Radio România Internațional

Tag: war

Romania supports Ukraine

The Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, on Tuesday had the first conversation of this year, via video conference, with his Ukrainian counterpart, Rustem Umerov. The two discussed the evolution of Russia’s war of aggression against neighboring Ukraine, almost two years after the outbreak of the conflict. According to a Defense Ministry communique, the officials discussed the status and perspectives of the main topics of bilateral interest. Angel Tîlvăr assured his Ukrainian counterpart that Romania remains committed both within the European Unions EUMAM Ukraine mission (EU Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine) and within Great Britains INTERFLEX operation. I told Minister Umerov that Romania condemns in the harshest terms the Russian aggression, the attacks on the Ukrainian population and civil infrastructure, actions that have intensified in recent weeks, and I assured him that Romania continues to support Ukraine, alongside allies and partners, said Angel Tîlvăr, according to the communique.

In this context, the two officials discussed concrete measures to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the field of defense, with focus on the importance of training Romanian and Ukrainian pilots at the European F-16 Training Center in Romania. The center was inaugurated in Feteşti (south-east) at the end of last year and can train both Romanian pilots and those from allied and partner countries, including Ukraine. In fact, President Volodymyr Zelenski announced at the end of the official visit he paid to Romania last October that Ukraine had obtained important agreements, including regarding the military support that Bucharest will continue to offer to Kyiv. In addition, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmitro Kuleba, repeatedly thanked Bucharest, including for the military aid, which President Klaus Iohannis himself labeled as “important military support”.

However, it should be mentioned, that, in support of Ukraine, Romania emphasized the humanitarian dimension, the granting of medical assistance and air medical evacuation actions to other states for the injured Ukrainian patients. Since the beginning of the war, Romania facilitated the transfer of humanitarian aid and the operationalization of a HUB in Suceava (north). Moreover, even from the first days of the war, Romania announced that it had prepared hospitals to provide care and treatment for wounded Ukrainian soldiers. Romania also took steps to facilitate, during these two years of war, the transit of tens of millions of tons of cereals from neighboring Ukraine to the areas where they were needed. Last but not least, Bucharest is a firm supporter of the European path of both Kyiv and Chisinau, support that materialized last December in the opening of the EU accession negotiations for the two states. (LS)

17 January 2024
October 29, 2023 UPDATE

PARLIAMENT The Chamber of Deputies will discuss on
Monday the simple motion tabled by Save Romania Union and the Force of the
Right, in opposition in Romania, against the finance minister Marcel Boloş. The
Opposition argues that the enforcement of the new fiscal measures for which the
Government has taken responsibility before Parliament, will lead to tax
increases. The USR MP Claudiu Năsui says the Liberal finance minister chose to
triple taxes instead of cutting special pensions and to levy taxes on turnover,
which he believes will have countless negative effects on companies and
ultimately on consumers. The Chamber will vote on the motion on Tuesday. Also
early this week, the Senate will vote on a government emergency order
regulating the gambling sector. The document, which introduces an additional
tax for companies in the sector, has been passed by specialist committees. The
Senate is also to discuss a bill tabled by the Social Democratic MP Alfred
Simonis and banning the sale of electronic cigarettes and similar tobacco
products to minors.

SCHENGEN The Romanian MEP Eugen Tomac, the leader of the People’s
Movement Party, announced plans to appeal the EU Tribunal ruling dismissing his
claims regarding Austria’s alleged abuse of power with respect to Romania’s
Schengen accession. He said he would take the matter to the Court of Justice of
the European Union, and voiced hopes that the judges would approach the issue in
a more complex and more detailed manner, in line with the EU treaties and the
Schengen agreements. Moreover, Tomac said, Bucharest can only overcome the situation
by means of this appeal, in which the Romanian government would be a privileged
applicant. Austria opposes the Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria,
arguing that the 2 countries are on the EU illegal migration route, an
allegation disputed by the Romanian authorities and European institutions.
Vienna also believes the Schengen area as it is at present is ineffective and
said it would oppose any enlargement project.

VISIT
The European Commission vice-president for Values and Transparency, Věra
Jourová, will be on an official visit to Romania on Monday, when she will have
meetings with president Klaus Iohannis, PM Marcel Ciolacu and other Cabinet
members. According to the European Commission, the EU official will discuss the
rule of law and reforms in the judiciary, Romania’s goals in the digital
decade, the digitisation projects included in the National Recovery and
Resilience Plan, as well as AI and fighting disinformation.

ISRAEL
The president of France, Emmanuel Macron, and the British
PM Rishi Sunak emphasised, in a phone discussion on Sunday, the need for urgent
humanitarian support in Gaza Strip, after Israel announced stepping up its
military response to the Hamas attack of October 7. In turn, the US security
adviser called on the troops entering Gaza to make a distinction between
civilians and the Hamas terrorists, who are legitimate targets. Israel
announced that in the coming days it would allow a significant increase in aid
for the civilians in Gaza. The Israeli defence ministry asked Palestinian
civilians to move towards the south, to an area designated as humanitarian, where
aid will be delivered under a joint mechanism created by the US, Egypt and the
UN. Two aid convoys with foodstuffs, water and medicines entered the Rafah
terminal on Saturday night and Sunday morning. The UN secretary general,
Antonio Guterres, voiced his surprise at the escalation of Israel’s military
attack on the Gaza Strip after the UN General Assembly issued a resolution
calling for immediate humanitarian ceasefire. Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian
rallies were organised on Sunday as well in many cities in the world.

PEACE
The president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, attending a meeting in Malta,
called for a global model based on his 10-point plan for peace with Russia, Reuters
reports. An official list of the participants in the meeting is not yet
available, but attending were officials for European, South-American, Arab,
African and Asian countries. The plan includes clauses concerning the
restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the pull-out of Russian troops,
protection of food and energy supplies, nuclear security and the release of all
prisoners. The co-chairs of the meeting, Ukraine and Malta, issued a joint
declaration that mentions the participants’ commitment to just and sustainable
peace, based on the UN Charter. The parties will take steps to arrange for a
possible peace summit at a later date.

