In an exclusive interview to RRI’s Eugen Cojocariu, Dr. Lior Ben Dor shares his first impressions on Romania, in his new capacity as Ambassador of the State of Israel to Bucharest, takes a look back at the history of the diplomatic relations between Israel and Romania and touches on the priorities of his mandate.
The 11th edition of the Balkanik – Home of World Music Festival was hosted between September 6-8, 2024, by the Uranus Garden in Bucharest, a unique venue providing a magical setting of historical significance.
RRI’s Eugen Cojocariu talked with the German DJ and producer Shantel, the leader of the Bucovina Club Soundystem about his roots, his music and artistic vision.
Eugen Cojocariu also talked with Valasia Dodulu, the soloist of Rumeliko, a band that combines Greek and Turkish folklore, urban rebetiko and Balkan rhythms to breathe new life into old songs about passion, longing, pain and joy.
Queen Marie of Romania, Romanian painter Cecilia Cuţescu-Storck and German photographer Sibylle Bergemann are three of the women and artists celebrated as part of the latest Art Safari exhibition.
RRI’s Eugen Cojocariu talked to German ambassador to Bucharest Peer Gebauer about Sibylle Bergemann and the general theme of the current Art Safari exhibition.
The Ambassador of Greece to Bucharest, H.E. Evangelia Grammatika, presented her credentials to the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, on January 22, 2024.
RRI’s Eugen Cojocariu has discussed with the Ambassador on various aspects of the relations between Greece and Romania, in an exclusive interview for Radio Romania International.
The mandate of the Ambassador of the State of Israel to Romania, Reuven Azar, has come to an end.
RRI’s Eugen Cojocariu has spoken with His Excellency about the achievements of his mandate and the relations between Romania and Israel.
Tuvia Tenenbom is an Israeli-American best-selling author, journalist, dramatist, and the founder of the Jewish Theater of New York. He has launched in Bucharest the Romanian version of his latest book, “Careful, Beauties Ahead: My Year with the Ultra-Orthodox”. His ancestors came from Poland, Romania and the Republic of Moldova. A big part of his family was murdered during the Holocaust.
RRI’s Eugen Cojocariu has discussed with Tuvia Tenenbom, inter alia, about his books and his roots in Eastern Europe.
School children were able to take part in competitions, workshops, VR and AR experiences, flight simulator exercises and much more. For students and professors alike, the festival introduced amazing airspace engineering projects, looking ahead at the professions of the future, both in space and on Earth. Representatives of the Romanian airspace industry showcased their latest technologies, solutions and products, and presented future investment opportunities.
The special guests of the festival were the NASA astronaut Susan Kilrain, the Axiom Space chief astronaut Michael López-Alegría, the retired NASA astronaut Dominic Antonelli and the ESA astronaut Sławosz Uznański.
An engineer of Polish descent, Sławosz has been working for the European Space Agency (ESA) since 2023, as a project astronaut. Between 2018 and 2020, he was an Engineer in Charge of the Large Hadron Collider – LHC, being responsible for the day-to-day 24/7 operations of CERN’s largest accelerator and assuring its optimum exploitation.
An MIT graduate and retired NASA astronaut, Dominic Anthony Antonelli served as pilot on 2 Space Shuttle missions: the STS-119 which launched in 2009 and delivered the final pair of power-generating solar array wings and truss element to the International Space Station, and the STS-132, launched in May 2010, which saw the delivery of the Russian Mini-Research Module 1 (MRM-1) to the International Space Station.
Michael López-Alegría is a veteran of 3 Space Shuttle missions and one International Space Station mission. He is known for having performed ten spacewalks so far in his career, presently holding the second longest all-time EVA (extra-vehicular activity) duration record (first among NASA astronauts) and having the fifth-longest spaceflight of any American at the length of 215 days. López-Alegría commanded Axiom-1, the first ever all-private team of commercial astronaut mission to the International Space Station, and in 2024 he was the commander of the Axiom 3 mission.
Commander Susan Kilrain is a renowned astronaut, a distinguished navy test pilot, and author. She is the youngest person, and one of only three women, to pilot the space shuttle. She served 20 years in the navy, paving the way for women. She has flown more than 3,000 flight hours in over 30 different aircraft, and she was awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal. She is currently a motivational speaker and encourages young people to pursue a STEM career.
RRI’s Eugen Cojocariu had a short talk with Susan Kilrain at Poli SpaceFest in Bucharest, discussing how Earth is seen from space, the difficulties of becoming an astronaut, and why we need astronauts.
A new research looked at Europe’s capital cities, ranking them based on the affordability of 8 living costs, including rent, utilities and travel. Bucharest was found to be the most affordable European capital to live in.
Personal finance experts at Finansvalp gathered data from the cost-of-living website Numbeo to create their affordability index, which included every European capital city, scored out of 100 based on 8 factors.
The factors in the index include the monthly cost of renting a one-bedroom apartment outside the city centre, electricity and water bills, monthly mobile phone and broadband plans, fitness club fees, a travel pass and the price of a meal out for two. These expenses were measured against the average monthly net salary for a person living in each city.
In light of these factors, Bucharest, Romania, was found to be the most affordable European capital city to live in, scoring 59.69 out of 100. Next in the list come Chisinau and San Marino.
The study found that residents in Bucharest pay around 34% of their monthly incomes (on average £1,098.50 after tax) on accommodation. The average rent for a one-bedroom apartment outside of the city centre was found to be £375.15.
