Radio România Internațional

Tag: World Women’s Handball Championship

  • December 12, 2023

    December 12, 2023

    Summit. The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, will participate, from Wednesday until Friday, in Brussels, in the EU Western Balkans Summit and in the European Council, in which context he will support the decisions regarding the opening of EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. According to the Presidential Administration, Klaus Iohannis will support the granting of candidate status for Georgia, as well as the opening of accession negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina, when the necessary progress is made to meet the accession criteria. He will also insist on accelerating the accession process of the Western Balkan states.



    Moldova. The Prime Minister of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, had a telephone conversation on Tuesday with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet, majority Romanian), Dorin Recean, during which he reiterated the strong support of the Bucharest Government for Chisinaus European path. According to a Government press release, Prime Minister Ciolacu emphasized the active support that Romania is giving to the neighboring state for the start of the EU accession negotiation process, in the context of the European Council that will take place this week. The two prime ministers also discussed bilateral cooperation projects, especially in the fields of cross-border energy interconnections and the financial assistance that Romania provides for the development of the Republic of Moldova.



    Budget. In 2024,Romanias budget deficit will stand below 5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product, lower than the one that will end this year. According to the Romanian Government, important additional sums will be granted next year to Education, Health, Transport and Investments. According to the 2024 draft budget, the salaries of budget employees and teachers, as well as pensions will increase. All these pay rise and budget allocation increases will be made without increasing taxes as well, says the Government. The heads of the governing coalition are counting on a future package of measures to increase collection and reduce tax evasion, as well as on the digitization of the National Agency for Fiscal Administration.



    Schengen. According to President Klaus Iohannis, Romanias accession to the Schengen Area would send a strong message of solidarity and unity from the European Union. The president has called for a positive decision in this regard as soon as possible. In turn, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu believes that some of Austrias conditions for accepting Romania in the area of ​​free movement, starting with the airports, are not exaggerated. From the opposition, the Save Romania Union states that Romania deserves a full admission to Schengen and calls on the authorities to come up with a concrete plan to achieve this goal.



    Awards. The Ministry of Education is organizing, today, an award ceremony for the students winners of this years international Olympiads, the teachers who trained them and the schools where they study. 138 students who obtained 164 medals, prizes and mentions at 28 international Olympiads and regional competitions will be awarded at the event hosted by the National Theater in Bucharest. They have won 6 gold medals with maximum score, 51 gold medals or first prizes, 55 silver medals/second prizes, 30 bronze medals/third prizes, and 22 honorary mentions or equivalent diplomas respectively.



    Handball. Romanias national team ended their participation in the World Womens Handball Championship in Denmark, Norway and Sweden with a victory, defeating Poland 27-26, on Monday evening, in the last match of the third main group. Thus, Romania has finished in third place in the group and has not fulfilled its objective at this final tournament, namely the qualification for the quarter-finals. The Romanians ranked 12th in the final ranking of the competition and will very likely not participate in the 2024 Olympics. Romania is the only national team that has participated in all 26 editions of the Womens World Handball Championship. It has a world title (1962), two silver medals (1973, 2005) and one bronze medal (2015). At the previous edition, Romania ranked 13th. (MI)


  • December 10, 2017 UPDATE

    December 10, 2017 UPDATE


    MICHAEL I On Monday, Romanias Parliament will gather in solemn session to honour the last sovereign of Romania, King Michael I, who died on December 5th in Switzerland, aged 96. The coffin will arrive in Romania on December 13th, and on December 16th the former king will be buried in Curtea de Arges, the final resting place of the Romanian royal family. Michael I took the throne in September 1940, and for a long time his was a merely ceremonial role, with the pro-Germany strongman Ion Antonescu actually ruling the country. But on August 23, 1944, the King had Marshall Antonescu arrested, broke the countrys ties with the Axis and had Romania join the anti-Nazi coalition. Historians agree that this decision shortened the war by months, saving tens of thousands of lives. He was forced by the communists to abdicate in 1947 and was able to return to the country only after the fall of the regime. He was one of the most important promoters of Romanias joining NATO and the EU.



