Radio România Internațional

Tag: warning

November 22, 2024

WEATHER Nearly 3-quarters of Romania’s territory is under various severe weather alerts, valid at least until tonight. A code red warning for snowstorms at altitudes of over 1,700 m is in place in several counties in the centre and south of the country. Parts of Romania’s mid-west are subject to code orange alerts for strong wind, ranging from 80 to 120 km/h, and heavy snowfalls are expected in the mountains. Mixed precipitation and wind are also forecast for the west, north-west and centre of the country, according to a code yellow alert.

ELECTION Voting has begun abroad, in the first round of Romania’s presidential election. Voting is already underway in New Zealand, Australia, Japan and South Korea. Those who have already cast their ballots today join the over 4,200 who voted by mail. Voting abroad takes place over three days, from November 22 to 24. In the country, Romanians will be able to vote for their next president on Sunday, from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., with extensions granted only if there are still voters in polling stations or queuing outside. Almost 19,000 polling stations are set up in the country and 950 abroad for this election. The most polling stations abroad are in Italy – 158, Spain – 147 and the United Kingdom – 107. 13 candidates take part in the race for the president post. Also on Sunday, a local referendum is held in Bucharest, with three questions related to administrative issues, including the distribution of tax revenues and the issuance of construction permits, as well as the fight against drug use. A 30% turnout is needed for the referendum to be valid.

SCHENGEN The interior ministers of Romania and Bulgaria, Cătălin Predoiu and Atanas Ilkov respectively, are meeting today in Budapest with their Austrian counterpart, Gerhard Karner, to discuss the 2 countries’ full Schengen accession, vetoed by Austria so far. The Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu, as well as his Hungarian counterpart, Viktor Orban, will also attend the meeting, held under the auspices of the Hungarian Presidency of the EU. During the talks, the officials will consider an agreement on the full accession of Romania and Bulgaria to Schengen. A decision on lifting external border controls could be taken on December 12 in Brussels, in the Justice and Home Affairs Council, but this needs the support of all EU member states. Romania and Bulgaria partially joined Schengen at the end of March, by suspending controls at air and sea borders. Land border controls remained in place, however, because of Austria’s veto, which Vienna says is related to concerns about illegal migration.

DEFENCE Signing the agreement with the US for the procurement of F-35 aircraft is another decisive step forward for Romania towards a modern and efficient national defence, well connected to our international partners, PM Marcel Ciolacu said on Thursday. He attended the signing of the Protocol launching the Romanian Air Force’s transition to 5th generation F-35 aircraft. The document was signed by the defence minister Angel Tîlvăr and the US Ambassador to Bucharest, Kathleen Kavalec.

UKRAINE Russia’s president Vladimir Putin said Russia had hit the Ukrainian city of Dnipro with a new type of medium-range missile designed to carry nuclear warheads, in response to Ukraine’s attacks on Russian territory with Western-supplied missiles. Addressing the nation, Putin said the war in Ukraine had acquired elements of a global conflict after the United States, France and Britain agreed with the use of their missiles against Russia, and he warned that his country had the right to use its weapons against the military facilities of those countries that allow their weapons to be used against Russian territory. In case of escalation, Putin added, Russia would respond decisively and symmetrically. The United States, which according to Reuters was informed shortly before the Russian missile launch, said Moscow was the one escalating the conflict in Ukraine. Washington, however, said it had no reason to change its nuclear doctrine based solely on Putin’s irresponsible rhetoric.

NETANYAHU Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu said he would continue to defend the country in any way he could, after the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for him for war crimes and crimes against humanity. Netanyahu described the court’s decision as an anti-Semitic act, while Israel’s president and the parliament speaker called it an attack on justice and truth. The US President Joe Biden called the arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court for Netanyahu and his former defence minister, Yoav Gallant, “outrageous”, and promised the US would stand by Israel in the face of a threat to its security. According to Biden, the International Criminal Court has no jurisdiction in this case. As for President-elect Donald Trump, he did not react to the decision to issue the arrest warrants issued against Netanyahu and Gallant, but his future national security adviser, Mike Waltz, promised a “strong response” to the ICC’s anti-Semitic leaning. (AMP)

22 November 2024
October 2, 2024

A roundup of local and international news.

VISA WAIVER – Romania meets all the technical conditions to be part of the Visa Waiver Program, the Romanian ambassador to the US, Andrei Muraru, said on a social network. He also said that Romanians would most likely be allowed to travel visa-free in the first part of next year. “Should all the conditions and preparations proceed successfully, the program could take effect sometime in 2025” the US ambassador to Romania, Kathleen Kavalec, said on Tuesday. However, Ambassador Kavalec said, a number of important steps still need to be completed in the coming months to establish whether Romania is, in fact, eligible to participate in the Visa Waiver Program.

BNR – The Governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isarescu, was entrusted by Parliament on Tuesday, with a new 5-year mandate at the helm of the financial institution. He has led the Bank almost uninterruptedly since 1990. He only stepped down for one year, to serve as prime minister of Romania. He is the longest-serving governor of a central bank in the world. Isărescu said before Parliament that the institution would try to ensure price stability without discouraging long-term economic growth.

