Radio România Internațional

Tag: ‘yellow vests’

  • January 12, 2019 UPDATE

    January 12, 2019 UPDATE

    EU Romanias PM Viorica Dancila will be on a visit to Strasbourg on Monday and Tuesday. She will present to the European Parliament the priorities of the first Romanian presidency of the Council of the European Union and have meetings with EU officials. On Friday, during talks with the head of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and with members of the College of EU Commissioners in Bucharest, Viorica Dancila emphasised that the Romanian presidency will seek to achieve consensus among Member States over the multi-annual financial framework, and is looking for “small, but reliable steps in this respect. According to the Romanian PM, the talks held on Friday between members of the Romanian Government and of the College of Commissioners were structured into 3 thematic sections and focused on EU priorities like the single market, the consolidation of the Economic and Monetary Union, migration, security and justice.




    CHURCH Pope Francis, who will make a visit to mostly-Orthodox Romania between May 31st and June 2nd, will have a meeting with Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church, a Romanian Patriarchy spokesman announced. He emphasised that the good relations between the Romanian Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church translate, among others, in the hospitality with which Romanian communities have been received in many countries, especially in Italy, where many Romanian parishes hold religious services in locations made available by the local Catholic communities. On Friday the Vatican and the Romanian Presidency confirmed the Popes visit to Romania. He will visit the capital city Bucharest, the cities of Iaşi (in the north-east) and Blaj (centre), as well as the Marian shrine in Şumuleu Ciuc (centre). Pope Francis is the second Pope to visit Romania, after John Paul II who was in 1999 the first head of the Catholic Church to visit a mostly Orthodox country since the East-West Schism of 1054.




    PROCUREMENT Save Romania Union in opposition says the new scandal regarding the corvette procurement procedure proves that the Social Democratic Party in power in Romania is unable to complete at least one procurement contract without corruption suspicions. Save Romania Union believes this new standstill, concurrent with the attack against the armys Chief of Staff, whom the Defence Ministry seeks to replace, only destabilises NATOs eastern flanc and serves the interests of Russia, which seeks control over the Black Sea. Also in Opposition, the Peoples Movement Party says the Government has managed to compromise the army equipment procurement process as well as Romanias international commitments. The criticism comes after the Romanian Defence Ministry announced having suspended the purchase of 4 multi-role corvettes worth 1.6 billion euros. A news release issued by the Ministry says the Prosecutors Office has been notified of reasonable suspicions regarding the lawfulness of the procedure, liable to affect the national security interests. The bid should have been completed last year, but it was postponed several times already. The Defence Minister Gabriel Leş said the Prosecutors Office was only notified with respect to this case in order to make sure the security and lawfulness of the procurement procedure are guaranteed.




    PASSPORTS The new Romanian electronic passports, to be issued as of this week, will be virtually impossible to forge, said the head of the Directorate General for Passports Mirel Toancă on Saturday. He said each page of the new documents includes a stylised image of a well-known Romanian historic or tourist site, such as the Danube Delta, the Scărişoara Cave or Sighişoara medieval citadel. The fees for the issue of the new passports remain unchanged, and the ones valid at present will remain in use. Simple electronic passports are valid for 10 years, and temporary ones are valid 1 year.




    MACEDONIA Greeces PM Alexis Tsipras congratulated his Macedonian counterpart, Zoran Zaev, after a historic vote in Skopje to rename the country “The Republic of North Macedonia. Zoran Zaev won by a narrow margin the 2-thirds of the parliamentary votes needed for this goal, with the nationalists in Opposition boycotting the meeting. This is the last but one major obstacle to the settlement of a decade-long dispute with Greece over the name “Macedonia, which Athens claims for the north of Greece. According to the BBC, the next step is the ratification of the agreement by the Greek Parliament, paving the way for Macedonias prospective accession to the EU and NATO.