    BUDGET Next week, the 2018 budget and social security bill will reach the joint budget-finance committee of the Romanian parliament. The final vote on the 2018 budget is scheduled for December 21st. Representatives of the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania say that the budget is balanced and sustainable, but the opposition MPs say the time allocated for debate is too short and the bill needs improvement. Next years budget is based on a estimated 5.5% economic growth rate, an annual inflation rate of 3.1% and a budget deficit below 3% of the GDP. The estimated monthly net salary is the equivalent of some 570 euro. According to the Romanian Government, health, education and investment are next years priorities. On the other hand, the budget deficit might start decreasing as of 2019, to reach 1.45% of the GDP in 2021. These estimates were presented in the macroeconomic report drawn up by the Finance Ministry, a document which accompanies the 2018 budget bill.



    EU FUNDS According to data provided by the European Commission, at the request of the AGERPRES news agency, Romania has spent only 1.1% of the European money allocated within the 2014-2020 financial framework, as compared to countries like Bulgaria and Poland, which have spent 7.5% and 6.5% respectively. The largest part of this amount, approximately 242 million Euro, has been spent through the Regional Development Fund. The countries that have spent less than Romania from the structural and investment funds are Austria, with 0.3%, and Ireland, with 0.9%. AGERPRES recalls that the Romanian Minister Delegate for European Funds Marius Nica has stated recently that in 2023 Romania will be presented as an example of European fund absorption and the percentage of 89% corresponding to the 2007-2013 time-frame is not bad. As regards the 2014-2020 framework, the Romanian minister has stated that 20 of the 27 EU countries have complained about bureaucracy and cumbersome procedures for the implementation of European funds.



    ROMANIA 100 The president of the Romania 100 platform, the former technocrat Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, announced on Sunday that the platform, created by people wishing to change politics in Romania, will give birth to a party. The new party will be presented in the coming months and will be open for collaboration with the right-wing opposition. Dacian Ciolos headed a government of specialists from November 2015 until January 2017, when the reigns of power were taken over by the leftist coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats. The Ciolos Cabinet was established after the resignation of the Social-Democrat Government headed by Victor Ponta, against the background of large-scale anti-corruption rallies triggered by the tragedy that occurred at the Colectiv club in Bucharest, where 64 young people died in a fire.



    PROTESTS New street protests were staged on Sunday in Bucharest and other cities across the country against the ruling coalition. People are unhappy with the changes brought to the justice laws. Promoted by the left-wing coalition and virulently criticised by civil society and the heads of the main judicial institutions in Romania, the controversial bill is currently in Parliament for debate. According to the bill, the head of state cannot alter the nominations for the leadership of the High Court of Cassation and Justice, but will still be able to maintain previous responsibilities with regard to the appointment of the Prosecutor General and of the heads of the National Anticorruption Directorate and the Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism. Also, a magistrate will no longer be suspended automatically when taken to court. Under the new laws, a special department will be set up to investigate the magistrates accused of crimes that are related to the justice field.



    FAC The Romanian State Secretary George Ciamba will attend in Brussels on Monday the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC). The main topics on the agenda of talks are developments in the Middle East and Iraq. Also, there will be a joint session of the EU foreign ministers and development ministers, focusing on the implementation of the decisions made at the African Union – European Union summit, which was held in Abidjan on November 29-30. Also on Monday, on the sidelines of the Foreign Affairs Council, the European foreign ministers will take part in a working breakfast hosted by Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission. The special guest will be the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.