WARNING – The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest strongly advises Romanian citizens who are in Lebanon to leave this country by the air routes still available. The travel warning regarding the existence of major security risks is still valid. These can also affect commercial flights and travel routes, according to the Ministry. Some 1,136 Romanian citizens and their family members have so far registered their presence in Lebanon, at the Romanian Embassy in Beirut. On the ground, Iran announced that its attack on Israel had ended, after, on Tuesday evening, it launched more than 180 missiles in its direction. Tehran says that it targeted the infrastructure of the enemy state. International media says that among the targets were the headquarters of the Israeli intelligence service, Mossad, as well as the most important air base, Nevatim, which is also used by Israel F- 35 long-range stealth strike fighter fleet. According to the Radio Romania correspondent in Israel, there is no information regarding the loss of human life and damages.

ALERT – A new RO-Alert message was issued for the northern part of Tulcea county (south-eastern Romania), after the national defense and security structures detected a possible attack by the Russian Federation on some targets on the territory of Ukraine. These messages have the role of informing the population in the border area between Romania and Ukraine about the fact that there are possible Russian attacks on the Ukrainian territory and that some objects might fall on the Romanian national territory. The Romanian Defense Ministry firmely condemns once more these attacks carried out by the Russian Federation against some objectives and elements of Ukrainian civil infrastructure, which are unjustified and are serious breaches of international law.

UNEMPLOYMENT – The unemployment rate in Romania rose, in August, to 5.5%, up by 0.1% compared to the one recorded in July 2024, according to data published on Wednesday by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). By gender, the unemployment rate for men exceeded that of women by 0.7% (the values being 5.8% for men and 5.1% for women). The unemployment rate among young people (15-24 years old) continues to be high – 23.2%. The number of unemployed (aged 15-74) was 452,300 in August, and went up both compared to the previous month (451,200 people) and to the same period of last year (449,500 people). The number of unemployed aged 25-74 accounted for 76.3% of the total number of unemployed estimated for August 2024.

SUPPORT – Romania will support Greece by sending 50 firefighters and equipment specialized in putting out fires. According to a press release by the Government, following the activation of the European Civil Protection Mechanism, the Government of Romania responded to the request of the Greek authorities for international assistance.

MEETING – The Romanian Minister of Defense, Angel Tîlvăr, had, on Wednesday, in Bucharest, an official meeting with his Portuguese counterpart, Nuno Melo. The two ministers reviewed the state of Romanian-Portuguese cooperation in terms of security and defense from a bilateral perspective and from that of their countries’ NATO and EU membership. Topics related to the security situation in the Black Sea region and measures to strengthen the allied defense position and deter aggression on the Eastern flank were also addressed.

2 October 2024
Romania under the grip of severe weather conditions

The first summer month in
Romania has been marred by a strong atmospheric instability. Weather forecast
services have issued alert codes, and so did the hydrological authorities
countrywide. Thunderstorms have been reports, but also heavy downpours, storing
winds, gales and even hailstone. Water quantities per square meter have
exceeded 20 to30 litres, and even 40 litres, in isolated areas. Such manifestations
have made their presence felt the whole past
weekend. From Friday and all through to Monday, at day-clean, traveling from
the West to the East, there were strong storms, with thunder and lightning,
with downpours and wind blasts. A cloud burst had been reported a couple of
days before across the country; another cloudburst has hit Bucharest this time
as well. Sunday night a severe weather code red alert was issued for Romania’s
capital city, including strong gales, small and medium-sized hailstone, heavy
downpours and thunderstorms that occurred quite often. In the meantime, the
alert code was revised downwards, from red to yellow. Trees were felled by the
strong winds, there were also trees that fell over vehicles. They were removed thanks
to the intervention of the Bucharest-Ilfov Emergency Situations Inspectorate.

We recall that a week ago traffic
in Bucharest was paralyzed across the capital city’s main thoroughfares and
boulevards because of the heavy downpours that literally flooded several traffic
roads, while traffic lights went out of order at several junctions across the
city. This time, traffic has been less affected for the simple reason that the
severe weather phenomena occurred during the night, before Bucharesters departed
for their offices, their education units or other destinations.

A code orange alert has also
been issued for several localities across the central Romanian county of Harghita,
where Sunday night a severe power cut was reported for roughly 1,000 households,
because the strong wind affected the power transformation facilities. Another
code orange alert was issued for the southern Romanian counties of Giurgiu and Dambovita.
For a couple of dozens of minutes, jointly with the counties of Calarasi and Ialomita,
also in the south, the county of Ilfov was even under a code red alert for
gales and hailstone.

Traffic along the Bucharest-Constanta
Sun Highway became difficult because of the heavy downpours. During the night, an
impending severe weather code red alert has been issued for localities in the
counties of Mehedinti, Caraş-Severin and Constanţa, all in the southern
part of Romania. The people living there
received RO-ALERT messages on their cell phones. The storm fell several trees
in the municipal city of Constanta and in other localities in the south. A tree
fell over a car while eight others, on the roadway. The heavy downpour flooded
two houses and a church in Constanta. With two passengers inside, a car was
blocked in the water. Military firefighters carried intervention operations so
that all those situations could be solved. A code yellow alert has been issued elsewhere
across the country. The severe weather warnings have been lifted on Monday
morning. According to the weather forecast services’ maps, on Monday morning
Romania has yet again become a green zone, with no code alert or other kind of warning
to be issued.