    PARIS Two firemen and a Spanish tourist died and over 40 people were injured on Saturday morning in a blast caused by an accidental gas leak in a building downtown Paris, AFP announced quoting sources from the Prosecutors Office. Previous reports mentioned 4 deaths. In other news, fresh clashes took place in the French capital between police and the “yellow vests in the 9th weekend of protests. A nation-wide debate designed to calm down the protesters is to be organised as of Tuesday. The movement started out as a protest against the rise in fuel prices, but later grew into a campaign targeting the entire fiscal and social policy of the French government.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • January 8, 2019

    January 8, 2019

    EU COUNCIL The Romanian minister delegate for European Affairs is taking part in Brussels in the meeting of the General Affairs Council presided for the first time by Romania. Bucharest will present on this occasion its priorities as holder of the rotating presidency of the EU Council. The agenda of the meeting also includes the 2021-2027 financial framework, as well as measures to fight online manipulation, in the context of the elections for the European Parliament due in May. The visit of the College of European Commissioners to Bucharest on January 10th and 11th, marks the official launch of the Romanian Presidency in Bucharest, minister Ciamba added. The 4 pillars of the Romanian presidency are “Europe of convergence, “A safer Europe, “Europa – a stronger regional actor, and “Europe of shared values. Bucharest has earmarked a budget of 60-80 million euros for its EU Council presidency.




    CHILD ALLOWANCES The Romanians working in Austria whose child allowances for the children left in their home country were cut down further to legislative changes in the host country may request support from SOLVIT Romania, which is subordinated to the Foreign Ministry. SOLVIT is a network set up and coordinated by the European Commission in the field of the internal market, which relies on the cooperation of the 31 Centres that are part of the public administration of the countries affiliated to the European Economic Area. Specifically, where a violation is identified, SOLVIT Romania will contact SOLVIT Austria, which is in charge with contacting the relevant national authority in order to identify a solution to the problem. Moreover, Romanian authorities are also currently working with the European Commission with respect to the Austrian legislative measures that lower the child allowances paid to Romanian workers in Austria to the level of the child allowances paid in Romania.




    COHESION Romania will be earmarked 31 billion euro under the Cohesion Policy, in 2021 – 2027, which is 8% more than in the 2014 – 2020 period, the European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Creţu announced. The cohesion policy has the largest budget for the post-2020 period, namely 373 billion euro, and Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, Italy and Finland will receive higher amounts than in the current period, the European official said. According to Corina Cretu, the European Commission wants 3-party negotiations with the European Parliament and Council to be initiated as soon as possible and the procedures for accessing EU funds simplified. This will prevent delays in implementing projects in all EU member states. Corina Creţu added that she will talk about this during the visit that the EC president Jean-Claude Juncker, president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, president of the European Parliament, Antonio Tajani, and the College of Commissioners will make to Bucharest on January 10th and 11th.




    PROTESTS The French PM Édouard Philippe announced plans to ban participation in unauthorised protests, after 8 consecutive weekends of “yellow vest rallies. He said the government would draft a bill punishing those who fail to declare the organisation of a protest, those who take part in one and those who wear masks to cover their faces. Tens of thousands of people took to the streets in Paris and other cities last weekend, but the number of protesters was lower than in previous weekends, and so was the extent of violent clashes. Anti-government protesters are disgruntled with the fuel taxes and the low living standards. They also want to make sure that citizens initiative referendums will be introduced as a guarantee of democracy.




    VISIT North-Korean president Kim Jong-un is on a visit to Beijing, where he will have talks with Xi Jinping, the president of China, which is North Koreas main diplomatic and trade ally. Kim visited the country 3 times in 2018, 2 of the trips taking place ahead of the historic meeting with the US president Donald Trump, which many commentators saw as an opportunity to coordinate strategies. The current 3-day visit fuels speculations regarding a second USA – North Korea summit to be held soon. Trump has recently said the place of the meeting will be announced in the near future.




    INTERNET While waiting for the results of the recent presidential elections, the authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo have cut internet access and text messaging services and have blocked the French radio station RFI, news agencies announce. The government said this was a measure meant to preserve public order and to stop the dissemination of fictitious election results. Meanwhile, the EU and the African Union Monday denounced the coup attempt in Gabon, a former French colony in Africa. Here too, the internet was shut down and power was cut in several areas. Internet shutdowns were also reported in Sudan and Cameroon over the past few months. In Uganda, in 2016, internet access was blocked around election time, with the authorities claiming that this was the only way to prevent the dissemination of fake news inciting violence.