GOVERNMENT PM Marcel Ciolacu announced that preparations have
started for drafting the 2024 public budget. The government will analyse the projects
and programmes that went well, as well as the investment applications for next
year. On the other hand, the PM dismissed the idea of other fiscal changes in
addition to the ones for which his Cabinet has taken responsibility before
Parliament. The law on measures to ensure Romania’s long-term financial
sustainability, promulgated by presidentKlaus Iohannis on Thursday, introduces new taxes and tax raises and cuts off tax facilities. Some
of the measures take effect on November 1, while the others will be enforced as
of January 1. Marcel Ciolacu also estimated that the new pensions law will be
endorsed in Parliament by the end of next month and will take effect on January
1, 2024. (AMP)

29 October 2023
October 29, 2023

GOVERNMENT PM Marcel Ciolacu announced that
preparations have started for drafting the 2024 public budget. The government
will analyse the projects and programmes that went well, as well as the
investment applications for next year. On the other hand, the PM dismissed the
idea of other fiscal changes in addition to the ones for which his Cabinet has
taken responsibility before Parliament. The law on measures to ensure Romania’s
long-term financial sustainability, promulgated by president Klaus
Iohannis on Thursday, introduces
new taxes and tax raises and cuts off tax facilities.Some of the measures take effect
on November 1, while the others will be enforced as of January 1. Marcel
Ciolacu also estimated that the new pensions law will be endorsed in Parliament
by the end of next month and will take effect on January 1, 2024.

VISIT
The European Commission vice-president for Values and Transparency, Věra
Jourová, will be on an official visit to Romania on Monday, when she will have
meetings with president Klaus Iohannis, PM Marcel Ciolacu and other Cabinet
members. According to the European Commission, the EU official will discuss the
rule of law and reforms in the judiciary, Romania’s goals in the digital
decade, the digitisation projects included in the National Recovery and
Resilience Plan, as well as AI and fighting disinformation.

ISRAEL
Israel has moved to the second stage of the war against Hamas, namely the land
operation in Gaza Strip, the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu announced. In a
televised address, he warned that this was going to be a long and difficult
war, aimed at freeing the hostages taken by the Palestinian terrorist group and
at destroying the military and leadership capabilities of Hamas. An Israeli
tactics expert described Israel’s current operation as modular, with
alternating attacks from 4 directions (water, air, land, and virtual). So far
the Israeli Army resorted to air strikes to hit Palestinian territory, after
the Hamas attacks of October 7 killed over 1,400 people in Israel. In turn, Hamas
says the Israeli retaliatory strikes killed over 8,000 people. According to an
Israeli army spokesman, the number of hostages held by Hamas was updated at 130.
The UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, voiced his surprise at the escalation
of Israel’s military attack on the Gaza Strip after the UN General Assembly issued
a resolution calling for immediate humanitarian ceasefire. Guterres said that
in spite of this international consensus, the bombing has reached unprecedented
levels. Pro-Palestinian rallies were organised on Saturday in many cities in
the world.

PEACE
The president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, attending a meeting in Malta,
called for a global model based on his 10-point plan for peace with Russia, Reuters
reports. An official list of the participants in the meeting is not yet
available, but attending were officials for European, South-American, Arab,
African and Asian countries. The plan includes clauses concerning the
restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the pull-out of Russian troops,
protection of food and energy supplies, nuclear security and the release of all
prisoners. The co-chairs of the meeting, Ukraine and Malta, issued a joint
declaration that mentions the participants’ commitment to just and sustainable
peace, based on the UN Charter. The parties will take steps to arrange for a
possible peace summit at a later date.

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

29 October 2023
October 18, 2023

GOVERNMENT The first joint meeting of the Romanian and Ukrainian governments takes place in Kyiv today. The agenda includes the development of
infrastructure in the border region, economic cooperation and regional security.
The main topic is a mechanism allowing Ukraine to export grains to Romania. First
of all, the grain quality must be similar to that of grains in Romania and the
EU, and secondly, only the Romanian farmers who prove they no longer have grain
stocks will be authorised to import from Ukraine. Another topic is the ethnic
minorities in Ukraine, with Bucharest requesting that their rights be the same
as the rights enjoyed by minorities in Romania. The Romanian government
believes Ukraine should no longer recognise the Moldovan language, arguing that
in fact it does not exist. Marcel Ciolacu is accompanied by the minister of
defence, Angel Tâlvăr, the minister of public health, Alexandru Rafila, the
economy minister, Radu Oprea, the agriculture minister, Florin Barbu and the
secretary of state with the interior ministry, Raed Arafat. The Romanian PM
will have talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Shmyhal, and with the
chairman of the Ukrainian parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk. Marcel Ciolacu is also
scheduled to meet the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who was in
Bucharest last week.

BUDGET The Constitutional Court dismissed the
notification filed by Save Romania Union and the Force of the Right in
opposition in Romania with respect to the bill on fiscal and
budget-related measures for which the Government has undertaken responsibility
before Parliament. The Constitutional Court president, Marian Enache, said the
Cabinet’s responsibility concerned a sole and unified purpose, namely to
increase revenues to the public budget and to cut down on expenditure, and that
the responsibility procedure was in line with the requirements of the
Constitutional Court and its case law. Marian Enache also says the Court’s
decision was made on a majority of votes. After the decision of the
Constitutional Court, the bill may be signed into law by the president of
Romania, Klaus Iohannis.

