Radio România Internațional

Tag: World Championship

  • Romania’s U-21 team has gone through to the UEFA 2021 European Under-21 Championship.

    Romania’s U-21 team has gone through to the UEFA 2021 European Under-21 Championship.


    Romania this past Tuesday held Denmark to a 1-all draw on home turf. The repeated performance earned Romanias U-21 team the qualification to a European championship. The game against Denmark was quite tense, with unpardonable refereeing mistakes, of which at least one could have deprived the Romanian team of qualification. However, the goal scored by the young Valentin Costache saved a game which was compromised, apparently. At the end of Romanias game against Denmark, the head-coach of Romanias U-21 team, former international footballer Adrian Mutu, said it would have been a pity for his team not to grab the win, because of the concocted penalties. Mutu went on to heap praise on his players, saying they were exceptional footballers who in the future will be part of the seniors team. Adrian Mutu did not fail to extend his thanks to his predecessor who was at the helm of the seniors team, Mirel Radoi, who contributed to the success of the team.



    According to the groups final rankings, Denmark came at the top of the table. Following in descending order were Romania, Ukraine, Finland, Northern Ireland and Malta. The nine teams that came at the top of the table in the preliminary groups as well as the best five teams in the runner-up position will join host teams Hungary and Slovenia for UEFA 2021 European Under-21 Championship. Matches as part of the four groups of the final tournament are scheduled for March 2021. The teams that will go though from the group stage, the first two teams in descending order will fight for the European title in the eliminatory stages scheduled in Hungary and Slovenia, over May 31 and June 6, 2021.



    The footballer who scored the goal in the match against Denmark, Valentin Costache, voiced his hope that at the 2021 edition of the European Under-21 Championship Romanias U-21 teams performance would be on a par with the remarkable feat the team succeeded in the previous edition of the championship, jointly held in Italy and San Marino. Back them the team reached as far as the semifinals. We recall defending champion team Germany eliminated Romania, a team that had the upper hand for the first half of the game. It was an auspicious tournament for Romanian footballers.The team qualified for the semifinals from the top position in a strong group which included Croatia and England, teams Romania outclassed, as well as France, a team Romania held to a blank draw. In 2019, Romanias qualification was tantamount to booking the tickets for the Tokyo Olympics, delayed until 2021 because of the pandemic. Everybody spoke highly of Romanias U-21 team, yet that cannot avoid the mediocrity the seniors team has indulged in so far. Pundits also ask what happens with the U-21 footballers when they grow mature. Former international footballer Mirel Radois remarkable feats with the U-21 team earned him the position of head-coach for the seniors team. However, with Radoi at the helm, the seniors team failed to qualify for the European championship. At the moment, the only thing the national team can do is fight for a better position in the recently-invented UEFA Nations League. Such a position might create a better chance ahead of the drawing of lots for the next edition of the World Championship.



    Romanias last participation in a world championship occurred in 1998, in France.


    (Translation by Eugen Nasta)




  • September 16, 2018

    September 16, 2018

    SUMMIT – The Romanian capital city Bucharest is hosting on Monday and Tuesday the 3rd Summit of the Three Seas Initiative, an informal president-level platform that brings together the 12 EU member states located between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Sea, namely Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. According to the presidential administration, the main goal of the initiative is the economic development of these countries, by enhancing interconnectivity, particularly from north to south, in 3 major areas: transport, energy, and digital. On the sidelines of the Summit, the first Business Forum of this platform will be held. President Klaus Iohannis will open the Forum on Monday, and later on he will take part in a plenary meeting alongside his counterparts from Croatia, Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, Poland – Andrzej Duda, Austria – Alexander van der Bellen, and the European Commissioner for Regional Development Corina Creţu. The President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, will attend the Three Seas Initiative Summit for the first time. The first two summits were held in Dubrovnik in 2016 and in Warsaw in 2017.




    SWINE FEVER – A first African swine fever outbreak has been confirmed today in Dambovita County, in the south of Romania. Thirteen counties are currently affected by the epidemic, most of them in the south-east and south. The number of outbreaks reaches 900, with the virus identified in over 200 localities. Hundreds of thousands of animals have been culled. Bucharest has requested financial support from the European Commission for the farmers affected by the African swine fever epidemic.




    REFERENDUM – The Constitutional Court of Romania is discussing on Monday a bill designed to redefine family, in the Constitution, as based on the marriage of a man and a woman. The bill was passed in the Senate on Tuesday, and requires validation through a referendum. It is based on a citizen initiative signed by 3 million people. The initiators, which are Christian organisations and associations, want the Constitution to narrow down the definition of family to the marriage between a man and a woman, so as to prevent the possibility of legalising same-sex marriage. ACCEPT Association, which promotes the rights of sexual minorities, says that Tuesdays vote in the Senate has turned homophobia into a principle safeguarded by the state, and that constitutional protection for many types of families in Romania will be sacrificed. Except for Save Romania Union, all parliamentary parties have supported the initiative.




