will be a close race between the current prime minister, Sanna Marin representing the center-left social democrats, Petteri Orpo – from the center-right National Coalition, and Riikka Purra – from the Finns far-right party.

Protests – Hundreds of thousands of people protested, on Saturday evening, in Israel, for the 13th consecutive week, against the judicial reform promoted by the government. Protesters say it will limit the role of the Supreme Court. The largest demonstration took place in Tel Aviv, where, according to the organizers, 175,000 Israelis protested. Clashes took place between protesters and counter-demonstrators, and 19 people were arrested. (LS)

2 April 2023
March 28, 2023 UPDATE

VISIT The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, received the
PM of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki in Bucharest on Tuesday. Klaus Iohannis said
Poland was a close and long-standing friend, a key strategic partner and a
reliable ally for Romania. We are connected by sound shared strategic and
security interests, which are further consolidated by today’s rather tense
regional security context, the Romanian official said. Mr. Iohannis added that
the 2 countries will maintain their unequivocal support for Ukraine for as long
as necessary, and will boost their support for the most vulnerable and most
severely affected partners in the region, especially the Republic of Moldova.
In turn, PM Morawiecki said Romania and Poland were the pillars of the
North-Atlantic Alliance in this part of Europe and highlighted the Allies’
willingness to reinforce it through improved military cooperation. Previously,
the PM of Romania Nicolae Ciuca had a meeting with his Polish counterpart, and
together they attended the Romania-Poland Economic Forum organised by the
Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Mr. Ciuca said bilateral trade had
increased by 20% in 2022 compared to the previous year, reaching EUR 11bln.

MOLDOVA The EU will
prepare a support package for the Rep. Moldova before summer, the president of
the European Council Charles Michel said in Chişinău on Tuesday, at a joint
press conference together with Moldova’s president Maia Sandu. Chişinău has a
lot of strong friends in Brussels, who want the Republic of Moldova to become a
part of the EU family as soon as possible, Charles Michel also said, and added
that this is a historic opportunity for Moldova and for its people. In turn, president
Maia Sandu emphasised the importance of Moldova’s EU integration. European
integration is the only path that ensures the survival of Moldova, its becoming
a free and prosperous country. It is the only chance for its citizens to live
in peace at home. We must withstand the hybrid attacks targeting our determination
to be part of the free world, Maia Sandu said.

DEFENCE The Romanian
state secretary for defence policy, planning and international relations,
Simona Cojocaru, is on an official visit to India until March 31, at the
invitation of defence secretary Giridhar Aramane. According to the Romanian
defence ministry, the two parties Tuesday signed an inter-governmental defence
cooperation agreement. The document creates the framework for the development
and consolidation of bilateral relations, through enhanced cooperation. The
Romanian defence ministry also notes that it is for the first time in the
history of the 2 countries’ bilateral relations that a cooperation agreement in
this sector has been signed.

PENSIONS The Senate’s
specialist committees Tuesday issued a positive report on the bill on special
pensions. The amendments tabled by the ruling coalition made up of the Social
Democratic Party, National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic
Hungarians in Romania were passed, although USR in opposition voted against and
AUR party’s MPs abstained from voting. One of the changes accepted by the
committees was that beneficiaries of multiple special pensions must choose only
one of them within 30 days after the law takes effect. Other provisions in the
bill are that pension benefits will be adjusted to inflation on a yearly basis,
and that special pensions cannot be higher than the salary received while in
office. As of Wednesday the bill will be discussed in plenary session by the
Senate, the first parliamentary chamber to vote on it. (AMP)

28 March 2023
The President of the European Council visits Bucharest

Accession to the free travel Schengen Area and to the European single currency zone would perfectly shape Romanias European integration. If entry into the euro zone does not represent a major temptation for the established EU states, though, and it does not seem a major issue for Romania either at the moment, remaining outside Schengen is a major source of frustration for Bucharest. At the end of 2022, the goal of accession seemed perfectly achievable, but Austrias fierce opposition appeared untimely. Romania once again missed Schengen accession, although the European institutions and the other partners in the Union had validated as justified and deserved its place in the Schengen Area.

On a visit to Bucharest on Monday, the President of the European Council, Charles Michel, said, after discussions with President Klaus Iohannis, that he supported Romanias efforts to join Schengen as soon as possible. Charles Michel said that he was convinced that the European Union would be safer if Romania entered the Schengen area. He added that it was clear to him that Romania had fulfilled all the necessary obligations to join and he hoped that a possible solution would be found and that he would do everything he could to get this decision as soon as possible. Charles Michel went on to say that Schengen accession was a common goal in 2023, and that they would continue to work together. Why? Because they understand the citizens’ disappointment. He also said that he would like to be able to tell the people of Romania that there was this support at the European level for Romania to join the Schengen area as soon as possible.