    TENNIS The Romanian player Simona Halep, number 1 in the world, is playing her first match this year against the Australian Ashleigh Barty (15 WTA), in the 8th-finals of the WTA tournament in Sydney. Barty Tuesday defeated the Latvian Jelena Ostapenko (22 WTA) 6-3, 6-3. Last year, Halep won both her matches against Barty without losing a set, in the Montreal semi-finals and in the 8th-finals of the Cincinnati tournament. Simona, who had to cut her 2018 season short because of a herniated disc, last won a match in August, against Arina Sabalenka of Belarus, in the Cincinnati semi-finals, lost the following 3 matches and withdrew in the fourth.



    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • December 23, 2018

    December 23, 2018

    1989 Revolution – Events commemorating the heroes of the December 1989 anti-communist Revolution continue. On Saturday, in Bucharest and other cities across Romania several thousand people took part in a march in memory of the Revolution’s heroes, and against the current government. In the capital, commemoration events started at the monument in the Revolution Square and continued at the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, the Romanian Television and the Telephone Palace. The participants included revolutionaries, relatives of those who died, people who were in the army in 1989 and were called to defend the public institutions from what officials back then termed as terrorists. All orthodox churches in the country and abroad held a commemoration mass to honour the heroes who sacrificed themselves in December 1989. More than 1000 people died and some 3,400 were wounded in the shootings in Romania, the only country in the Eastern Bloc where the regime was toppled violently and the communist rulers were executed.




    Paris – About 2,000 people demonstrated in Paris on Saturday. Some 142 people have been arrested, including a protest leader, police sources say. A man died in southern France, bringing the protests overall death toll to 10. There were other small-scale protests in the rest of the country, with hundreds of yellow vests briefly blocking trucks near the French-Spanish border before being dispersed by police. The “gilets jaunes” (yellow vest) protesters – named after the high-visibility jackets French motorists must carry in their cars – began in mid-November against fuel tax increases, for higher wages, lower taxes, better pensions and easier university entry requirements. On Friday evening, the French Senate approved the measures which should come into force early next year.




    Eurobarometer – 52% of the Romanians have a positive image about the EU, as compared to 43% which is the European average. According to a Eurobarometer survey, the number of Romanians who have a positive image about the EU is on the rise and above the European average. Half of the Romanians trust the EU and belive that their voice counts in the EU, 56% of the Romanians have a positive view of the situation of the European economy, and 48% of Romanians are optimistic about the labour market situation. The survey also shows that most Europeans believe, for the first time, that their voice matters in the EU. Moreover, 20 years since the introduction of the single currency, support for the economic and monetary union and the Euro remains at a record high, with three quarters of the respondents in the Eurozone in favour of the single currency. On the other hand, immigration remains the main concern at EU level. It is mentioned twice more often than terrorism.




    Ice hotel — The only ice hotel in Romania is being opened today at Balea Lac in the Southern Carpathians. The official inauguration of the entire compound, to also include an ice church and several igloos will take place next February. The ice hotel, built entirely of ice blocks, is located at an altitude of 2034 meters. This year, the theme that has inspired the hotel’s decoration is Frozen Love, promoting love and passion for nature, fresh air and trekking in the winter season. A perfume inspired from this theme will also be launched. Bookings for tourists who want to experiment sleeping at minus 2 degrees Celsius were made months in advance, especially by Britons. The Ice Hotel has been built every year, starting 2005.




    Security – During the holiday season, more than 85 hundred policemen will ensure security all over Romania. Given the big number of Romanians aboard who come to spend their winter holidays at home and the number of Romanians who go outside the country borders at this time of the year, the Romanian Border Police has reminded that there is an application that those interested can use to see how traffic is at border checkpoints. The number of trains to and from the big Romanian cities and the mountain resorts has also been supplemented.




    Employment — In Romania, the National Employment Agency (ANOFM) plans to integrate over 110 thousand unemployed people on the labour market, under a project co-financed by the European Social Fund, though the Human Capital Operational Programme 2014-2020. The budget allocated for this purpose exceeds 265 million euros, of which around 226 millions are non-repayable funds. The project will be implemented with the support of local employment agencies.