GAZA
The Romanian foreign ministry voices shock and deep sadness at the news of the
blast and loss of innocent lives on Tuesday night at
the Al Ahli hospital in Gaza. In a message issued on Wednesday, the
ministry emphasises that all civilians and civilian infrastructure must be
protected at all times, and that responsibility must be
clearly identified. Hundreds of people were killed or wounded
in a missile strike on the hospital in Gaza, for which Israel and the
Palestinians blame each other. The Israeli army denies that its forces were
responsible for the attack, and blames the incident on a failed launch of a
missile from Gaza by the Islamic Jihad, another Palestinian armed group, which
in turn denies the allegations. The attack was condemned by the international
community, with several Arab leaders accusing Israel of war crimes. The US leader Joe Biden, who is on a solidarity
visit to Israel today, has voiced regret and anger at the event. Jordan has
cancelled a summit in which Joe Biden was to discuss the war with King Abdullah II, with
Mahmoud Abbas and the president of Egypt Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. On the other hand, the UN secretary general
Antonio Guterres will be in Cairo on Thursday, for talks with Abdel Fattah al-focusing
on the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The talks take place as Egypt calls on Israel to allow aid
shipments to that territory. On Tuesday,
the US authorised its non-essential embassy staff to leave Beirut, as security
worsens in Lebanon as well, in the context of the war between Israel and Hamas.

ALERT Belgium,
France, Italy and Spain have raised their terrorist alert levels to a maximum, following
attacks in western Europe over the past few days. On Monday 2 Swedish nationals
were killed in Brussels by a Tunisian illegal migrant, later on identified and
shot by the Belgian police. The Islamic State group
claimed the attack and said it targeted Sweden because of its affiliation to
the global coalition against Jihad movements. On Tuesday, Versailles palace
in Paris was evacuated and stayed closed for the day after a new bomb alert,
just as it happened with the Louvre Museum on Saturday. The president of France
Emmanuel Macron said Islamic terrorism is rising once again and that all
European countries are vulnerable to this threat. Over 100 people have been
arrested over the past week in France under anti-Semitism charges and for
terrorism support. On Tuesday, EU leaders, including the president of Romania
Klaus Iohannis, discussed the conflict between Israel and Hamas which killed more
than 4,000 people in the last 10 days, and agreed to do whatever they can to
avoid a regional escalation of the conflict. (AMP)

18 October 2023
A new meeting for the Republic of Moldova

Western diplomats and geopolitical experts agree that the Republic of Moldova is the most vulnerable among the neighbors of Ukraine which was invaded by Russian troops. It is considered, in the specialized rankings, as one of the poorest states on the continent. It does not belong to any military alliance, because an outdated Constitution, adopted three decades ago, stipulates complete neutrality. The pro-Russian break-away region of Transnistria or Trans-Dniester (east) has been, de facto, out of the control of the central authorities since 1992. The capital, Chişinău, is teeming with Moscow’s agents who have reached as far as the Parliament. All in all, the state could not survive without the assistance of Western partners. On Tuesday, the fourth edition of the Support Platform for the Republic of Moldova took place in Chişinău. It was created last year at the initiative of neighboring Romania, France and Germany, to help overcome the crises and effects generated by the Russian aggression in Ukraine.

About 50 delegates, foreign ministers from the European Union countries and representatives of international financial institutions and organizations participated. The host, the pro-Western president Maia Sandu, recalled that the Republic of Moldova managed to overcome a difficult winter, to help the numerous Ukrainian refugees and its own population, vulnerable to energy bills, and to strengthen its institutions, against the background of hybrid aggressions from Russia. She compared the support that external partners have offered and will continue to offer to Chişinău with a ‘collective enterprise or community, an old custom in the Romanian tradition in which neighbors gather to help each other. With the help of friends, the Republic of Moldova is better prepared for this winter, and Russia’s energy blackmail has failed Moldovas president pointed out, as quoted by Radio Romania correspondents in Chişinău. She admits that, although the Republic of Moldova has become stronger in the fight against disinformation and in the fight with Russia’s hybrid war, the threats have not yet been overcome, and Moscow will try to influence next month’s local elections by using dirty money.

Attending the meeting, the French foreign minister, Catherine Colonna, underlined the importance of European support for the Republic of Moldova, which benefits both the population and the economy in the long term. Infrastructure, connectivity and structural reforms are the key to getting closer to the European Union, Catherine Colonna pointed out. And her German counterpart, Annalena Baerbock, said that the support platform for the Republic of Moldova is a successful initiative, which managed to mobilize external funds in just a few weeks and to help citizens overcome both the energy crisis and the crisis caused by the waves of Ukrainian refugees. (LS)

18 October 2023
October 13, 2023

ISRAEL In a special session
on Thursday night the Israeli Parliament endorsed Prime Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu’s emergency unity government and a cabinet of war. According to
observers, an enlarged coalition is needed for the adoption of large-scale
military and political decisions in the following days after the unprecedented bloody
attacks of the radical Palestinian movement Hamas. The attacks resulted in a
war with Israel which has left thousands of dead, mostly civilians, on both
sides. Roughly 150 people have been taken hostage by Hamas and are being held
in captivity in Gaza. In another development, the presidents of the European
Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, are
today flying to Israel to express the EU’s solidarity after the bloody Hamas
attacks. In turn, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken is being expected in
Qatar for talks with the local leaders including with a view to finding a
solution to the hostages crisis. The head of the US diplomacy went to Tel Aviv
on Thursday, where he said that the United States would always support Israel
and that the Palestinians’ legitimate aspirations aren’t being represented by
Hamas, which presently rules Gaza. The UN has made an emergency appeal for
donations for the vulnerable residents of the West Bank and Gaza. Over 400
thousand Palestinians have been relocated in the past days from the besieged
Strip, which has been constantly under the bombardment of the Israeli army. The
United Nations says the Israeli military informed it late on Thursday that 1.1
million Palestinians in Gaza should relocate to the enclave’s south within the
next 24 hours.