(EN)

6 June 2022
Flash floods hit Romania

News reports in Romania have been focusing on rainfalls, floods and flash floods, as the country is facing the rainiest month of June in 60 years. Rivers have overflown and killed people, destroying households, crops, bridges, and in some places disrupting road and railway transport.

Where the danger is over, people are taking stock of whats left behind, and trying to fix what they can. Teams from the Inspectorate for Emergencies have been deployed to the flooded areas, and the Romanian Water Administration authority continues to monitor the rivers that are under warnings.

The National Hydrology and Water Management Institute has lifted the code red alerts issued a few days ago for the rivers Prut, Timiş and Jiu, in the north and centre of the country, but they replaced them with code yellow or orange alerts.

Special attention is still paid to Prut River, as flash floods occurring upstream, in neighbouring Ukraine, are quickly advancing towards Romania. Considerable flow rate increases have also been reported in the centre of the country, in counties Harghita and Covasna, where heavy rainfalls are expected to cause flash floods and mudslides. The danger is even greater on Timiş river, in the west.

Meanwhile, military firefighters and gendarmes are carrying on assistance and support operations in the Jiu Valley area, where mining towns like Uricani and Aninoasa were badly hit. Hundreds of households were flooded and hundreds of people were evacuated.

The Lupeni coal mine was also flooded. Almost 400 workers were evacuated after water went into the underground galleries, reaching one and a half metres high. Coal production was suspended until the situation is addressed.

The heavy flooding reported in recent days in Romania is a consequence of chaotic exploitation of the forests and building materials along rivers, the Minister for the Environment, Waters and Forests Costel Alexe warned, after inspections on site. It is vital that we understand we need to take better care of the environment in the near future, so as to avoid situations like these, Costel Alexe said.

Also while on site, the Interior Minister Marcel Vela called on local authorities in all the counties affected by flooding to step up the damage assessment and to submit relevant documentation to prefect offices.

Weather experts warn that after this rainy spell, severe heat is expected to hit Romania.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

29 June 2020
Warnings about global warming

In a stern warning, meant to give an impetus to actions meant to fight global warming, the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has drawn attention that the world is ‘not on track to limiting world temperature rises to an acceptable level, as defined in the Paris Agreement. The agreement, concluded a few years back by 195 UN member countries, provides for holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius as against the level reported in the pre-industrial era. Mr. Guterres said that quote “The paradox is that as things are getting worse on the ground, political will seems to be fading unquote, adding that the small island countries will be the most affected. The leaders of the states in the Pacific Islands have issued a common statement warning that climate change will lead to a global catastrophe. The statement warns that time is ticking away to the disadvantage of the Pacific region, and hundreds of small islands and their people are in danger.

The Pacific Islands leaders also warned that loss is already significant, and water level increases have been reported as well as extreme weather phenomena. Antonio Guterres has stated that saving the Pacific is vital in the attempt to save the entire world, in a context in which temperatures are rising, the rainfall patterns are altered, glaciers are melting at an alarming pace, and the average sea level is on the rise across the planet.

Another cause for global warming is the greenhouse gas emissions and the solution would practically be to try to reduce or prevent such emissions through various measures. Lavinia Andrei, the president of the Terra 3rd Millennium Foundation has been invited in Radio Romanias studios and tried to explain the situation. She also referred to the proposals regarding the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions forwarded at the Sibiu summit by some of the EU countries, proposals initiated by the French president Emmanuel Macron:

Lavinia Andrei: “Any measure actually entails measures in economy, industry, radical measures in general. The proposal made by the 8 European states and initiated by president Macron, according to which by 2050 greenhouse gas emissions should be eliminated, first of all means, for Romania, for instance, to no longer use coal. Of course, this is not expected to happen tomorrow, but we need to start taking measures right now to have a transition period. We need to know what to do, what to use instead. What to do with the population in that respective area? What will they do?

Furthermore, there is pressure coming from businesses, which should not be neglected. The measures related to agriculture and environment protection can be found in the ambitious proposals forwarded by the French president.

Radio Romanias correspondent to Paris, Daniela Coman reports: “Reducing by half the use of chemical products for getting rid of pests and plant diseases, providing more European funds to those farmers who commit to having a cleaner, healthier production and to reducing the use of pesticides, who contribute to the natural soil rehabilitation, who produce organic food, who act for the safeguarding of bee populations – these are some of the initiatives which Emmanuel Macron wishes to promote at European level.

25% of the EU budget should be allotted to projects meant to fight climate change, president Macron believes. Europe is the worlds 3rd biggest source of greenhouse gas emissions after China and the US, university professor Mircea Duţu recalled. He tried to explain the reticence shown at the Sibiu summit by some countries regarding the statement of the 8, by quoting a recent tendency of states to focus on national priorities:

Mircea Duţu: “At the Sibiu summit, as regards the attitude towards this document, a rift emerged at Europe level. It was not about the functioning of the France-Germany duet, which usually manages to impose certain decisions at EU level. In this particular situation, the French president had to find allies in other countries, because Germany, out of domestic policy reasons and given the difficulties it has in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, simply postpones the moment when it will join this initiative. But it does not reject it in principle.