    (Translated by Elena Enache)

  • December 8, 2018 UPDATE

    December 8, 2018 UPDATE

    MAE – The Romanian Foreign Ministry warned the Romanian citizens in France in relation to the situation in Paris where the ‘yellow vests’ staged further protests for the 4th consecutive Saturday. Consequently the local authorities decided to close museums and theaters and the Eiffel Tower as a preventive measure. The Romanian citizens were recommended to avoid the central areas of Paris, to carefully plan their trips in the countryside and to get informed about the evolution of the protests.



    Paris — Hundreds of protesters were detained or placed in custody in Paris which is now in a state of maximum alert against the backdrop of further yellow vests protests. Near Champs Elysee, the riot police fired tear gas against the yellow vests, who came in great numbers to call for Emmanuel Macron’s resignation. Following instigation launched on the social networks that called people to storm the Elysee Palace, the riot police set up cordons in all sensitive areas in downtown Paris as well as in train stations and on the outskirts of the city. Nearly 90 thousand police have been deployed countrywide so as to prevent potential violence and destructions similar to those that happened last Saturday in Paris. The PM Edouard Philippe thanked all those who made an appeal for calm, for the French citizens to be able to express their requests without mingling with the violent people who want to attack the police. Due to the yellow vests’ protests, the government cancelled the fuel tax rises. Now the yellow vests are protesting for increased salaries and higher purchasing power.



    New York – The Permanent Mission of Romania to the UN organized on Friday in New York a conference on building resilience to natural disasters. The main guest of the conference was Romanian secretary of state with the Interior Ministry Raed Arafat. In 2017, 335 major natural disasters were reported globally, that killed almost 10 thousand people, affected more than 95 million people and caused damage worth more than 334 billion dollars. In this context, secretary of state Raed Arafat presented the emergency alert system Romania has put into place in order to support the population in case of natural disasters and underlined the importance of public awareness campaigns and of a partnership with the media, to inform the population in due time. The conference in New York is part of the strategy for promoting Romania’s candidacy to a non permanent seat on the UN Security Council between 2020-2021.



    Brussels – The European Parliament is to vote, next week, on the report of the Committee on Civil Liberties, which calls for the fast accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent to Brussels the members of the committee claim that postponing the Schengen accession of these two countries has negative effects not only for them but also for the EU, because maintaining or reintroducing border control will undermine the citizens’ trust in the European institutions and will have a negative economic impact. The MEPs also show that expanding the Schengen area should not be affected by EU policies such as those on asylum and migration.



    Lisbon — The Party of European Socialists (PES) on Saturday designated the Dutch Frans Timmermans, currently first vice-president of the European Commission, as their top candidate for the European Parliamentary elections of May 2019. Timmermans hopes to succeed the current president of the EC Jean-Claude Juncker. His main opponent is the German Conservative Manfred Weber representing the center-right European People’s Party. The elections to the European Parliament will take place in the context in which the Social Democrats and other leftist parties from Europe lost many of their supporters and now faced with a crisis against the backdrop of the ascension of populist and far-right parties. At the Party of European Socialists’ congress hosted by Lisbon, the former president of the Socialist Party of Bulgaria, Sergei Stanishev, was re-elected for a 3rd term in office at the helm of the party. (translation by L. Simion)

  • December 4, 2018 UPDATE

    December 4, 2018 UPDATE

    EUROPEAN AFFAIRS – Romanian PM Viorica Dancila alongside members of her cabinet will attend a common meeting of the Government of Romania and the Commission of Europe in Brussels on Wednesday, in the run up to Romanias taking over the presidency of the EU Council as of January 1. On Tuesday, Viorica Dancila attended a conference on the future of Europe, organized by the Aspen Romania Institute, where she said that to Romania, EU accession marked the fulfilment of national aspirations, and democracy, economic growth and safety are the undeniable result of Romanias European path. Viorica Dancila also said the most important files to be discussed during Romanias term include the financial framework, migration, the reform of the Euro zone and innovation. The Romanian Prime Minister also said that in her capacity as head of government she will make all the necessary efforts for Romania to join the Euro zone in 2024.