    ISRAEL Before travelling to Brussels on Monday for talks with the EU foreign policy and security chief Federica Mogherini and EU foreign ministers, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday met in Paris with President Emmanuel Macron. Macron told Netanyahu that Paris disapproved of the White Houses decision to recognize Jerusalem as capital of Israel, but at the same time condemned any threat to Israels security. He also told the Israeli Prime Minister that he ought to “give peace a chance” and “make gestures toward the Palestinians.” Macron suggested that one such gesture would be the freezing of Israeli settlement construction in the West Bank. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict must be resolved through a negotiated, two-state solution both parties agree on. Previously, Netanyahu had stated that Europes reaction to US President Donald Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as capital of Israel was hypocritical and said he would not accept a double standard from it. Federica Mogherini herself has criticised the White Houses announcement, just like the USs European allies. Also, the Arab League Foreign Ministers have called on Washington, in a resolution made public after a meeting in Cairo on Sunday, to cancel the decision. They have urged the international community to recognize a Palestinian state having east Jerusalem as capital.



    HANDBALL The first matches in the round of 16 of the World Womens Handball Championship are taking place in Germany. The Romanian national team, which has qualified from the first position in Group A, will take on the Czech squad on Monday. If it wins, Romanian will play against the winner of the game pitching the Netherlands against Japan. From the previous edition of the world championship, in 2015, Romania came home with bronze. Romania is the only side that has participated in all the 22 editions of the championship held so far.


    (translated by Mihaela Ignatescu)




  • December 10, 2017

    December 10, 2017


    MICHAEL I On Monday, Romanias Parliament will gather in solemn session to honour the last sovereign of Romania, King Michael I, who died on December 5th in Switzerland, aged 96. The coffin will arrive in Romania on December 13th and on December 16th the former king will be buried in Curtea de Arges, the final resting place of the Romanian royal family. Michael I took the throne in September 1940, and for a long time his was a merely ceremonial role, with the pro-Germany strongman Ion Antonescu actually ruling the country. But on August 23, 1944, the King had Marshall Antonescu arrested, broke the countrys ties with the Axis and had Romania join the anti-Nazi coalition. Historians agree that this decision shortened the war by months, saving tens of thousands of lives. He was forced by the communists to abdicate in 1947 and was able to return to the country only after the fall of the regime. He was one of the most important promoters of Romanias joining NATO and the EU.



    BUDGET Next week, the 2018 budget and social security bill will reach the joint budget-finance committee of the Romanian parliament. The final vote on the 2018 budget is scheduled for December 21st. Representatives of the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania say that the budget is balanced and sustainable, but the opposition MPs say the time allocated for debate is too short and the bill needs improvement. Next years budget is based on a estimated 5.5% economic growth rate, an annual inflation rate of 3.1% and a budget deficit below 3% of the GDP. The estimated monthly net salary is the equivalent of some 570 euro. According to the Romanian Government, health, education and investment are next years priorities. On the other hand, the budget deficit might start decreasing as of 2019, to reach 1.45% of the GDP in 2021. These estimates were presented in the macroeconomic report drawn up by the Finance Ministry, a document which accompanies the 2018 budget bill.



    FUNDING According to data provided by the European Commission, at the request of the AGERPRES news agency, Romania has spent only 1.1% of the European money allocated within the 2014-2020 financial framework, as compared to countries like Bulgaria and Poland, which have spent 7.5% and 6.5% respectively. The largest part of this amount, approximately 242 million Euro, has been spent through the Regional Development Fund. The countries that have spent less than Romania from the structural and investment funds are Austria, with 0.3%, and Ireland, with 0.9%. AGERPRES recalls that the Romanian Minister Delegate for European Funds Marius Nica has stated recently that in 2023 Romania will be presented as an example of European fund absorption and the percentage of 89% corresponding to the 2007-2013 timeframe is not bad. As regards the 2014-2020 framework, the Romanian minister has stated that 20 of the 27 EU countries have complained about bureaucracy and cumbersome procedures for the implementation of European funds.



    ROMANIA 100 The president of the Romania 100 platform, the former technocrat Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, has announced today that the platform, created by people wishing to change politics in Romania, will generate a party. The new party will be presented in the coming months and will be open for collaboration with the right-wing opposition. Dacian Ciolos headed a government of specialists from November 2015 until January 2017, when the reigns of power were taken over by the leftist coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats. The Ciolos Cabinet was established after the resignation of the Social-Democrat Government headed by Victor Ponta, against the background of large-scale anti-corruption rallies triggered by the tragedy that occurred at the Colectiv club in Bucharest, where 64 young people died in a fire.