Germany and the East European countries believe that the 2050 deadline is too ambitions and could impinge on European competiveness. They would favor a postponement of the deadline by 2060. The environmental activists, on the other hand, want the European leaders to assume a more ambitious timetable, arguing that the recent protests related to climate change show that the EU citizens are quick to react. (translation by L. Simion)

6 September 2019
Floods hit Romania

The heavy rainfalls of the recent days, assigned code yellow and orange alerts by meteorologists, have created massive problems in several parts of the country. Hydrologists have also issued several flood alerts valid in many counties, the most affected region being the north of the country, where a code red alert was in place. Flash floods were reported and the high water flow rates reached by several rivers have caused damage in scores of villages and towns.

In the north of Romania, in Maramures County, a 63 year old man died on Wednesday, swept away by such an overflow. Several rivers flooded hundreds of hectares of farm land, pastures, households, national, county and local roads, while segments of railroad were silted up.

In the affected areas, the authorities brought in sandbags, power pumps and other equipment in order to take the water out of the flooded households. In the village of Turbuta, in the north-west of the country, the pontoon bridge was rendered unusable, the only access way into the village being a ramshackle footbridge that makes it impossible for firefighters or ambulances to get there in case of emergency. People say the only solution is to wait for the waters to withdraw.

Severe problems have also been reported in other villages, where roads have been affected by river overflows and the locals have to use by-pass routes. Farmers are the most upset, because many of them see their crops under water and the damage is substantial. The locals in many villages in the north of the country received warnings via the RO-Alert system, regarding a prospective major flash flood. Tens of people were evacuated, and more than 100 people called the 112 emergency number.

In the south of Romania as well, the rainfall caused flooding that required the intervention of military firefighters, which brought in power pumps to help take out the water from peoples homes. Thousands of people were left without electricity.

Meanwhile, the European Commission proposed an aid programme of over 8 million euros for the north-east of the country, which was severely affected by floods last summer. Following the heavy rains falling from mid-June to early August 2018, massive damage was caused in terms of infrastructure, farm land and housing in 6 counties in that region, particularly in Neamt, Bacau and Suceava. The Romanian authorities estimate that the rescue and civil protection operations cost nearly 295 million euros.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

23 May 2019
Floods hit Romania

The heavy rainfalls of the recent days, assigned code yellow and orange alerts by meteorologists, have created massive problems in several parts of the country. Hydrologists have also issued several flood alerts valid in many counties, the most affected region being the north of the country, where a code red alert was in place. Flash floods were reported and the high water flow rates reached by several rivers have caused damage in scores of villages and towns.

In the north of Romania, in Maramures County, a 63 year old man died on Wednesday, swept away by such an overflow. Several rivers flooded hundreds of hectares of farm land, pastures, households, national, county and local roads, while segments of railroad were silted up.

In the affected areas, the authorities brought in sandbags, power pumps and other equipment in order to take the water out of the flooded households. In the village of Turbuta, in the north-west of the country, the pontoon bridge was rendered unusable, the only access way into the village being a ramshackle footbridge that makes it impossible for firefighters or ambulances to get there in case of emergency. People say the only solution is to wait for the waters to withdraw.

Severe problems have also been reported in other villages, where roads have been affected by river overflows and the locals have to use by-pass routes. Farmers are the most upset, because many of them see their crops under water and the damage is substantial. The locals in many villages in the north of the country received warnings via the RO-Alert system, regarding a prospective major flash flood. Tens of people were evacuated, and more than 100 people called the 112 emergency number.

In the south of Romania as well, the rainfall caused flooding that required the intervention of military firefighters, which brought in power pumps to help take out the water from peoples homes. Thousands of people were left without electricity.

Meanwhile, the European Commission proposed an aid programme of over 8 million euros for the north-east of the country, which was severely affected by floods last summer. Following the heavy rains falling from mid-June to early August 2018, massive damage was caused in terms of infrastructure, farm land and housing in 6 counties in that region, particularly in Neamt, Bacau and Suceava. The Romanian authorities estimate that the rescue and civil protection operations cost nearly 295 million euros.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

23 May 2019
May 13, 2019 UPDATE

JUDICIARY The European Commission confirmed on Monday that its first vice-president, Frans Timmermans, sent a new letter to the Romanian authorities on Friday, warning against the developments related to the rule of law in Romania. As the EC spokesman Margaritis Schinas put it, “The main concerns relate to developments interfering with judicial independence and the effective fight against corruption, including the protection of financial interests of the EU and particularly to the recently adopted amendments to the criminal code that create a de facto impunity for crimes. He added that unless these concerns are addressed or if further negative measures are taken, such as the promulgation of the latest amendments to the criminal legislation, the Commission will immediately activate the rules for safeguarding the rule of law and will suspend the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism. This is the instrument used by the Commission to monitor developments in the Romanian judiciary ever since the country joined the bloc in 2007. On April 24, the European Commission announced it would closely monitor the draft amendments to the Criminal Code and Code of Criminal Procedure, adopted by the Chamber of Deputies, and reiterated that Romania must immediately resume reforms in this field.