Accession to Schengen remains a national objective and all the Romanian authorities are working to achieve it, President Iohannis reiterated. However, he drew attention to the fact that, although Romania meets the conditions for accession, it can only come after a complicated negotiation process, under the conditions of Austrias opposition.

Klaus Iohannis has avoided giving any date for accession: “There is no concrete assumption of any date from June or October or anytime in the future. But my ambition and ours is to complete this process successfully for Romania this year and in the best version for Bulgaria too, of course. It suits us best to enter the Schengen area together. We dont have to prove anything. Everyone understood that we are prepared, but we have a situation generated by migration worldwide and at the European level, where, of course, we can intervene as much as possible. We can manage the migration that would come through our area and we do it very well. Thats why we negotiated with the European Commission a pilot project on the border between Romania and Serbia to show how this process can be managed efficiently.”

Once among the most enthusiastic supporters of the European project, some of the Romanians are now disappointed with the Union. The president expressed concern about the growth of Euroscepticism and did not rule out the failure of Schengen accession to be a possible cause. (LS)

28 March 2023
March 27, 2023

Visit – The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, is coming to Bucharest today, where he will meet the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis. On Tuesday, according to the official schedule, Charles Michel will go to the neighboring Republic of Moldova, which has a majority Romanian-speaking population. The visit takes place after last weeks summit in Brussels, following which the EU member states’ leaders reiterated their support for the Republic of Moldova, for its security and European path.

Moldova – The interim president of the Romanian Senate, Alina Gorghiu, and the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, are paying a visit to the neighboring Republic of Moldova today. They will participate in cultural events dedicated to the 105thanniversary of the Union of Bessarabia, an eastern province that was, until then, under the occupation of the tsarist empire, with the Kingdom of Romania, on March 27, 1918. In 1940, Bessarabia, as well as the north of Bukovina and Herța Land, were re-annexed, following an ultimatum, by Stalin’s Soviet Union. The current Republic of Moldova, independent since 1991, was established on part of the eastern Romanian territories occupied by Moscow. In Bucharest, the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă said, on the occasion of the Day of Bessarabia’s Union with Romania, that “history teaches us that military aggression, illegitimate domination and discrimination of nations cannot last. Proof thereof is the aspirations of the peoples, including the Romanian people, to live freely, in a dignified, united and democratic way”.

Pensions – The juridical and labor committees of the Romanian Senate are debating, today, the Governments draft law on the reduction of special pension expenses. The project aims to reduce expenses with special pensions and allowances, a milestone included in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The changes proposed by the Government refer at the calculation of special pensions starting from seniority in the respective specialty, the reduction of the calculation percentage relative to the earned income, the minimum contribution period being similar to that applied in the public pension system. The deadline for tacit adoption in the Senate is March 31.

Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea qualified for the round of 16 of the WTA 1,000 tournament in Miami (Florida), which has total prizes worth 8.8 million dollars, after beating the Czech Karolina Muchova, 7-5, 6-1. She had won both previous matches with Cîrstea. Today, in the round of 16, the Romanian player will meet another player from the Czech Republic, Marketa Vondrousova. The score of direct matches between the two is 1-1.

Bystroe – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, is expected, today, in the Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest, for the political debates within the so-called Government Hour. The representatives of the extremist, ultra-nationalist opposition party the Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR requested his presence in order to give explanations regarding the file of Romania’s Schengen accession as well as to detail Bucharest’s diplomatic efforts in relation to the situation of the Bystroe canal, on that part of the Danube Delta located in neighboring Ukraine. On Friday, the Transport Minister Sorin Grindeanu said that Romania was still waiting for the approval of the Ukrainian authorities to begin depth measurements on the canal with Ukrainian ships. Since 2014, the Ukrainians have wanted the Chilia arm and the Bystroe canal to be included in a European transport corridor, but Bucharest and Brussels are opposed to it, because of the impact the works would have on the ecosystem of the Danube Delta, a unique area in Europe included in the UNESCO world heritage. Last month, the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry announced that, following some alleged dredging works, the depth of the canal increased from 3.9 to 6.5 meters.