    UKRAINE – Romanian defence minister, Gabriel Leş, who was heard on Tuesday by the Senates relevant committee, said that as regards the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, diplomacy and political dialogue havent had their final say yet and that Romania is closely and carefully watching the situation, alongside the NATO structures. According to Radio Romanias correspondent to Moscow, Russias Black Sea fleet will carry out drills in the Black Sea, south of the Kerch Strait in Crimea, as from Tuesday night until December 9. The respective area has been declared dangerous for navigation. The drills are unfolding soon after the Russian-Ukrainian naval incident in the Kerch Strait, when Russian ships seized Ukrainian naval vessels with 24 sailors on board, for allegedly having illegally crossed the border. In the wake of the incident, Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko instituted martial law in the regions along the border with Russia and in those close to the Black Sea and the Azov Sea. Russian President Vladimir Putin has deemed the incident as a provocation staged by Petro Poroshenko to serve his electoral purposes. The Western states have condemned Russias actions and called on Russia to return the Ukrainian vessels and marines it had seized.



    FRANCE – French PM, Edouard Philippe, has announced the 6 month suspension of three fiscal measures which should have been enforced as from January 1, 2019, among which a fuel tax which was the root-cause of yellow vest protests. Violent clashes were reported between yellow vest protesters and the riot police in the streets of Paris on November 17. The yellow vests protested the rise in fuel prices, denouncing the decrease in the purchasing power as a result of the envisaged measures and accused the French President Emanuel Macron of adopting policies which favour the richer members of the French society. The protests, which have spread to other regions of France, have a significant impact on the French economy, namely millions of Euros, pundits warn.



    CLARIFICATIONS – The Romanian Foreign Ministry considers that the article carried by the DPA German Press Agency and taken over by the German public television channel ZDF on the anniversary of Romanias Great Union Centennial does not observe the historical truth. The Romanian Foreign Ministry announced that the necessary steps have been taken, through the agency of the Romanian Embassy in Berlin, for the two German institutions to make the required corrections. On December 1, 2018 ZDF carried a piece of news about Romanias National Day, taken over from the DPA, which said that Romania celebrated 100 years since the annexation of the former Hungarian province of Transylvania. The Romanian Foreign Ministry underlines that on December 1, 1918 at the National Assembly in Alba Iulia (in central Romania) 100 thousand people decided upon the union with Romania, with the participation of all parties, religious denominations and social categories. The resolution of the National Assembly in Alba Iulia was first signed by the representatives of the German minority in Transylvania and Bukovina, the Romanian Foreign Ministry writes in the communiqué. Also on Tuesday, the German Embassy in Romania announced it had requested the two German eidtorial teams to make corrections of the excerpts in the article on the Centenary. The Embassy underlined that any public reporting contradicting the fact that the Romanian modern state was set up following the unification of several regions, including Transylvania, does not correspond with the standpoint of the Federal Government.



    CORRUPTION – The legal committee in Romanias Senate on Tuesday postponed the vote on the request made the National Anti-Corruption Directorate to start the criminal prosecution of the Senate Speaker, Calin Popescu Tariceanu, who is accused of bribe taking. The committee will draft a report after which the request for lifting the officials immunity will be voted in the plenum of the Senate. In early November, the DNA had asked for the Senates approval to begin the criminal investigation of Calin Popescu Tariceanu. Prosecutors claim that the speaker of the Senate indirectly received bribe worth 800 thousand dollars, between 2007 and 2008, when he was prime minister, from an Austrian firm. The money accounted for a 10% commission on the value of the contract addendum and was allegedly used by the dignitary for his own benefit.



    HANDBALL – Romanias national handball team will meet Norway on Wednesday. Romania has qualified to the main groups of the European Championship hosted by France, after defeating the German team 29-24. That was the Romanians second match in Group D. In the first match, the Romanian handballers defeated the Czech team. Romanias national handball teams best result so far was the bronze medal at the 2010 European Championship. The leader of Romanias national team Cristina Neagu scored 5 times in the match against Germany, thus becoming the best goal scorer in the history of the European Championships, with 206 goals. (Translated by L. Simion and D. Vijeu)