EASTERN PARTNERSHIP Brussels is hosting for 2 days several events marking the 10th anniversary of the Eastern partnership. Romania is represented by the head of state, Klaus Iohannis, and the foreign minister, Teodor Melescanu. Officials for the 28 EU member states and the 6 partner states, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, are assessing the progress made in an ambitious schedule for the coming year, aimed at ensuring concrete benefits for the citizens of the entire region, by means of efforts targeting stronger economies, governments and societies. The Eastern Partnership is an initiative that consists in the creation of a common area of democracy, prosperity, stability and close cooperation between the EU and the partner countries.

POLL The Army, the Church and the Romanian Academy are the institutions Romanian trust the most, according to the public opinion Barometre released on Monday by the Romanian Academy. The survey indicates that 68% of the respondents have “a lot of confidence in the Army, around 57% in the Church and over 45% in the Romanian Academy. Next come, in descending order, the Police, the Presidency, the National Bank of Romania, the City Hall, the Mass Media, the Constitutional Court, the Government, Parliament and the political parties. As for the international institutions, Romanians have “a lot of confidence in NATO – over 56%, EU – more than 55%, the UN – over 52%. The survey was conducted between April 12 and May 3.

CORRUPTION The Bucharest Court Monday sentenced a former mayor of Bucharest, Sorin Oprescu, to four and a half years in prison for bribe-taking, and dismissed the charges of money laundering. The ruling is not final and may be appealed against. In November 2015, the National Anti-Corruption Directorate indicted Sorin Oprescu for bribe-taking, money laundering, abuse of office and forming an organised crime group. Sorin Oprescu, a former member of the Social Democratic Party, was elected mayor of Bucharest in 2008, running as a non-affiliated candidate, and won a second term in office in 2012.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

13 May 2019
November 7, 2018 UPDATE

Doha — The Romanian PM Viorica Dancila on Wednesday presided over an economic forum held in Doha, on the occasion of her official visit to Qatar. In this context, the PM presented the main projects and business opportunities that can be implemented by means of public-private partnerships as well as the intention of the Romanian authorities to cooperate more closely with businesspeople from Qatar. PM Dancila encouraged them to come and invest in Romania in key sectors such as infrastructure, agriculture, tourism and healthcare. She highlighted Romania’s geostrategic position and economic growth reported in the past years.

Cooperation — The European company Airbus and the Romanian company IAR Ghimbav have signed a contract of exclusive cooperation for a period of 15 years for the production, in Romania, of the twin-engine multirole helicopter H215M. Airbus and IAR have been, for more than a decade, partners in the Airbus Helicopters Romania company, a successful center specializing in maintenance and repair work services for a wide range of civil and military helicopters from Romania and other countries. Export contracts account for 75% of the Airbus Helicopters Romania’s turnover. In 2016, Ghimbav saw the inauguration of the Airbus Helicopters Industries factory specialized in the production of H215M helicopters. IAR, a company with majority state-owned assets, is one of Romania’s leaders in the aeronautics field, being specialized in the production and maintenance of helicopters. Airbus is a world leader in aeronautics and services in the space domain.

CCR — Romania’s Constitutional Court (CCR) on Wednesday admitted, with a majority of votes, the government’s notification regarding the existence of a juridical conflict of a constitutional nature between Parliament and the High Court of Cassation and Justice regarding the setting up of panels of judges. Thus, the High Court of Cassation and Justice is bound to take the necessary measures, as soon as possible, to appoint all the 5 members of the panels by drawing of lots, not only 4 judges as has happened since 2014. The panels of 5 judges with the High Court judging criminal cases are dealing with important cases in which politicians such as the PSD leader L. Dragnea, the leader of ALDE C. P. Tariceanu and the former head of the government’s general secretariat, Toni Grebla, a former judge with the Constitutional Court are also involved. Following the decision of the CCR many cases handled by the High Court of Cassation and Justice might be re-judged from scratch.

Washington — The Romanian interior minister Carmen Dan will be the US on Thursday and Friday to participate in the EU-US Justice and Home Affairs Ministerial Meeting. At this high level meeting, which is also going to be attended by the US Attorney General, the Romanian minister will present the home affairs priorities of Romania’s future presidency of the EU Council. The meeting is organized by the Austrian presidency of the EU Council in Washington DC, according to a preset timetable, namely in the first half of the year, the venue of the meeting is in the state holding the presidency of the EU Council, while in the second half of the year, the venue is in the US capital. The EU is represented in Washington by the interior and justice ministers of the Austrian presidency of the EU Council, by Romania’s delegation, a country that will take over the EU Council presidency on January 1, 2019 and by the EU Commissioners for migration, home affairs and security.

Ashgabat — The Romanian athlete Nicolae Onica on Wednesday won the bronze medal in the total event, the 96 kg category, at the World Weightlifting Championships held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan. In the final classification he was outperformed by Iranian Sohran Moradi and Chinese Tao Tian. (new translated and updated by L. Simion)

7 November 2018
Rule of law in Romania, debated in European Parliament

The Romanian PM Viorica Dancila took part in debates in the European Parliament, at a difficult time for the relation between the government she heads and the European Union, triggered by the heavily criticized revision of the justice laws that sparked the protests of August 10 in the capital Bucharest.

On Monday, at the civil liberties committee in the European Parliament, European Commission vice-president Frans Timmermans cited “growing concerns” about changes to Romania’s justice system and criminal code, that could threaten the independence of the judiciary and the fight against corruption and has warned Romanias government that it might end up in court if it does reverse judicial reforms.