    ISRAEL The Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is today meeting in Paris with the French President Emmanuel Macron. Tomorrow he will then travel to Brussels to take part in the EU Foreign Ministers meeting, at the invitation of the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini. Prior to these visits, Netanyahu stated that Europes reaction to US President Donald Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as capital of Israel is hypocritical and a demonstration that double standards are applied in such cases. He blamed the European leaders for not condemning the missile attacks on Israel and the Palestinian radicals who instigated to violence. Federica Mogherini herself has criticised Trumps decision to recognize Jerusalem as capital of Israel. Also, the USs European allies have adopted a joint statement in which they criticise the announcement made by the White House. The Arab League Foreign Ministers have called on Washington, in a resolution made public after a meeting in Cairo on Sunday, to cancel the decision. They have urged the international community to recognize a Palestinian state having east Jerusalem as capital. We recall that this part of the city was annexed by Israel in 1967.



    HANDBALL The first matches in the round of 16 of the World Womens Handball Championship are taking place today in Germany. The Romanian national team, which has qualified from the first position in Group A, will take on the Czech squad on Monday. If it wins, Romanian will play against the winner of the game pitching the Netherlands against Japan. From the previous edition of the world championship, in 2015, Romania came home with bronze. Romania is the only side that has participated in all the 22 editions of the championship held so far.




  • November 29, 2017

    November 29, 2017


    JUSTICE – The special parliamentary committee in charge of drafting the new justice laws in Romania is supposed to present today the final report on the future status of judges and prosecutors. On Tuesday, the committee decided that the magistrates will be held accountable for their legal errors, disciplinarily and also in terms of civil and criminal liability. Once completed, the report will be submitted to the Chamber of Deputies for debate.



    MINIMUM SALARY – The Romanian Government is supposed to decide today the increase in the minimum gross salary from 1450 to 1900 lei, the equivalent of some 410 Euro. According to specialists, the measure would stimulate employment and discourage illegal work. Romania is currently faced with a serious shortage of workers, especially in construction, agriculture, IT and health-care. Maintaining the current level of penalty point under the totting up system is also on the agenda of the Executive. As the value of this point is calculated depending on the minimum salary, maintaining its current level has been proposed to prevent traffic fines from growing excessively.



    INVESTMENT – The European Commissioner Corina Cretu has approved two new investment projects in road and water infrastructure, worth some 252 million Euros. 76 million Euro from the European Regional Development Fund will be invested in works on the European road E 79, which will link Romania to Hungary, Bulgaria and Greece. Also, some 176 million Euro from the Cohesion Fund will be invested in water management and distribution infrastructure in urban areas in Vrancea County, in the east.



    DEFENSE – The US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has hailed Romanias decision to allocate 2% of the GDP to defense. In a speech in Washington on the American – European relations, Tillerson recalled the request made by the US to all its NATO-member European allies to spend more on defense. Also, Tillerson reasserted the USs commitment to dealing with Russias aggression against its neighbors, and called on Europe to do more for their own security. He gave assurances that the US would not hesitate to activate art. 5 of the NATO Treaty, in case of aggression against a member state. Next week, Rex Tillerson will attend a NATO meeting in Brussels and an OSCE meeting in Vienna.



    MINI-VACATION – Thursday is the first day of a 4-day mini-vacation, occasioned by the celebration of Saint Andrew, Romanias patron saint, and Romanias National Day on December 1st. Romanians have chosen to spend this extended weekend in the country, mostly in resorts on Prahova Valley, in Bucovina, in the north and in spas. The average budget allocated for such trips is approximately 170 Euro per person. On the other hand, the Romanians who have chosen to go abroad will spend on average 320 Euro per person. On December 1st, Romanias National Day, the main event on the celebration agenda is the military parade in Bucharest, which will be attended by some 3500 military staff, fighter planes and military vehicles.



    CANADA – The Romanian Foreign Ministry has today recalled 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.