REPATRIATIONS
Another 127 Romanian citizens have been safely repatriated from Israel. They
have been flown to Romania by several airline companies since Thursday night,
the Romanian Foreign Ministry has announced. Over two thousand Romanians have
been flown home by means of an air bridge involving 22 flights. Out of the 350
Romanians in Gaza, who have been monitored by the authorities in Bucharest, 50
have requested assistance to come back to Romania. In the meantime, Romania’s
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu says the government is considering the
possibility of covering the transport fees for the families with low incomes.
He has made an appeal to Romanians to avoid any pilgrimage to the region in
this period.

FOOTBALL
Romania’s national football side ended in a goaless draw their Thursday’s match
against Belarus in Budapest as part of the EURO 2024 preliminaries. Although
they managed a good show on Thursday the Romanians failed to defeat a rather
modest opponent. Belarus is playing their games on neutral ground, upon a UEFA
decision. In another Group one game, Kosovo defeated Andorra 3-0 while the
match pitching Israel against Switzerland has been postponed for November 15th.
After the draw on Thursday, Romania ranks second in the group with 13 points
after Switzerland with 14. Israel ranks third with 11 points, followed by
Kosovo with 7, Belarus with 5 and Andorra with 2. On Sunday, Romania will be
playing Andorra at home in a game, when only children under 14 are granted access
to the stadium.

(bill)

13 October 2023
October 12, 2023 UPDATE

INITIATIVE Romania has signed the letter
of intent on joining the Initiative regarding the identification of
multinational solutions for the use of Cross-Border Airspace by NATO planes.
Its implementation will ensure the coherence of the measures taken by NATO in
the Black Sea region and the entire Eastern Flank to deter any hostile actions
against the security of the allies, a communiqué of the Ministry of Defence
says. In another development Romania Bulgaria and Greece have established a
partnership for the creation of a fuel supply corridor to cover NATO needs in times
of war or peace. According to the Romanian Ministry of Defence, the three
parties signed a letter of intent in Brussels on Wednesday. The project will be
funded with support from the Organization of the North Atlantic Treaty and it
is different from the fuel corridors funded by the European Union. Early this
week, the city of Varna in Bulgaria hosted a meeting between the Prime
Ministers of the three states involved and talks focused on both transport
infrastructure and energy projects unfolding under the umbrella of the European
Commission.

CSAT On
Thursday in Bucharest, Romania’s Higher Defence Council, CSAT, decided the
setting up of an inter-institutional working group with a view to drawing up a
joint action plan for the prevention and effective fighting of the risks caused
by drug trafficking and consumption against individual and collective safety.
Working groups are also to be set up at county level while the Executive will be
focusing on amending and completing the legislation in the field of banned
substances for the elimination of the legislative gaps and limitation of the
possibilities of the speculative interpretation of the legal provisions. An
appropriate institutional medical framework is also being considered with a
view to ensuring the access to treatment and recovery services, certain
investigations and integrated protection measures against the risks associated
with the consumption of illegal substances among students and young people.
Another topical issue was the security situation in the Black Sea region
against the latest developments in Ukraine. In this context the Defence
Ministry has presented a series of concrete measures for increasing the air
surveillance capabilities in the Romanian regions close to the Ukrainian
objectives targeted by the Russian troops.

VISIT American Secretary of State
Antony Blinken on Thursday, while visiting Tel Aviv, said that the United
States would always support Israel, and emphasized that what he called the
legitimate aspirations of the Palestinian people are not represented by the Hamas
Islamist movement. In a press conference after his meeting with Israeli PM
Benjamin Netanyahu, Bliken underlined the fact that 25 Americans had been
killed in Hamas attacks in Israel, and that Washington is working closely with
Tel Aviv to secure the release of hostages in Gaza. In turn, Netanyahu said his
country would crush Hamas, urging the international community to treat the
members of the movement as they would members of ISIS. On Friday, Secretary
Blinken is set to meet Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas.

(bill)

12 October 2023
October 10, 2023 UPDATE

VISIT – President Klaus Iohannis will pay a visit to Hungary on Wednesday, at the invitation of his Hungarian counterpart Katalin Novák, this being the first official visit to Budapest by a Romanian president in the last 14 years. According to the Presidential Administration, the visit takes place in the context of increased dynamics of high-level contacts, after the official visit made by President Katalin Novák to Bucharest in September 2022, and the participation in the 8th Summit of the Three Seas Initiative, hosted by Romania in September 2023. The head of state will reiterate Romania’s interest and openness to a constructive, pragmatic and transparent cooperation with Hungary. The two presidents will analyze the current situation at the regional, European and global level, in the context of Russias war of aggression against Ukraine.

EXERCISE – More than 400 soldiers take part in the Steadfast Jupiter 2023, the most complex computer-assisted NATO exercise, held at the Getica Joint Training Center in Cincu, central Romania. Military personnel from 17 allied states and over 20 subunits of the NATO command and force structure are taking part. The exercise focuses on a 360-degree approach to the security and collective defense of the North Atlantic Alliance. According to the Defense Ministry, the exercise is intended to strengthen the cohesion and interoperability of the armed forces involved and represents the final certification stage of the Southeast Multinational Corps Command in Romania, able to ensure the command and control of NATO’s ground operations at regional level, in any situation.

UKRAINE – Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy paid an official visit to Romania on Tuesday. After the meeting, President Zelenskyy thanked Romania for supporting Ukraine at the most difficult time in its history. Talks with President Klaus Iohannis focused on security at the Black Sea, bilateral cooperation, Ukraines EU and Euro-Atlantic integration as well as full respect of the rights of persons belonging to national minorities. In turn, Iohannis assured his Ukrainian counterpart of Romania’s determination to further support the neighboring country, as long as needed, until its entire territory is liberated. Zelenskyy also had talks with the Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, the Speaker of the Senate, Nicolae Ciucă, and the interim Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Alfred Simonis.