A plenary debate on Romanias rule of law followed on Wednesday. Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said she did not come before Parliament to give account, but out of respect for the European institutions, and that she expected Romania to be given equal treatment within the EU. She also said that a viable justice system must be built first and foremost for the citizens, and not for magistrates, politicians or institutions. She also pointed out that the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM), initially meant to fix corruption-related problems, proved inefficient, as the Commission reports did not mention any secret protocols between intelligence services and prosecutor’s offices.

Viorica Dancila: “This mechanism has missed the goal for which it was created and I officially request to be told who wrote the CVM report, who provided the data and who omitted out of negligence or bad will these facts that are unacceptable in the EU.”

The Romanian PM’s statements have triggered various reactions from the Romanian MEPs, who either criticised Timmermans’s opinion or the Romanian government. Justice must be done in the court room, not based on secret protocols, some of the MEPs have said, while other believes that Romania should not be represented by a bunch of corrupt politicians, whose main enemy is the very justice system. Romanian Parliament members also had divergent opinions. The leaders of the parties making up the ruling coalition, namely, the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats hailed Dancila’s discourse. The opposition parties on the other hand, believe that PM Dancila faked reality.

President of the Save Romania Union, Dan Barna: “Mrs Dancila went there to try to convince the whole Europe that white is in fact black. Seeing Mrs Dancila speak before the European Parliament was like watching the theatre of the absurd.”

A resolution regarding Romania will be put to a vote in plenary in November, and also in November the European Commission will make public a new CVM report. The Commission monitors Romania’s record on fighting corruption as part of a so-called Cooperation and Verification Mechanism that the country signed up to when it joined the EU in 2007.

4 October 2018
November 30, 2017

CELEBRATIONS – Romanians have todays started a four-day mini-holiday occasioned by St. Andrews’ Day, the patron saint of Romania, followed by Romania’s National Day, on December 1st. Most Romanians have chosen local destinations to spend these days off from work, their favourites being the resorts on the Prahova Valley, in the Southern Carpathians, Bukovina, in the north as well as spas and treatment resorts. The average budget allocated for this travels across the country stands at some 170 Euros per person. Romanians spending their mini-holiday abroad will however spend around 320 Euros per person. Celebrated by both the Romanians living in the country and abroad, December 1st, the National Day of Romania, is, as every year, a moment of joy. The highlight of the day is the traditional military parade in Bucharest. The approximately 3,500 Romanian military, accompanied by 50 aircraft and over 300 fighting vehicles will parade in Romania’s capital city. 300 other troops from allied and partner countries will also join the parade.

VISAS – The Romanian Foreign Ministry recalls that, as of December 1st, Romanian citizens will be able to travel to Canada visa free, for periods of maximum 6 months, for tourist purposes. Those who intend to travel by plane will have to first get an Electronic Travel Authorization — eTA. The others will only have to have a valid passport. The Romanian Foreign Ministry hails the decision made by the Canadian authorities to liberalize the visa regime for the Romanian citizens, the outcome of years of diplomatic cooperation, also with the participation of the European Commission.

ST. ANDREW’S DAY — Orthodox, Greek Catholic and Roman Catholic believers from all over the world, Romania included, are today celebrating St. Apostle Andrew. He is the first of Jesus Christ’s apostles who preached Christianity in the south of Romania. This way Saint Andrew is also considered the patron saint of the country. Saint Andrew preached in Dobruja and in today’s Ukrainian territory, in Great Scythia, and then in Byzantium. He then went to Greece and preached the Gospel, going up to Patras town where he died a martyr’s death. He was crucified on an X-shaped cross. Over 700 thousand Romanians named after St. Andrew celebrate their name day today.

WARNING – The United States has urged all countries to sever economic and diplomatic ties with North Korea. Speaking at an emergency meeting of the U.N. Security Council to discuss North Korea’s latest missile launch, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley warned Pyongyang that the regime will be “utterly destroyed” if a standoff over missile tests leads to war. She also said Pyongyang had brought the world closer to war with its latest test of a ballistic missile capable of striking the U.S. mainland. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has firmly condemned North Korea’s new nuclear test, saying it is a new serious threat to regional and international peace and security and a blatant violation of the UN Security Council resolutions.

BUDGET – Romania’s state budget for next year is built on a 5.5% economic growth rate, down from this year’s 6.1% forecast, reads a Report on the macroeconomic situation and its projection for the 2019-2021 period, made public by the Finance Ministry. The domestic demand will be the engine for economic growth. The document also says that economic activity in all sectors will improve, while the budget deficit will stand at 2.97% of the GDP. The annual average inflation rate considered when drafting the 2018 budget is 3.1% and the exchange rate is 4.55 lei for one euro. Also, a 4.2% increase in the number of employees is expected, at the same time with a decrease in the unemployment rate, which is expected to stand at 3.9% at the end of next year.