Another £164.57 a month is spent on household bills and £120.69 goes on lifestyle expenses, such as dining out, fitness and travel passes. This means residents are left with around £438.09 each month in disposable income.
The second most affordable capital city in Europe is Chisinau, Moldova, scoring 56.40 out of 100, followed by San Marino, with a score of 54.53 out of 100.
The 10 most affordable European capital cities to live in
| Rank | Capital city | Country | Affordability Score / 100 |
| 1. | Bucharest | Romania | 59.69 |
| 2. | Chisinau | Moldova | 56.40 |
| 3. | San Marino | San Marino | 54.43 |
| 4. | Vilnius | Lithuania | 53.68 |
| 5. | Vaduz | Liechtenstein | 53.19 |
| 6. | Warsaw | Poland | 53.10 |
| 7. | Helsinki | Finland | 53.00 |
| 8. | Skopje | North Macedonia | 52.98 |
| 9. | Budapest | Hungary | 52.75 |
| 10. | Madrid | Spain | 52.03 |
At the opposite pole, the study revealed that the most expensive European capital to live in is London, England, which scored 41.04 out of 100. Average incomes in the English capital are around £4,169.68 after tax, with nearly half of that (49.5%) going on rent (£2,064.91 for a one-bedroom apartment).
The second-costliest capital city is Monte Carlo, Monaco, with a score of 41.23 out of 100, while Dublin, Ireland, which scored 42.24 out of 100, comes third.
Speaking on the findings, Olle Pettersson, CEO of Finansvalp, said:
“Living in Europe’s capital cities can be a financial tightrope, requiring strategic budgeting and savvy decision-making to thrive in a cosmopolitan lifestyle.
“As such, understanding the financial landscapes of European capitals is crucial for individuals, which is why our data experts have analysed the living factors driving costs.
“We hope this will empower locals and emigrants alike to make informed choices about their finances and lifestyles in an increasingly interconnected world.”
Credits: https://finansvalp.se
Sources: Numbeo
RRI’s Eugen Cojocariu talked to Sabine Verheyen, chair of the Committee on Culture and Education and rapporteur on the European Media Freedom Act, adopted in March by the European Parliament, about what the new legislation means for the public media and the private press sector in Europe.
Sabine Verheyen also discussed the means for EU institutions to counter disinformation in the coming elections for the European Parliament, so as to prevent prospective interference from third countries.
Convincing the young generations to vote is also important, Sabine Verheyen says, and in this respect European youth need more information coming from EU institutions.
Radio Romania, the public service, won an editorial project, “YOU+EU 2024 and beyond”, co-financed by the European Parliament, providing information on the upcoming European elections scheduled for June 6-9, 2024.
Under this project, Radio Romania produces podcasts, video animations and infographics on European topics, as well as 12 debates, in Romania, and two debates in Romanian and English, in Brussels.
The second debate in English was held in Brussels, on January 23, 2024, at the headquarters of the European Parliament, themed “What to expect from the European elections? How to convince the young people to vote?”.
The debate was moderated by Vlad Palcu, Editor, Radio Romania International, and involved the participation of MEPs Alex Agius Saliba, Malta, Vice-Chair of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, Dragoş Pîslaru, Romania, Renew Europe Group, Chair of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs, Marian-Jean Marinescu, Romania, Group of the European Peoples Party (Christian Democrats), and Olivia Nouailhetas-Baneth, Associate Director at Verian Group, former Kantar Media.
As part of the “You + EU – 2024 and Beyond” project, won by Radio Romania and co-funded by the European Parliament, Radio Romania produces podcasts, video animations and infographics on European topics, as well as a series of debates. One such debate took place in Brussels on January 23.
One of the participants in the debate, Olivia Nouailhetas-Baneth, Associate Director at Verian Group, a global research and public policy center, gave us the following interview.
As part of the “You + EU – 2024 and Beyond” project, won by Radio Romania and co-funded by the European Parliament, Radio Romania produces podcasts, video animations and infographics on European topics, as well as a series of debates. One such debate took place in Brussels on January 23.
One the participants in the debate, Alex Agius Saliba – Vice-Chair of the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats and Vice-Chair of the Committee on Petitions (PETI), gave us the following interview.
Christmas Eve is
upon us!
With only one day
separating us from the Nativity of Christ, we’re making the last preparations
to welcome the birth of our Lord into this world!
This day is
traditionally set aside for relaxing, merry-making, caroling around the
Christmas tree and the occassional gift-wrapping by the fireplace.
Today’s special Christmas programme is our gift to you, so
go ahead and unwrap it!
Merry Christmas!
Radio Romania, the public service, won an editorial project, “YOU+EU 2024 and beyond”, co-financed by the European Parliament, providing information on the upcoming European elections scheduled for June 6-9, 2024.
Under this project, Radio Romania produces podcasts, video animations and infographics on European topics, as well as 12 debates, in Romania, and two debates in Romanian and English, in Brussels.
The first debate in English was held in Brussels, on November 28, 2023, at the headquarters of the European Parliament, themed “The European Parliament: Preliminary End of Term Review”.
The debate was moderated by Diana Petrescu, deputy chief editor, Radio Romania International, and involved the participation of MEPs Mercedes Bresso, Partito Democratico, Italy, Vice-President of the Commission for Development, and Nicolae Ştefănuţă, Independent, Green Group/European Free Alliance, member of the Committee on Budgets, as well as of the former European Commissioner for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, Elżbieta Bieńkowska, Poland, and Olivia Serra Calvo, President of the European Student Think Tank.