    ATTACK – Two American basketball players, aged 24 and 25 respectively, and playing for a team in Braila, south-eastern Romania, were stabbed last night during a conflict that broke out in a bar in the city centre. One of them is in a serious condition, with a punctured lung. He underwent surgery and will be transferred to Bucharest. The other one is in a stable condition. The 2 had been transferred to the club in Braila just one month before. The Romanian handball player Marian Cozma, who was playing for Veszprem, was killed in a bar in the same city, on February 8, 2009, by attackers who stabbed him to death.




    TENNIS – The north-western Romanian city of Cluj is hosting today the doubles match and the last 2 singles matches of the Davis Cups Group II round 3 between Romania and Poland. The score so far is 1-1. On Saturday, Marius Copil defeated Kamil Majchrzak, and Adrian Ungur lost to Hubert Hurkacz. The doubles match will be pitting Florin Mergea/Horia Tecău, for Romania, against Lukasz Kubot/Marcin Matkowski for Poland. The last 2 singles matches are Copil vs. Hurkacz and Ungur vs. Majchrzak. The winning team will be promoted to Group I of the Davis Cup Europe/Africa Zone, from which Romania was demoted at the end of last year.





    ROWING – In the World Rowing Championship hosted by Plovdiv, Bulgaria, Romania failed to get any medals in the mens double sculls final, the womens eight final and the mens eight final, held on Sunday. On Saturday the Romanian rowers won 2 medals. Ionela-Livia Cozmiuc and Gianina-Elena Beleagă won the gold in the lightweight womens double sculls, while Marius-Vasile Cozmiuc and Ciprian Tudosă won the silver in the mens pair final.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • December 14, 2015

    December 14, 2015

    BUDGET – Romanias 2016 draft budget law is being discussed in Parliament as of today, without major changes on the bill tabled by the Government. The budget committees unanimously approved the Cabinets bill. Few amendments have been accepted, and they have no significant financial impact. The most heated debates concerned the budget of the Transport Ministry, where many MPs tried to support local infrastructure projects. The final vote on the budget is scheduled for Wednesday.



    EU – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Lazăr Comănescu, is taking part today in Brussels in a meeting of the EU foreign ministers. The agenda of talks includes the recent developments in the Eastern Partnership countries, further to the commitments undertaken at the Summit in Riga in May. The Eastern Partnership is part of the EUs European Neighbourhood Policy, and apart from the EU member countries it includes six eastern European states, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. The initiative was launched at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Prague, in May 2009. In Brussels, the participants will also discuss means to contribute to fighting terrorism, the support the EU can give to the political resolution and reform processes in Iraq, and the situation in Libya.



    COLECTIV – Another patient injured in the October 30 fire at the Colectiv nightclub in Bucharest died on Sunday. The woman was being treated in a hospital in Germany, where she had been transferred three weeks ago. The Colectiv fire death toll thus reached 61. At present, 21 patients are treated abroad, and 22 others in Romanian hospitals. The Health Ministry is currently analysing options for the construction of a new hospital for burns patients in Bucharest. Under a programme funded by the World Bank, three such units will be built, in Iasi (in the north-east), Târgu Mureş (centre) and Timişoara (west).



    FRANCE – The second round of the local elections in France, held on Sunday and seen as a major test ahead of the presidential ballot in 2017, was won by the right-of-centre opposition, headed by former president Nicolas Sarkozy, which won the election in 7 out of the 13 regions, including Paris, which had been a Socialist stronghold for 17 years. Second came Hollandes Socialists, with 5 regions. The surprise came from the far-right National Front party, headed by Marine Le Pen, which failed to win any region although after the first round it was a favourite in almost half of them. These results were prompted by higher voter turnout and by the fact that in two regions, where they had slim chances to win, the Socialist Party and its left-wing allies withdrew and urged their supporters to vote for the right, so as to prevent the National Front from winning.



    MOLDOVA – The interim president of the Liberal Democratic Party in the Republic of Moldova, the ex-PM Valeriu Streleţ, announced on Sunday night that his party would take part in the political negotiations for the establishment of a new parliamentary majority and a new government. The Liberal Democrats however will not give up the three conditions announced previously, namely the nomination of a non-affiliated prime minister, the elimination of political involvement in running state-owned institutions and the resignation of those involved in massive banking frauds. The Constitutional Court announced that the Parliament of Moldova may be dissolved unless a new Cabinet is validated by the end of January 2016.