HANDBALL – As of December 1st, Germany will be hosting the World Women’s Handball Championship. Romania is part of Group A, alongside France, Spain, Slovenia, Angola and Paraguay. On December 2nd, in their first match, the Romanian squad will take on the team of Paraguay. At the previous World Championship, in 2015, Romania won bronze. The Romanian team is the only team to have participated in all the 22 editions of the World Championship held so far.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

30 November 2017
January 10, 2016 UPDATE

CHILD WELFARE- The Romanian and Norwegian authorities will continue talks next week on the five children of the Bodnariu family, who have been taken into custody by the Norwegian child welfare services, Barnevernet, after reportedly having been physically disciplined by their parents. Romanias Ambassador to Oslo is due to meet representatives of the Norwegian Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion on January 13. Also, the Romanian Foreign Ministry has announced that, at its initiative, the Romanian Child Protection Authority has issued a proposal for the Norwegian side to agree with the childrens integration into their uncles family in Romania and is waiting for an answer in the coming days. In turn, the Bodnariu family have contested in court the measures taken by the Norwegian local authorities. Meanwhile, rallies of support for the Bodnariu couple have been staged in several cities across Romania and abroad.

HEAVY PRECIPITATION-The National Meteorological Authority has issued a warning against heavy precipitation valid for western, northern and central Romania until Tuesday morning. Meteorologists forecast very heavy rainfalls in the north, where 25-30 litres are likely to fall per square meter, and even 40-50 litres per square meter, in isolated places. Sleet is expected to fall in the mountains. On Monday, the sky will continue to be overcast in most regions, but temperatures will be higher than usual for this time of the year. The lowest temperatures will range between 2 and 8 degrees Celsius, whereas the highs will vary from 6 to 14 degrees Celsius.

EXPULSION– A Jordanian national, Jamal Khalil, was expelled from Romania on Saturday, for national security reasons. The High Court of Cassation and Justice has dismissed the defences appeal against a ruling issued by the Court of Appeals in Bucharest in late 2015. Jamal Khalil has been declared undesirable for 15 years, after the relevant authorities have discovered solid evidence leading to the conclusion that the Jordanian citizen carried out activities which put in jeopardy Romanias national security. According to the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) Jamal A. Abdel Jabbar Khalil Shalash, who has been living in Romania since 1991, was monitored by the Service since 2014. The intelligence agency said the Jordanian national was unconditionally supporting the Islamic State terrorist group, for which he was conducting online propaganda campaigns, being willing to get involved in prospective actions targeting Romanias security.

TOUGHER ASYLUM LAWS -
German Justice Minister, Heiko Maas, has said he
believes the sexual assaults and street muggings against women in Cologne on
New Year’s Eve were coordinated and
prepared ahead of time. In an interview with the German newspaper Bild
am Sonntag, Maas has said his suspicion is that a specific date was
picked up, and a certain number of people expected, which adds a whole new
dimension to the investigation. He accused xenophobic organisations of using
these crimes in order to stir up hatred against immigrants. The New Year’s
string of attacks created a shock wave in Germany and magnified criticism
against the openness policy towards migrants, pursued by German chancellor Angela
Merkel. On Saturday, at the end of a political meeting, Merkel stood for
toughening laws to expedite deportation for asylum seekers who commit crimes.

EU-UKRAINE – The EC President, Jean Claude Juncker, stood in favour of the EU Association Agreement with Ukraine, ahead of a referendum in the Netherlands, set for April 6, that might block the ratification of the document. In an interview to the Dutch media, the President of the European Commission urged Dutch voters to say “yes in the referendum on the EU Association Agreement with Ukraine. A negative vote is tantamount to a victory scored by Russia and could open the doors to a continental crisis. The Dutch should go to the polls on April 6 and should vote in the referendum as a European strategist, being aware that the agreement is also to the benefit of the Netherlands, says Jean Claude Juncker. The initiators of the referendum say however that a rejection of the EU Association Agreement with Ukraine will help stabilise the relations with Russia and calm things down

H-BOMB TEST– North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said the hydrogen bomb test carried by his country is a self-defensive step against a U.S. threat of nuclear war. Kim Jong Un has also said his country has “the legitimate right of a sovereign state to do that and deemed it “a fair action that nobody can criticize, the Korean state news agency has reported. A fourth nuclear test carried out by North Korea on Wednesday angered both China, its main ally, and the United States, who hadn’t been earlier notified of the test, although the U.S. government and weapons experts doubt North Koreas claim that the device was actually a hydrogen bomb, Reuters reports. Analysts believe the test, which produced an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 degrees, too weak for a real hydrogen bomb test, was meant to open the stage for a rare congress of the ruling Workers Party, the first such meeting since 1980. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has expressed concern, saying it is a provocation to peace and security.

FIRE -
Three people who sustained severe burn injuries in a fire which broke out in a
coffee shop in the capital city of the Republic of Moldova, Chishinau, on
Sunday were flown over to Bucharest by a specially equipped aircraft of the
Romanian Air Forces. 17 people, among whom children, with burns and smoke
inhalation injuries were taken to various hospitals in Chishinau. The authorities
say the fire might have been caused by the explosion of a gas cylinder, but the
circumstances of the accident should still be investigated.