Library – The National Museum of Romanian Literature (MNLR), in partnership with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Carol I Central University Library in Bucharest, is organizing, today, the first edition of the Day of European Authors. This is an initiative of the European Commission, which is meant to strengthen the relationship between the book and education sectors, aspiring to reconnect European citizens, especially the young generation, to reading and to help them discover European literature, and Europe’s linguistic and cultural diversity. The European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, Mariya Gabriel, will officially launch this initiative in Sofia, together with the renowned Bulgarian writer Georgi Bardarov, the winner of the European Union Prize for Literature in 2021. The National Museum of Romanian Literature invites the public to a meeting with two of Romania’s highly appreciated authors, recognized at the European level through numerous awards, the writer and journalist Gabriela Adameșteanu and the Franco-Romanian writer, poet and playwright Matei Vişniec, to discuss the diversity of European literature and the status of the European author. (LS)

27 March 2023
March 24, 2023

EDUCATION Romania’s
government has today approved a bill on the country’s participation in the 2025
Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). The government says
Romania’s participation is intended to bring the Romanian education in line
with developments in high-performing education systems in the world, and to
review one’s own performances in relation to the other participating countries.
The initiators argue this participation is important given Romania’s EU
membership and its current observer status and future membership of the Organisation
for Economic Co-operation and Development. PISA tests indicate the extent to
which students are prepared to face current society challenges, and measures the
basic skills of 15 year olds in areas like reading, maths and sciences.

SCRAPPING In
Romania, the Rabla Clasic and Rabla Plus scrapping programmes were launched on
Friday. They are designed to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by promoting the
use of non-polluting vehicles. The vouchers provided by the government may
reach EUR 10,000 for the purchase of electric cars worth up to EUR 75,000.

VISIT While in Chişinău, PM Nicolae Ciucă reiterated Romania’s
support for neighbouring Republic of Moldova’s European accession efforts. In a
meeting with his counterpart, Dorin Recean, Ciucă announced the building of new
bridges across Prut river and the set up of new border checkpoints. In turn, PM
Recean announced that very soon EUR 25m out of a non-reimbursable EUR 100m assistance
package provided by Romania will be used for the development of village schools
and infrastructure.

PROTESTS France’s
PM Élisabeth Borne condemned the violence accompanying Thursday’s protests
against the pension reform, which increases retirement age from 62 to 64. Violent
clashes have been reported in several cities. According to trade unions, attending
the protests in nearly 300 localities were 3.5 million people, but the interior
ministry argues there were only 1.2 million. Most protests were peaceful, but in
Paris and some other cities incidents were reported. Some 150 police officers
and gendarmes were injured and hundreds of violent people were arrested. Unionists
are determined to try all legal means to cancel the law endorsed on Monday and
to carry on protests. This weekend, each union will organise actions in their
towns and regions, and a new call for strike and nation-wide protests is
announced for Tuesday, March 28, Radio Romania’s correspondend in Paris reports.

FOOTBALL Romania’s national football team plays against Andorra away
from home on Saturday, in the first round of the EURO 2024 qualifiers. The final
tournament will be hosted by Germany. Also on Saturday in
Group I, which includes Romania, Belarus takes on Switzerland and Israel faces
Kosovo. On March 28, the national team faces Belarus in Bucharest. The top 2
teams in each of the 10 preliminary groups qualify into the final tournament,
with the last 3 participants to be decided in March 2024, after the Nations
League play-offs. (AMP)