ISRAEL – Israel announced that it is mobilizing another 60,000 reservists in addition to the 300,000 that have already been called up. Massive forces and heavy equipment were concentrated on the border with the Gaza Strip. 100 people captured by Hamas when it attacked Israel are kept hostage, and the terrorist organization has threatened to start killing them if more civilian targets are bombed. The toll of the war between Israel and the terrorist group Hamas exceeded several thousands dead and wounded, on both sides. UN humanitarian agencies have warned of the serious consequences of Israel imposing a total siege on the Gaza Strip in response to the Hamas attack. The UN Children’s Agency has expressed concern about the restriction of water and food to Gaza. UN agencies also condemned the mass killing of Israelis by Palestinian armed groups and asked them to release the hostages.

IMF – The International Monetary Fund estimates an economic growth of 2.2% for Romania this year compared to the previous forecast of 2.4%, according to a report the IMF presented on Tuesday. For 2024, the IMF estimates a 3.8% economic growth. The annual inflation rate forecast stands at 10.7% in 2023 and at 5.8% in 2024. According to a report of a recent IMF mission to Bucharest, budget deficit will stand at 6% this year and 5% next year. The head of the IMF mission in Romania, Jan Kees Martijn said the government’s fiscal package is designed to curb public spending, although additional measures are required to boost efficiency and revenues. (EE)

10 October 2023
October 9, 2023

WAR Clashes were still reported on Monday between the
Israeli army and Palestinian fighters infiltrated in the south of the country
from Gaza, after Israel reportedly hit over 500 targets of Hamas and the
Islamic Jihad organisations during the night. The Israeli defence forces have
full control over the southern part of the country, attacked by the Palestinian
Hamas forces, an Israeli military spokesman said on Monday, quoted by AFP and
Reuters. This is the 3rd day of violent clashes that have so far
killed around 1,200 people, over 700 of whom Israelis and at least 493
Palestinians, EFE reported on Monday. Israel’s security cabinet declared war following the attacks of the Palestinian
organisation Hamas, allowing the government to undertake significant military
activities, the PM Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced on Sunday.

ISRAEL On Monday 96 Romanian nationals were repatriated from Israel, via
Jordan, on a Tarom flight, the foreign ministry announced. Another 245 Romanian citizens were repatriated on Sunday, including 2 pilgrim
groups. The foreign ministry reiterates its recommendation that Romanian
nationals should reschedule their planned trips to Israel and monitor the Travel
Alerts section on its home page. Meanwhile, a mobile consular team from the
Romanian embassy in Israel and from Romania’s representation office in Ramallah is at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv
to provide assistance to the Romanians there. A unit from the ministry’s emergency
response team has also been deployed to Israel, to help in the repatriation
efforts.

VISIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis is on a visit to Portugal,
where he is scheduled to have talks today with PM António Costa, with the president
of the Assembly of the Republic Augusto Santos Silva, and with Portuguese MPs.
On Saturday, Iohannis had a meeting with his Portuguese counterpat, Marcelo
Rebelo de Sousa, discussing the war in neighbouring Ukraine, in which context
he reiterated thanks for Portugal’s substantial contribution to the defence and
deterrence posture on NATO’s eastern flank. The presence on Portuguese troops
in Romania is a strong signal of Portugal’s solidarity and support to
strengthening Romania’s security, president Iohannis said. On the other hand,
the president of Portugal said his country was supporting Romania’s Schengen
and OECD accession.

MEETING PM Marcel Ciolacu said today in Varna, Bulgaria, that during the
Romania – Bulgaria – Greece trilateral meeting the 3 countries agreed to
implement a joint action plan aimed at significant development in trilateral
cooperation in sectors such as transports, energy, trade and security. In the
presence of EC officials, of the Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the Bulgarian
PM Nikolay Denkov, we have reiterated Romania’s ambition of quickly becoming a
Schengen member state and an influential economic player in the region, Marcel
Ciolacu said. The Romanian official also added that Romania, in a partnership
with Bulgaria and Greece, may have a greater influence in the EU, promoting its
central role in the reconstruction of Ukraine and its willingness to see the
Republic of Moldova and Western Balkans countries joining the European bloc as
soon as possible.

HOLOCAUST Romania marks today the National Holocaust Remembrance Day. On
October 9, 1941, the deportation of Jews from Bessarabia and Bukovina to
Transdniester started. The Holocaust was recognised by the Romanian authorities
in 2004, based on the conclusions reached by a commission headed by Nobel prize
winner Elie Wiesel. The Jews and Roma who died during the Holocaust were
commemorated in Bucharest, while Timişoara is hosting a concert organised by
the local Jewish community.

SWIMMING The Romanian athlete David Popovici, the defending European
champion in the 100 and 200m freestyle races, won all the 4 short course competitions
in which he took part this weekend in Nyon (Switzerland). On Sunday he finished
the 100m and 50m freestyle events in the first position, with 47.22s and 21.83s
respectively, after on Saturday he had won the 400 and 200m freestyle races. The
competition in Switzerland is training opportunity ahead of the European short
course championships scheduled in December in Otopeni, near Bucharest. (AMP)

9 October 2023
October 7, 2023 UPDATE

PILGRIMAGE – The annual pilgrimage
to the relics of Saint Parascheva, the largest religious pilgrimage in Romania,
started Saturday morning in Iasi, eastern Romania. The feast of St. Parascheva
is celebrated every year on October 14. People go to pray at the Metropolitan
Cathedral in Iaşi, where the relics are kept. The coffin carrying the Saint’s
relics was taken out of the Metropolitan Cathedral early Saturday and placed on
a large table decorated with flowers in the cathedral’s courtyard. Tens of
thousands of believers from Romania and abroad take part in this annual
pilgrimage.