BUCHAREST ON VOGUES “MUST-TRAVEL LIST– Romanias capital city, Bucharest, has been added by the US Vogue Magazine on the “Must-Travel List. In an article posted on the Vogue website, the American journalists present seven urban attractions, to help tourists “discover all of the newness this old city has to offer, as “while the historic wartime architecture remains, Bucharest also upholds a modern, cosmopolitan vibe. These include several bars, coffee shops and stores in the city centre, apart from well-known tourist objectives such as the Romanian Athenaeum or the National Contemporary Art Museum, hosted by the Peoples Palace. One such attraction is considered to be a bar with “an industrial design and an urban vibe, boasting a delicious Italian menu and a club downstairs, “one of the coolest nightclubs and concert venues in the city. Other locations include a coffee shop where they roast their own coffee, “a slightly concealed storefront in an old typography building, that houses some of the worlds coolest fashion labels, or a store which is “the place to visit for exclusive fragrances, niche colognes and obscure scents.

TENNIS– Romanian tennis player, Simona Halep, WTA’s no.2, on Tuesday will meet French Caroline Garcia in
the second round of the Sydney Tournament, with 753,000 dollars in prize money
up for grabs. The two tennis
players will be meeting for the first time, with Halep being first seeded. Last week, the Romanian tennis player withdrew
from the Brisbane International, after suffering injuries ahead of a second round
match against Victoria Azarenka of Belarus, who won the tournament.

(Translated and edited by Diana Vijeu)

10 January 2016
January 10, 2016

CHILD WELFARE- The Romanian and Norwegian authorities will continue talks next week on the five children of the Bodnariu family, who have been taken into custody by the Norwegian child welfare services, Barnevernet, after reportedly having been physically disciplined by their parents. Romanias Ambassador to Oslo is due to meet representatives of the Norwegian Ministry of Children, Equality and Social Inclusion on January 13. Also, the Romanian Foreign Ministry has announced that, at its initiative, the Romanian Child Protection Authority has issued a proposal for the Norwegian side to agree with the childrens integration into their uncles family in Romania and is waiting for an answer in the coming days. In turn, the Bodnariu family have contested in court the measures taken by the Norwegian local authorities. Meanwhile, rallies of support for the Bodnariu couple have been staged in several cities across Romania and abroad.

EXPULSION– A Jordanian national, Jamal Khalil, was expelled from Romania on
Saturday, for national security reasons. The High Court of Cassation and
Justice has dismissed the defence’s appeal against a ruling issued by the Court
of Appeal in Bucharest, in late 2015. Jamal Khalil has been declared undesirable
for 15 years, after the relevant authorities have discovered solid evidence
leading to the conclusion that the Jordanian citizen carried out activities
which put in jeopardy Romania’s national security. According to the Romanian
Intelligence Service, Jamal A.
Abdel Jabbar Khalil Shalash, who has been living in Romania since 1991, was
monitored by the Service since 2014. The intelligence agency said the Jordanian
national was unconditionally supporting the Islamic State terrorist group, for
which he was conducting online propaganda campaigns, being willing to get
involved in prospective actions targeting Romania’s security.

HEAVY PRECIPITATION-The National Meteorological Authority has issued a warning against heavy rainfall and precipitation valid for western, northern and central Romania until Tuesday morning. 25- 30 litres per square meter are likely to be registered in the north and even 40-50 litres per square meter in places. Mixed precipitation is expected in the mountains. The sky is overcast in most regions, but it is warmer than usual for this time of the year in all regions of the country. The highs of the day range between 2 and 12 degrees Celsius. The noon reading in Bucharest was 5 degrees.

EU-UKRAINE – The EC President, Jean Claude Juncker, stood in favour of the EU Association Agreement with Ukraine, ahead of a referendum in the Netherlands, set for April 6, that might block the ratification of the document. In an interview to the Dutch media, the President of the European Commission urged Dutch voters to say “yes in the referendum on the EU Association Agreement with Ukraine. A negative vote is tantamount to a victory scored by Russia and could open the doors to a continental crisis. The Dutch should go to the polls on April 6 and should vote in the referendum as a European strategist, being aware that the agreement is also to the benefit of the Netherlands, says Jean Claude Juncker. The initiators of the referendum say however that a rejection of the EU Association Agreement with Ukraine will help stabilise the relations with Russia and calm things down

H-BOMB TEST– North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has said the hydrogen bomb test carried by his country is a self-defensive step against a U.S. threat of nuclear war. Kim Jong Un has also said his country has “the legitimate right of a sovereign state to do that and deemed it “a fair action that nobody can criticize, the Korean state news agency has today reported. A fourth nuclear test carried out by North Korea on Wednesday angered both China, its main ally, and the United States, who hadnt been earlier notified of the test, although the U.S. government and weapons experts doubt North Koreas claim that the device was actually a hydrogen bomb, Reuters reports. Analysts believe the test, which produced an earthquake with a magnitude of 5.1 degrees, too weak for a real hydrogen bomb test, was meant to open the stage for a rare congress of the ruling Workers Party, the first such meeting since 1980. The Romanian Foreign Ministry has expressed concern, saying it is a provocation to peace and security.

SPORTS – Romanias national mens handball team is today meeting Finland, on home soil, in a fourth match for the 2017 World Championship qualification. In the first match, played away from home, in Vantaa, Romania won 34-21 to Finland. Sports commentators say this return match seems to be more like an official training game, open to the public, ahead of the real test, the match with Austria, due in Romania, on January 14. The Romanian handball players will have to secure a victory, after having lost a match in Vienna, 24-27. If they manage to secure a net victory, they will qualify for the World Championship Play-offs.

(Translated and edited by Diana Vijeu)

10 January 2016