  • December 1, 2018 UPDATE

    December 1, 2018 UPDATE

    National Day — On December 1, Romania marked 100 years since the setting up of the Romanian unitary nation state. On this occasion as many as 450 public events were organized all across the country. Bucharest venued the biggest military parade of the past decades, which was a unique moment both through the number of military that passed under the Arch of Triumph and the military equipment and technology presented. 4 thousand military, of whom more than 500 soldiers from 20 partner and allied states, marched in Bucharest. More than 200 technical equipment items were presented and as many as 50 planes flew over the capital. The fighting equipment included for the first time the Patriot missile air-defense system and the Piranha 5 armored vehicles which, starting this year, are being manufactured in Romania. Another military parade took place in Alba Iulia, the city in the center of the country, where the union of Transylvania with Romania was proclaimed on December 1, 1918. This was also the biggest parade ever organized in the city of the union. A Monument of the Union dedicated to Romania’s Centennial was inaugurated there. Previously, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church Daniel and the Patriarch of Jerusalem Teofil III held a religious service in front of the Cathedral in Alba Iulia. Also in Alba Iulia a new edition of the Congress of the Romanian Spirituality was opened which is being attended by representatives of the Romanian communities from all over the world. The representative offices of the Romanian Cultural Institute from abroad in cooperation with Romania’s diplomatic missions organized cultural events to mark Romania’s National Day.



    Congratulations messages — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis told all Romanians, on the occasion of the National Day and of the 100th anniversary of the Romanian unitary nation state, that the nation needs everybody’s energy and involvement. He said that Romania’s history was full of obstacles but the country managed to have a mature society, with courageous, responsible and more civically- engaged people, who have the power to fight for a better life for themselves and for their children. President Iohannis invited all Romanians in the country and aboard, to build the Romania of the next century together, united by such values as democracy, freedom and equality before the law. In turn, the PM Viorica Dancila expressed confidence that the Romanian society still has enough resources to reach consensus, balance and political wisdom so as to promote its interest as a European nation. Romanians also received congratulations messages from abroad on their national day. The EC wrote on its Facebook page that the EU would not be complete without Romania and posted a short video featuring symbols of Romania. The Moldovan PM Pavel Filip said in turn that Romania was more than a friend and partner for Moldova. Also the American Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in a congratulations message to the Romanian people, on behalf of the American administration, posted on the website of the US Department of State that quote: “On this day, we celebrate with all Romanians the 100th anniversary of the creation of modern Romania and we reflect on our friendship and strategic partnership” unquote. Also Pope Francis conveyed cordial congratulations to the Romanian people.



    Bucharest winter lights — On Friday evening the winter lights were turned on in Bucharest, earlier than in the previous years, to mark the Great Union centennial. The city was adorned with 9 million light bulbs, three times more than in the previous years. 40 kms of boulevards and streets were decorated with winter lights. In the center of the capital an installation was set up representing the endless Column which measures 12 meters in height and weighs 110 kilograms. The festive lights dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Romanian unitary nation state were turned on by two eminent students in the Constitution Square, which also hosts a Christmas Fair that will be open until December 26.



    Condolence message – The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis on Saturday conveyed a message of condolences to his American counterpart Donald Trump, on the death of America’s 41st president, George H.W. Bush. According to Klaus Iohannis, George H.W. Bush was a great leader and a genuine man of state, who left behind a valuable political heritage, including for Eastern Europe. Thanks to his efforts, Romania alongside the other states of the former Soviet bloc, has regained its freedom and started on its way to European and Euro-Atlantic integration. George H.W. Bush also set the basis for what later became a deep and valuable Strategic Partnership between the USA and Romania. George H.W. Bush died on Friday at 94.



    Football — Romania’s national football team will find out, on Sunday, its opponents in the preliminaries of the EURO 2020, after the drawing of lots to be venued by Dublin, one of the 12 hosts of the continental competition, among which Bucharest as well. Romania’s Arena Nationala – National Arena will host 4 matches in 2020: 3 matches of Group C on June 14, 18 and 22, and a match in the eighth finals on June 29. The 55 teams to participate in the drawing of lots for the preliminaries will be divided into 10 groups, 5 groups of 5 teams each, and 5 groups of 6 teams. Qualifying to the EURO 2020 will be the teams ranking 1st and 2nd in each group. The matches in the preliminary round will take place from March through November 2019.