ATTACK – Israel and the Gaza Strip are
at war again, after the Hamas group on Saturday launched a surprise military
offensive, firing thousands of rockets and infiltrating fighters into the
Israeli territory. Previously, the leader of the armed wing of the Palestinian
movement had announced the launch of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. The attack, that
made numerous victims, attracted many international reactions, including from
Romania, which firmly condemned it. Our thoughts go to the families of
the victims and to those who are attacked, President Klaus Iohannis wrote
on Twitter. The State of Israel will win every time in the face of terror
and those who try to destroy it, the president of the Federation of
Jewish Communities in Romania, MP Silviu Vexler, said. The Romanian Foreign
Affairs Ministry emphasized the sovereign right of the state of Israel to
self-defense. At the same time, the ministry raised the travel alert level for
Israel, Romanians being advised to reschedule their trips to the area or, if
they are already there, to follow the instructions of the local authorities,
take shelter in buildings and leave the country when the situation allows it.
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said that the Romanian authorities are looking
for solutions to bring home as quickly as possible approximately 790 Romanians
who are on pilgrimage to Israel.

WAR – The armed branch of the
Palestinian group Hamas stated, on Saturday evening, that its fighters are
still engaged gun battles in 25 locations in Israel. According to the Israeli
authorities, at least a hundred people were killed by the Palestinian fighters
who entered the country. In the Gaza Strip, the response of the Israeli army
has allegedly caused about 200 deaths and over 1,600 wounded, according to the
Ministry of Health of the so-called Hamas administration. Under the cover of
thousands of rockets, Palestinian militants infiltrated Israel using
motorcycles, paragliders and boats. The Israeli radio reported that 35
Israeli soldiers were kidnapped and taken to Gaza. According to Radio Romania’s
correspondent in Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video
message that his country is at war.

VISIT – Romania’s President, Klaus
Iohannis, discussed, on Saturday, in Lisbon, with his Portuguese counterpart,
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, about the war in neighboring Ukraine, in which context
he thanked the Portuguese authorities for their country’s substantial
contribution, with troops, to the consolidation of NATO’s deterrence and
defense posture on the eastern flank. The presence of the Portuguese
military in Romania is a strong signal of Portugal’s solidarity with and
support for the consolidation of Romania’s security, President Iohannis
said. Talks also focused on the increased security risks in the Black Sea
region, as a result of the numerous Russian attacks on the Ukrainian ports on
the Danube, aimed to impact Ukraine’s ability to export its agricultural
products Iohannis said, adding that additional defense measures were taken
through NATO and that the protection of the Romanian territory and citizens is
ensured.

BUDGET
– This autumn’s budget revision will take place after the Constitutional Court
rules on the fiscal-budgetary measures for which the Government has recently
assumed responsibility, PM Marceal Ciolacu said. He specified that the budget
revision is urgent, because the Ministry of Transport in particular needs
substantial sums for the co-financing of large infrastructure projects, given
that the Executive’s priority is to absorb more than 95% of the European funds.
The Romanian PSD-PNL ruling coalition assumed responsibility, in Parliament,
for a thorough fiscal-budgetary reform, with the purpose of reducing budget
spending and ensure the long-term sustainability of the country’s finances. A
part of the opposition is against the new measures and notified the Constitutional
Court.

PARIS – Romania’s national rugby team
will play, on Sunday, October 8, against Tonga, in Lille (north), their last
match in Group B of the World Cup in France. In the first three games, Romania
lost to Ireland, South Africa, and Scotland.
(EE)

7 October 2023
October 6, 2023 UPDATE

SUMMIT Several EU leaders
have rejected 2030 as the year of the EU enlargement at the summit held in
Granada on Friday. The next stage of the enlargement is supposed to include the
states of the Western Balkans, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova but the
Spanish Foreign Minister has underlined that every country must first do their
homework and only then join the European Union according to their merits.
Another major issue on the agenda was migration and in this respect Poland and
Hungary have made it clear they oppose any common agreement. Cyber-security,
military security and climate change have also been high on the agenda.
Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has also attended the event.

VISIT Romanian
president Klaus Iohannis is paying a formal visit to Portugal until Monday upon
the invitation of his Portuguese counterpart, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
According to the Presidential Administration, the visit will kick off with the
participation of the Romanian president, as a special guest, in the anniversary
meeting of the Arraiolos Group, hosted by the Portuguese president in Porto on
Friday. The meeting marks 20 years since the debut of this informal platform of
consultations at the presidential level among 16 EU countries. On Saturday,
Iohannis will be received by his Portuguese counterpart in Lisbon. According to
the presidential administration, the
field of defence is one of the key elements of the bilateral cooperation
with a view to consolidating the allied defence on NATO’s Eastern Flank, an
outcome of this cooperation being Portugal’s participation with a ground force
contingent to the multinational NATO brigade in Romania. On the sidelines of
the aforementioned visit, a series of bilateral documents will be signed in the
fields of energy, investment and trade. In another development, Klaus Iohannis
will be paying a formal visit to Hungary on Wednesday for talks with his
Hungarian counterpart Katalin Novak.

MECHANISM The
mechanism that will allow the import of limited quantities of grain from Ukraine
and the Republic of Moldova only on the basis of a license was discussed by the
Bucharest Government in Thursday’s meeting. The measure aims to protect
Romanian farmers after the European Commission lifted the restrictions imposed
on Ukrainian grain imports, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said. He stated that
this mechanism, agreed with all parties involved, will allow imports only on
the basis of an authorization for limited quantities of grain and will apply
only to Romanian farmers and processors who demonstrate that they need
additional quantities to replenish stocks. This is how we ensure that
products that comply with quality standards will arrive on the Romanian
market, Ciolacu pointed out. He also said that Romania continues to support
Ukraine with all its strength, but that it is mandatory for the
Bucharest administration to protect the work of Romanian farmers. Recently, the
Romanian Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, has said that the agricultural
products that are subject to import and will fall under the scope of this
mechanism are wheat, corn, sunflower seeds and rapeseed.