24 March 2023
March 20, 2023 UPDATE

VISIT – On an official visit to the United Arab
Emirates, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis Monday had a meeting in Abu Dhabi
with his counterpart, Sheik Mohamed bin Zayed al Nahyan. There are a lot of bilateral,
regional and global areas where we can cooperate quite well. There are huge
opportunities and I believe we both want to capitalize on them,’ the Romanian
official said during the meeting. President Iohannis suggested the two
countries may cooperate with a view to promoting environment education and skills
for the green transition. He also presented the goals of the Three Seas
Initiative that Romania will host this September in Bucharest, and the
opportunities it provides to private investments and investment funds,
encouraging the involvement of UAE investors. In turn, his counterpart pleaded
for the development of relations with Romania and for Bucharest’s active
presence at the COP28, a meeting scheduled to take place this year in the UAE. On
this occasion, the two countries’ relevant ministers and officials signed
bilateral documents in the fields of energy, cyber-security and education. On
Sunday president Klaus Iohannis visited Masdar City, a model of sustainable urban
development focusing on energy efficiency and environment protection.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign
minister Bogdan Aurescu Monday took part in the meeting of EU foreign ministers
(Foreign Affairs Council) and in a joint meeting of EU foreign and defence
ministers. According to the Romanian foreign ministry, the EU officials primarily
discussed Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and the implementation of the EU
Action Plan on the geopolitical consequences of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
On this occasion, Bogdan Aurescu highlighted the multifaceted consequences of
the security crisis generated by Moscow, with an impact beyond Ukraine, and
warned against destabilizing Russian actions against the pro-European
authorities in the Rep. Moldova. Mr. Aurescu voiced Romania’s support for
carrying on the Union’s support efforts for Ukraine, including the provision of
ammunition, and the need to further isolate Russia internationally and to
maintain pressure on Kremlin. The Romanian official also announced that this
April Romania and Ukraine will organise jointly a first high-level conference
on Black Sea security, under the Crimea International Platform. Also in
Brussels on Monday, at the international donor conference for Turkey and Syria,
in the aftermath of the February earthquakes, Minister Aurescu announced a new
financial assistance package totaling EUR 1.3 mln.

MOLDOVA The Romanian PM Nicolae Ciucă will travel
to the neighbouring Republic of Moldova this week, for a meeting with his
counterpart Dorin Recean. On this occasion, PM Ciucă will reiterate Romania’s
support for that country’s reforms, for consolidating its economy, resilience
and security and for its EU accession efforts. Meanwhile, in Chisinau, the
Supreme Security Council announced a number of decisions after Monday’s meeting
convened by president Maia Sandu in the context of the exceptional situation
in the judiciary. One of these decisions is to step up the creation of the
Higher Council of Magistrates, which is to become operational within 30 days. After
the meeting, Moldova’s president stated that some members of the system oppose the
cleaning of the judiciary and seek to continue using it to their own benefit. We
need a judicial system free from corruption, able to uphold justice and rebuild
people’s trust, Maia Sandu concluded. (AMP)

20 March 2023
March 19, 2023 UPDATE

VISIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis, currently
on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates, Sunday travelled to Masdar
City, a model of sustainable urban development with solutions centered around
energy efficiency and environment protection. The Romanian official was presented
solutions for transport and urban cooling and ventilation, building energy
generation and optimum usage of natural light in schools and research
institutions. The solutions tested in Masdar City may be an inspiration for
other cities increasingly interested in sustainability, including in Romania. Contributions
to these solutions come, among others, from Romanian researchers as well,
affiliated to research institutes in Masdar City, the Romanian presidency said
in a news release. President Iohannis will be in the UAE until Tuesday, at the
invitation of his counterpart, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The main
goals of the visit include strengthening the political and diplomatic dialogue
on topics of mutual interest, encouraging bilateral economic relations, which
are already on a significant positive trend, and attracting investments in the
Romanian economy through projects in fields like infrastructure, energy,
climate change, cybersecurity and food security.

REFUGEES The Romanian Border Police Inspectorate General
announced that on Saturday as many as 86,342 people entered Romania using
border checkpoints around the country. Of them, 8,510 were Ukrainian nationals.
Since February 10, 2022, two weeks before the Russian invasion of their
country, nearly 3.8 million Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania. Most of them have
travelled further on to western European countries, but around 100,000 of them
have chosen to stay in Romania, according to the authorities in Bucharest.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian diplomacy chief Bogdan Aurescu takes part on
Monday in the Foreign Affairs Council, a meeting of EU foreign ministers in
Brussels. He will also attend the joint meeting of EU foreign and defence
ministers, as well as in a conference of international donors for Turkey and
Syria, in the aftermath of the February earthquakes. The Foreign Affairs
Council will focus on Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, the dialogue between
Belgrade and Pristina, the situation in Tunisia and the latest developments in
Iran. Bogdan Aurescu will plead for continuing multidimensional support for Ukraine,
both at EU level and from the member states, with a focus on the quick
provision of military equipment and training for the Ukrainian army. According
to the Romanian foreign ministry, Mr. Aurescu will also support a consolidation
of the sanctions against Russia and a more efficient implementation of current
restrictions.