    HANDBALL – Romanias womens handball team Sunday won a breath-taking match against world Champions Brazil, 25-22, in the eighth-finals of the World Championship in Denmark. Thanks to this surprising win, the Romanians booked their places at the Rio Olympics in 2016. In the quarter-finals, Romania will face Denmark on Wednesday. Romania remains the only country which has taken part in all the World Championship final tournaments since 1957. Its track record includes a gold medal in 1962, and two silver in 1973 and 2005.


    (translation by; Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • December 11, 2015

    December 11, 2015

    BUDGET LAW – In Bucharest, the expert committees in Parliament are discussing today the draft budget for next year. The talks will continue during the weekend, and the final vote in the Parliament plenum is scheduled for Wednesday. The Social Democratic Party, in power, voiced satisfaction with the bill, which they say concurs with the previous governments views on fiscal relaxation and economic growth. In turn, the Liberals in opposition say the overall budget structure is reasonable, and slight amendments are possible during the debates in the Parliament committees, although no major changes are expected.



    INFLATION – In Romania, the annual inflation rate remained negative in November, although it rose from minus 1.6% in October to minus 1.1%, according to data released today by the National Statistics Institute. Last month, the National Bank of Romania lowered by 0.4% its annual inflation forecast, to 0.7% negative, and for next year the inflation forecast was revised up to 1.1%. The central bank governor, Mugur Isărescu, mentioned that the negative inflation rate was prompted by the lowering of the VAT for foodstuffs to 9% this summer.



    DEMOGRAPHIC TRENDS – The population of Romania dropped in 2014 below the 20-million threshold, a level similar to the one reported in 1966. According to the National Statistics Institute, until 2013 the number of people fell particularly as a result of labour migration, whereas last year the main cause was the wide gap between the birth and death rates. If this trend continues, in 30-40 years the population of Romania will go down to around 14 million.



    EU DIRECTIVE – Romania must fully implement the Directive on Deposit Guarantee Schemes, under which bank clients will benefit from quicker disbursements and a better safety mechanism. The deadline for transposing these provisions in the national legislation was July, and the European Commission has officially requested Romania to conform. Ten EU member countries are yet to introduce the European Directive in their national legislation, and unless they take appropriate measures within two months, the Commission may decide to notify the EU Court of Justice.



    BSEC – Bucharest is hosting today the 33rd meeting of the foreign affairs ministers of the Organisation of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation countries. Romania, a founding member of the Organisation, held the rotating presidency for the 5th time. The meeting is chaired by the Romanian Foreign Minister, Lazăr Comănescu, who will stress the progress made in terms of economic cooperation in the Black Sea region during Romanias six-month presidency. According to a news release issued by the Foreign Ministry, Comănescu will hand over the presidency to the Russian Federation, which will head the organisation in the first half of 2016.



    NATO EXERCISE – The Romanian Naval Forces frigate “Regina Maria is taking part, alongside vessels from the US, Turkey and Ukraine, in a Black Sea exercise scheduled to conclude on December 16. The exercise is part of the NATO measures designed to enhance confidence among the allies, reads a news release issued by the Naval Forces Command. Regina Maria, with a 220-strong crew, the American destroyer USS Ross, a Turkish frigate and a Ukrainian auxiliary ship will conduct exercises to prepare response to multiple air, naval and submarine threats, to impose sea embargoes and monitor naval transportation. The exercise takes place at a time when the security situation at the Black Sea requires enhanced interoperability between the Romanian Naval Forces and its partners.



    HANDBALL – Romanias womens handball team is playing against Russia today, in the last game in Group D at the handball World Championship in Denmark. Although defeated in its last two games by the most valuable opponents so far, Spain and Norway, the defending Olympic and European champions, the Romanians moved forward into the eighth-finals, after having outperformed the national teams of Puerto Rico and Kazakhstan. In the next stage, Romania is to play on Monday against the winner of the match between France and Brazil. Romania is the only country to have taken part in all the World Championship final tournaments since 1957, with three medals won so far, the gold in 1962 and silver in 1973 and 2005.


    (translation by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • December 5, 2015

    December 5, 2015

    The Romanian Ministry for Finances made public the draft budget for 2016. The ministries that will receive more money than in the previous financial year include the defence, interior, education, culture and healthcare. Fewer funds than in 2015 will be allocated for the transport, labour, justice and finance ministries. According to the bill, the budget revenues for next year will be nearly 0.8 billion euros higher than in 2015, while expenses will be 3.5 billion euro higher, and cover all the measures approved this year by the Government and Parliament. According to the Government, next year’s budget reflects a number of principles, including fiscal predictability, aimed at encouraging private investments and enhancing the confidence of the business community, efficient budget spending, improved transparency in spending public money and a transformation of the relationship between the state and taxpayers, in the sense of a more friendly attitude of public institutions towards citizens.