    Paris — The French riot police and protesters clashed in central Paris during a 3rd weekend of nationwide ‘yellow vest’ rallies caused by increased fuel prices. Police fired tear gas, stun grenades and used water cannons against the protesters who were trying to tear down the barricades. Tens of people have been arrested. In a speech on France’s strategy in the energy sector, the French president Emmanuel Macron said he would not abandon the controversial fuel tax that sparked the protests. (translation by L. Simion)

  • November 18, 2018

    November 18, 2018


    VISITS – The President of the
    European Court of Auditors, Klaus-Heiner Lehne will pay a visit to Bucharest on
    Monday and Tuesday, in the run-up to Romania’s taking over the rotating presidency
    of the EU Council, on January 1st, 2019. Klaus – Heiner Lehne will meet with
    Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis, Prime-Minister Viorica Dancila, the Speakers
    of the two parliament chambers, the Public Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici
    and the Minister Delegate for European Affairs George Ciamba. Several
    high-ranking officials will travel to Bucharest next week, including the
    president of the European Parliament Antonio Tajani. The officials will discuss
    topics of interest for the future of the EU and the good management, during
    Romania’s presidency, of major files, such as the multi-annual financial
    framework, Brexit, the future of the EU post Brexit and the evolution of the
    security policy.




    GREAT UNION – An event celebrating
    the Great Union Centennial has been hosted by Gyula in Hungary, the town that
    is home to the largest Romanian community in the country, which has its own
    Romanian school and newspaper. The event has been attended by Romanian cultural
    figures, university professors and local authorities. The Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi
    Institute for Romanians Worldwide has
    organized a conference on the contribution to the Great Union of Romanians in Hungary. A festivity was also held on the occasion, during which representatives
    of the Romanian community in Hungary, including headmasters of schools with
    teaching in Romanian, were awarded by the Eudoxiu Hurmuzachi institute, for the
    efforts they’ve made to preserve Romanian cultural values.




    RADIRO – The 4th
    International Festival of Radio Orchestras – RadiRo- starts in Bucharest today,
    organized by Radio Romania. This year, the festival celebrates Radio Romania’s
    90th anniversary and also the Great Union Centennial. Until next
    Sunday, the Radio Hall and the Auditorium Hall of the National Art Museum will
    be hosting 8 symphonic and 4 jazz concerts. The list of prestigious guests
    includes the oldest European radio orchestra, MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony
    Orchestra, as well as the BBC Philarmonic, Orchestra della Svizzera italiana, and RTE National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland, participating for the first time in the festival. All concerts will be
    broadcast live by Radio Romania, recorded and subsequently broadcast by the
    Romanian Television and other radio broadcasting companies members of the
    European Broadcasting Union.




    GAUDEAMUS Today is the last day of the Gaudeamus – Radio Romania
    International Book Fair. The 2018
    edition has been devoted to the Great Union Centennial and Radio Romania’s 90th
    anniversary. The main topic has been illustrated by a representative stand,
    with a collection of 600 volumes devoted to the Great Union and dozens of
    events, launches, book presentations, film screenings and public readings. The
    public has also had the opportunity to meet some of their favourite
    writers, literary critics and historians.




    CONSECRATION – The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew,
    is expected to Romania on the 23rd of November, for a four-day
    visit, according to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Patriarchy. Together
    with the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel, and other Romanian
    hierarchs, Bartholomew will attend on November 25th the consecration
    of the newly-built Cathedral of the
    Salvation of the Nation. Bartholomew has been to Romania ten times, last time
    in 2010.






    PROTESTS – Protests staged by the
    so-called ‘yellow vests’ have been reported in France, against the increase in
    taxes and fuel prices. Some 300,000 protested in Paris and in other towns,
    blocking entrances into the highway. 227 people have been wounded and the
    police made 73 arrests. People were mobilized through the social media, without
    any intervention on the part of the trade unions or political parties.






    FOOTBALL – On Saturday night, in Ploiesti,
    in the south, Romania’s national football team defeated the Lithuanian squad
    3-nil, in a match part of the Nations League’s group 4. As a result, Romania
    went up to the second place in the group, and will play a decisive match
    against Montenegro, in Podgorica on Tuesday. Romania will be able to keep
    fighting for qualification to EURO 2020 as holder of the second position in the
    group if Serbia, the leader of the group, qualifies directly to the European
    Championship.