MILITARY Over 3,000 troops from Romania and 12 Allied and partner
states will take part in the Sea Shield 2023 multinational exercise, the most
complex event planned and spearheaded by the Romanian Navy this year. Taking
part in the event between March 20 and April 2 are forces from Albania,
Bulgaria, France, Georgia, Greece, Poland, Portugal, UK, the Netherlands, the Republic
of Moldova, Romania, the US and Turkey. The exercise contributes to promoting
Romania’s interests and initiatives at regional and international level, as
well as to enhancing inter-operability among the participating countries. Sea
Shield, a complex concept designed for the training of NATO forces, was
proposed by Romania at NATO’s summit in Warsaw in 2016, to boost security on
the Eastern flank.

HANDBALL Romania’s women’s handball champions, Rapid Bucharest, were
defeated on Sunday by Slovenia’s Krim Ljubljana, 29-24, in the first leg of the
playoffs for the Champions’ League quarter-finals. The second leg takes place
in Bucharest. This is Rapid’s first presence in the Champions’ League, and the
match against the Slovenian champions is also the team’s first march in European
competitions with the Danish manager Kim Rasmussen, who replaced Carlos Viver (Spain).
If they qualify into the quarter-finals, Rapid will be facing Kristiansand (Norway).
Romania’s vice-champions, CSM Bucharest, have already qualified into the
quarter-finals, where they will take on the winner of the playoff between the
French side Brest and the Danish team Esbjerg. (AMP)

19 March 2023
March 19, 2023

VISIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis, currently
on an official visit to the United Arab Emirates, has traveled today to Masdar
City, a model of sustainable urban development with solutions centered around
energy efficiency and environment protection. The Romanian official was presented
solutions for transport and urban cooling and ventilation, building energy
generation and optimum usage of natural light in schools and research
institutions. The solutions tested in Masdar City may be an inspiration for
other cities increasingly interested in sustainability, including in Romania. Contributions
to these solutions come, among others, from Romanian researchers as well,
affiliated to research institutes in Masdar City, the Romanian presidency said
in a news release. President Iohannis will be in the UAE until Tuesday, at the
invitation of his counterpart, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. The main
goals of the visit include strengthening the political and diplomatic dialogue
on topics of mutual interest, encouraging bilateral economic relations, which
are already on a significant positive trend, and attracting investments in the
Romanian economy through projects in fields like infrastructure, energy,
climate change, cybersecurity and food security.

REFUGEES The Romanian Border Police Inspectorate General
announced that on Saturday as many as 86,342 people entered Romania using
border checkpoints around the country. Of them, 8,510 were Ukrainian nationals.
Since February 10, 2022, two weeks before the Russian invasion of their
country, nearly 3.8 million Ukrainian citizens entered Romania. Most of them have travelled
further on to western European countries, but around 100,000 of them have
chosen to stay in Romania, according to the authorities in Bucharest.

CHILDREN Border police prevented over 5,300 Romanian
underage nationals from crossing the border out of the country in 2022, because
their parents or the adults accompanying them were unable to produce the
documents required for taking minors out of the country. The interior ministry
announced on Sunday that the number is twice as big as in the previous year. Also,
since the beginning of 2023, more than 800 Romanian minors have been stopped at
the border because they lacked valid travel documents, the accompanying parent
lacked the consent of the other parent or because the adults accompanying them,
other than their parents, failed to present clear criminal records. Under the
law, underage Romanian nationals can only leave the country based on a valid
travel document, passport or identity card, provided that they are accompanied
by an adult and have the consent of their parents.

RUGBY Romania’s
national rugby team takes on Spain today in a match for the 3rd
place in Rugby Europe Championship 2023, the second-tier European competition
after Six Nations. The match is played in Badajoz, Spain. The competition final,
pitting Georgia against Portugal, is played tonight as well. In August Romania’s
rugby team is scheduled to play test matches against Georgia and Italy, ahead
of the World Cup in France, organised between September 8 and October 28. Romania will play in Group B, alongside Ireland, South Africa,
Scotland and Tonga.

HANDBALL Romania’s women’s handball champions, Rapid Bucharest, are
playing today away from home against Slovenia’s Krim Ljubljana, in the first
leg of the playoffs for the Champions’ League quarter-finals. The second leg
takes place in Bucharest. This is Rapid’s first presence in the Champions’
League, and the match against the Slovenian champions is also the team’s first
march in European competitions with the Danish manager Kim Rasmussen, who
replaced Carlos Viver (Spain). 150 Romanian fans will attend the game. If they
qualify into the quarter-finals, Rapid will be facing Kristiansand (Norway). Romania’s
vice-champions, CSM Bucharest, have already qualified into the quarter-finals,
where they will take on the winner of the playoff between the French side Brest
and the Danish team Esbjerg. (AMP)

19 March 2023