RATE The
National Bank of Romania (BNR) has decided to maintain the monetary policy
interest rate at 7% per year, a value that has remained unchanged since January.
The board of directors of the BNR also kept unchanged the interest at which
commercial banks can borrow from the BNR and the interest they receive when
they keep money in deposits established at the central bank. According to the
new assessments of the BNR, the annual inflation rate will continue to decrease
until the end of the current year. Starting next year, however, inflation will
be influenced by the existence of major risks, arising from the new
fiscal-budgetary measures adopted by the government and the degree of
absorption of European funds, as well as the war in neighboring Ukraine and
economic developments below expectations from Europe.

(bill)

6 October 2023
Coordination against Russian attacks

The countries neighbouring Russia-invaded Ukraine are
not safe from the war spill-over. Polish experts have recently concluded that
the missile that killed 2 people in a farm in southern Poland last November had
been fired by the Ukrainians. The missile had a range of 75 to 90 km, the media
in Warsaw report, and at that time
Russian troops were positioned in a place from where they could not have hit
the Polish farm.

The missile hitting
NATO-member Poland has fuelled fears that the war in Ukraine might spiral into
a broader conflict, through the activation of the Allies’ mutual defence
clause, under which an attack against one NATO member state is an attack
against all.

In turn, Romania, which
has an approx. 650-km long border with Ukraine, has had constant consultations
with NATO with respect to developments on this border, ever since several drone pieces, most
likely Russian, were found on Romanian territory, in the Danube Delta.

The most recent incident took place early
this week on the Ukrainian banks of the Danube, near Orlovka, where drones fell
near a Romanian ferry leaving for Isaccea. After
this new episode, the Army chief of staff organised a video call with
the local public authorities in the counties of Brăila, Constanţa, Galaţi and
Tulcea, all of them along the Danube River, in the context of the Russian
Federation’s attacks on Ukrainian Danube ports.

According to a news release issued by the
Defence Ministry, the video call was intended to optimise inter-institutional
coordination. The agenda included a presentation of the security situation, of
the Army’s public communication process, steps to prepare the defence of the
local population, economy and territory, and the responsibilities assigned to
the various institutions in the national defence system.

The Russian army frequently targets the
Danube ports of Izmail and Reni, in the south of Bessarabia, the eastern Romanian territory annexed
by Stalin’s Soviet Union following an ultimatum in 1940, and incorporated into
Ukraine, as a successor state, in 1991. These ports are a major gateway for
Ukrainian grain exports, after in July Russia pulled out of a deal allowing
grain transit via the Black Sea.

Reni is some 13 km from the Romanian city
of Galați, while Izmail is located on the Chilia distributary of the Delta,
which serves as a border between Romania and Ukraine. Both ports are critical
for commodity transport on the Danube.

The Romanian diplomacy firmly asked the
Russians to cease the repeated attacks against Ukrainian population and
civilian infrastructure, and to comply with the rules of international law,
including Romania’s sovereignty over the airspace above its territory,
including its territorial sea. (AMP)

28 September 2023
Russia has got the opposite effect

Romania is the EU and NATO member with the
longest border with Ukraine and also a Black Sea riparian country, a region
affected by the present war, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis told the
students of the prestigious Columbia University where he was attending the
World Leaders Forum.

For this reason, Iohannis went on to say,
Romania’s prospect over the impact of the war in its strategic vicinity and at
global level is relevant. According to Iohannis, Russia expected a weak international
community and a Ukraine, which was supposed to comply with Kremlin’s demands. However,
through their threats and the subsequent use of force, the Russians have got
the opposite effect. According to Radio Romania special correspondent, president
Iohannis says that by invading Ukraine, Russia tries to bring back revisionism to
international relations as well as the spheres of influence in the global and
regional politics.

Moscow, he says, is using outdated concepts
such as the so-called right of the great powers in order to impose the foreign
policy directives on smaller states and is at the same time attacking
democratic values and the rule-based world order.

The Romanian president has also told the
students that Romania, as a strategic partner of the US and a NATO ally is now
at the highest security level in its recent history. We are now having a more
coherent approach focused on several domains concerning defence in the Eastern
Flank. We have resorted to concrete measures to step up cooperation with other
Black Sea allies, mainly with the United States of America – Iohannis went on to say.

However, Ukraine must win the war commenced
by Russian Federation and no peace can exist without the restoration of the
independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of this country. All those
who committed atrocious crimes in Ukraine and against Ukraine must be brought before
court. And all the countries with the same outlook have agreed that we must carry
on our support for Ukraine – the Romanian president pointed out. Both Ukraine,
and the neighboring Republic of Moldova, an ex-soviet Romanian speaking
country, must receive complete support for their integration into the European
Union, Iohannis added. Earlier during the General Assembly of the UN the head
of the Romanian state said this war proved that the Black Sea needs more
attention at the global level, being of strategic importance for the
Transatlantic security. He pledged that Romania would continue to ease the shipments
of the Ukrainian grain to the world’s markets as they are essential for the
world food security.

(bill)

22 September 2023
A fresh perspective on Romania’s inter-war figureheads

Romania, for two decades, over 1920
and 1940, had to face the growing revisionist aggression coming from the country’s
two great powers lying nearby, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union. Revisionist
claims also came from Romania’s neighboring countries, Hungary and Bulgaria.
Nazi Germany occupied France in June 1940. At about the same time, the Soviet
Union issued two ultimatums to the Romanian government whereby it demanded the
ceding of Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina. On August 30, 1040, through the
Vienna Treaty, Germany and Italy imposed on Romania the ceding of Northern
Transylvania to Hungary. On September 7, 1940, through the Craiova Treaty, Germany
and Italy again imposed the ceding of the Quadrilateral region or Southern
Dobrogea to Bulgaria. The ensuing crisis made it possible for a certain government
to ascend to power, a government made of the Iron Guard and Marshal Antonescu. All things considered, King Carol II was the main character to be held to account
at that time. Shortly afterwards, King Carol II lost his throne.