    NORTH KOREA – North Korea has announced the successful testing of a new type of inter-continental missile, which can hit any part of the US territory. The test, carried out after a two-month break, has been condemned by the US, Japanese and South-Korean authorities, as well as by the European Union. The UN Security Council has called an emergency session to discuss new sanctions against Pyongyang.



    HANDBALL – As of December 1st, Germany will be hosting the World Womens 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. (translation by Mihaela Ignatescu)




  • June 13, 2017

    June 13, 2017


    CORRUPTION – Romanian prosecutors re-started the criminal prosecution of the former president of Romania Traian Basescu, for abuse of office in the so called Flora case, after judges with the High Court of Cassation and Justice admitted the request filed by the Prosecutors Office. The case was re-opened after a businessman filed a complaint, accusing Traian Basescu of having illegally returned, back in 2003, when he was the mayor of Bucharest, a 40,000 square meter piece of land. The commercial complex Flora was later built on that ground. The businessman claims that Basescu abused his office by endorsing the return of the property, and the damage is estimated at more than 100 million Euros.



    NSI – According to the National Statistics Institute, the average income in Romania went up by 1% in April, reaching the equivalent of 520 Euro, which is a historic record. The most significant increases were reported in relation to financial transactions and auxiliary activities, while decreases were recorded in the oil and natural gas extraction industry and in the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry. In another development, the number of pensioners dropped to under 5.2 million, and the average pension went up by 8.1%, reaching some 220 Euro. The pensioners/employees ratio is still 9 to10, which means that 10 employees support 9 pensioners.



    MINERS RAID – Romania is commemorating 27 years since miners raids of June 13-15, 1990, which put an end to a large-scale rally against the left wing power instated after the fall of the communist dictatorship in December 1989. Against the background of violent clashes in the capital, which the army had already managed to stifle, the then president of the country Ion Iliescu claimed the right wing had planned a coup and called on the population to defend the democratic institutions. As a result of the call, miners from Jiu Valley came to Bucharest and attacked the University, the headquarters of the main opposition parties and the offices of independent publications. Their raids ended in four deaths, hundreds of people wounded and more than one thousand people arrested abusively. Romanias image abroad was also affected by the violent raid of June 1990. As part of the investigation, restarted in 2015, the General Prosecutors Office has prosecuted the former president Ion Iliescu, the former Prime Minister Petre Roman and the Director of the Romanian Intelligence Service Virgil Magureanu, alongside another 15 people.



    RUSSIA – The main opponent of the Russian President Vladimir Putin, Alexei Navalny, was sentenced last night to 30 days in prison for staging unauthorized manifestations across the country, against corruption in politics. His main collaborators and the opposition politician Ilya Yashin were also detained. The largest number of protest rallies were held in Moscow and Sankt Petersburg, with thousands of people participating. The special police OMON intervened brutally when activists started chanting against the regime, and arrested some 2000 people in the two cities, including youth and even pupils. The US and the EU have condemned the arrests and have called on Moscow to release them.



    HANDBALL – Romanias womens handball team is playing today, away from home, against the Austrian squad, in the decisive leg of World Championships qualifiers. In the first game, on Friday night, on home turf, in Oradea, north-western Romania, the Romanians defeated Austria 34-29. Romania is the only country that has participated in all 22 editions of the World Championship, and in 2015 it won the bronze medal.



    FOOTBALL – Tonight, Romanias national football team takes on in Cluj, north-western Romania, the representative of Chile, in a friendly game. This is the first match to be played before the Romanian supporters after the defeat sustained in Warsaw on Saturday, when the national squad lost 1-3 to Warsaw, in the World Cup preliminaries group E. Poland is leader of the group with 16 points, followed by Montenegro and Denmark, both with 10 points, Romania and Armenia with 6 and Kazakhstan with 2 points. In the next preliminary match, Romania will play against Armenia, on September 1st. For the first time in its history, Romania is trained by a German , Cristoph Daum. He is increasingly contested by the Romania media, supporters and specialists, who say that he has done nothing to improve the performance of the national squad.