    The Romanian Health Ministry announced that all the victims of the October 30th fire at Bucharest’s Colectiv nightclub who are still in hospitals in Romania would be transferred abroad if their doctors recommend it and their families agree. The decision comes after the management of the Hospital for Plastic, Reconstructive and Burns Surgery in Bucharest admitted that three of the patients injured in the tragedy died from infections acquired in the hospital. Sixty people died in that fire and many others were injured. At present there are 31 patients in hospitals in Bucharest and 30 in clinics abroad. The protests against corruption in central and local administration that followed the tragedy led to the resignation of the Social Democrat Victor Ponta’s Cabinet.



    Romanian troops will be training for a week, as of Monday, together with military from the USA and the neighbouring Republic of Moldova, at a shooting range in south-eastern Romania, which is hosting the Platinum Lynx 16.2 module of the Black Sea Rotational Force multinational exercise. The exercise is aimed at carrying on the joint training of troops, at enhancing the interoperability of participating forces and strengthening their partnership.



    France is taking a day for reflection today, ahead of the first round of regional elections, scheduled for Sunday. According to opinion polls, the National Front, having little competition on the far right, ranks first with around 30% of the voting intentions, followed by right and centre-right parties and by the ruling Socialist Party with only 22%. The election campaign took place amid security measures taken after the terror attacks of November 13th in Paris, which left 130 people dead. The Radio Romania correspondent in Paris notes that for the second round the Socialists suggested an alliance with the moderate right, but the offer has been rejected by some of its leaders.



    The US Federal Bureau of Investigations officially rated as an act of terrorism the attack that killed 14 people and wounded 21 others on Wednesday in San Bernardino, California. The FBI chief, James Comey, said there are indications that the attackers were inspired by foreign terrorist organisations, but added that there is no evidence that they were members of a terrorist group.



    The Romanian women’s handball team is today playing its first game in the final tournament of the World Championship in Denmark, against the national team of Puerto Rico. The same Group D also includes Kazakhstan, Spain, Norway and Russia. The top four ranking teams in each group qualify into the eighth-finals. Ahead of the World Championship, the Romanian national team played four friendly games, outperforming the Czech, Cuban and Swedish teams and losing to France. Romania is the only country which has taken part in all the World Championships final tournaments since 1957. The Romanians won gold in 1962 and silver in 1973 and 2005.


    (translation by: Ana Maria Popescu)

  • Romanian Handball Teams in European Cups

    Romanian Handball Teams in European Cups

    Dinamo Bucharest has no problem qualifying for the group stage of the EHF Cup in mens handball, having secured a 31-25 win against Slovenian side RK Maribor Branik, in the second leg of the competitions second round. After being defeated in the first leg, 27-26, Dinamos powerful swirl early into the game earned the Romanians a 20-9 advantage. CSM, a team that in the first leg trounced their opponents, 31-24, is the second Romanian team to have qualified in the EHF Cups group stage.



    The president of the Romanian Handball Federation Alexandru Dedu, in a series of messages posted on his Facebook page, has praised the Romanian teams excellent run in the European Cups. No less than seven teams have got through to the European Spring, said Dedu. “Im not so sure about that, but I think it is Romanian handballs best performance in the European Cups spring. It is an obvious proof the standard of the domestic championship is on an upward trend. Congrats to the clubs and loads of success in the next stages! Dedu also wrote.



    Apart from the mens teams, womens teams CSM Bucharest and HCM Baia Mare have qualified for the Champions Leagues main rounds. HCM Roman and ASC Corona 2010 Brasov have got through to the EHF Cups eighth finals, while SCM Craiova has made headway into the Cup of Cups eighth finals.



    This month, all eyes will be focused on the womens World Championship to be held in Denmark over December 5 and 20. Romanias national team also takes part in the competition. Ahead of the event, Romania is playing a series of games as part of a training tournament which is underway these days. In the final day of the Razel-Bec Paris Île-de-France international tournament, the Romanians trounced the national team of Cuba, 36-23. The Romanians had no problem defeating a definitely poorer opponent, and Ana Maria Tanasie was the national teams top scorer with 9 goals. In its debut game as part of the French tournament, Romania grabbed a 31-26 win against the Czech Republic. Our national teams last test match ahead of their debut fixture at the Word Championship in Denmark is the away game against Sweden on Wednesday.