The sovereign had an extremely
powerful personality. Clever and manipulative, in 1938 King Carol II instated a
personal authority regime, dismantling the political parties and banning free
press. For his son, King Carol II was an abusive father, since he dethroned him
in 1930, when Michael was a still a minor. The name of King Carol and his camarilla
were in many cases linked to corruption scandals. In his boundless vainglory, even
after the deep crisis of 1940, Carol II refused to step down. Instead, he simply
left the throne and the crown.

Notwithstanding, for his decade-long reign, between 1930 and 1940, the name of King Carol II is connected to Romania’s
most prosperous period. Capital city Bucharest was systematized and the building
of the Colentina river lakes in northern Bucharest was initiated. As for culture,
at that time it benefitted from substantial support. The King’s contemporaries were
not unanimous in stating that King carol II was a fated figurehead in Romania’s
contemporary history.

Gheorghe Barbul was
Marshal Antonescu’s personal secretary. In 1984, he was interviewed by then the
well-known historian Vad Georgescu of Radio Free Europe. The interview, in 1993,
was included in Radio Romania’s Oral History Center Heritage. According to
Gheorghe Barbul, despite Carol II’s fraught relation with Antonescu, the latter’s
mindset was largely based on political stability, while in Antonescu’s opinion,
monarchy and the King simply overlapped.

Gheorghe Barbul:

Monarchy, Antonescu believed, was indispensable
to a country like Romania, a young country. It was only monarchy that could
guarantee the continuity of the state in a world of demagogues, where, in his own
words, vote owners had replaced the land owners. He hinted at the gap between
pre-1914 Romania and Romania after 1920. And he believed that, given the
impending necessity for the country to have a monarchy, King Carol should in no
way be lambasted, whatever his sins may be. And that because a form of instability
on Romania’s throne could have posed a danger for the country. The father had
already dethroned the son and had ascended the throne, if what a certain part of
the opposition intended to do, especially the National Peasant Party and the Iron
Guard, namely having Michael remove Carol from power and ascending the throne for
the second time around, if all that meant instability.

For jurist and political detainee Radu
Boroș King Carol II was, just as he claimed in an interview dated 1995, one of Romania’s
most important sovereigns who also gave an impetus to the development of
aviation, a domain which at that time had been gaining ground in the country.

Radu Boros:

For me, as a Romanian,
King Carol is still la great king. And, had Romanians been able to understand
him, the progress that we would have made would have been a lot greater that it
actually was. All that was done from the end of World War One to the second
world war, everything that was achieved at home, in industry, in administration
and such like was entirely his will, all that occurred under his patronage, it
was imposed by him. When he came, he found out that in Romania, regarding
aviation, we had nothing! We, in World War One, had very few pilots and captive
balloons. We dealt more with captive balloons than with fighter planes or strategic
bombing capabilities. We, during World War One, had not been what we subsequently
were during the Second World War. Then he decided to give a fresh impetus to
aviation and the impetus he gave military aviation was really great. As part of
military aviation, he was the one who was dead set on founding Romanian
Aeronautics Enterprise in Brasov, where we also built a fighter plane, I.A.R.
14, which at that time, in 1937-1938, was one of the best fighter planes. And
yet, apart from military aviation, he realized we also needed civil aviation. He
was far-sighted and understood aviation was about to become an important means of
transport. And then he decided to establish a Romanian air transport society. Before
this Romanian company was created, Romania participated alongside France in the French-Romanian
Society.

King Carol II
is one of history’s controversial personality. Yet without such a personality,
existence would have been quieter but duller.

18 September 2023
Long war expected in Ukraine

NATO’s secretary general
Jens Stoltenberg warned that the war in Russia-invaded Ukraine is not going to
end very soon. In an interview released on Sunday by the German press group Funke
and quoted by international media, he said that Most wars last longer than
expected when they first begin and concluded that Therefore we must prepare
ourselves for a long war in Ukraine.

Stoltenberg also argued
that We all want a quick peace. At the same time, we must recognize that if
President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainians stop fighting, their country will no
longer exist. If President Putin and Russia stop fighting, we will have peace.

As for Kyiv’s plans to
join the North-Atlantic Alliance, its chief says it is just a matter of time
before Ukraine joins the Alliance. When the war ends, Ukraine will need safety
guarantees. Otherwise, history could repeat itself, Jens Stoltenberg warned.

In this summer’s NATO summit in Vilnius, the
NATO leaders agreed that Ukraine would be able to join, provided that certain
conditions were met, related to democracy and the rule of law. But Kyiv
struggles with recurrent scandals, some of them concerning the very equipment
of the Army fighting the Russians or the widespread bribery system in military
commissariats, whereby men avoid recruitment.

Meanwhile, the long-discussed and awaited
Ukrainian counteroffensive, launched this summer, is much slower than Kyiv
officials and their Western supporters were hoping. Every couple of weeks, Ukraine
announces the freeing of some village, usually completely deserted and
obliterated by the Russian occupants.

On the other hand, Russia’s great-power
ego and territorial appetite are far from being satisfied. Moscow only has some
control over four Ukrainian regions: Donetsk and Luhanks in the east, Kherson
and Zaporizhzhia in the south, in addition to the Crimean peninsula annexed in
2014. It is too little compared to what Putin told his men on February 24,
2022, when he ordered the invasion.

Both the aged and bitter Kremlin chief and
his close aides, who keep echoing the same nonsensical claims of de-Nazifying
an Ukrainian state led by a Jewish president, seem hardly resigned to not
seeing their tanks entering Kyiv.

Moreover, the Russian economy seems to
withstand the successive waves of Western sanctions, and to be able to further
finance the invasion. So chances are the fighting will continue, even though
Russian experts themselves have calculated that two months of war equate the Russian
Federation’s healthcare budget for the entire year 2023. (AMP)

18 September 2023