Radio România Internațional

Category: Today in the News

  • Joint Statement on Artificial Intelligence

    Joint Statement on Artificial Intelligence

    Representatives of 58 countries from all continents convened in Paris on Tuesday to endorse a joint statement for “artificial intelligence that is to be open, inclusive and ethical”. At the end of a session jointly chaired by France and India, the participants “underlined the need for a global reflection integrating inter alia questions of safety, sustainable development, innovation, respect of international laws including humanitarian law and human rights and the protection of human rights, gender equality, linguistic diversity, protection of consumers and of intellectual property rights.” EU countries, Canada, India, China and the African Union are among the entities, which have endorsed the aforementioned statement.

    The French president, Emmanuel Macron, who co-hosted the conference, has been quoted by Radio Romania correspondent in Paris as saying, “we want a framework that prevents AI from being used for mass control or destruction.” He added that building trust in AI and its spread is a challenge for governments, civil society, investors and private player. The European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has announced the launch of the Champions Initiative, a private-public partnership for record investment in the field at community level of roughly 200 billion Euros.

    “We want Europe to be one of the leading AI continents and this means embracing a way of life where AI is everywhere. We want AI to be a force for good. We want an AI where everyone collaborates and everyone benefits. This is our path. This is our European path”, von der Leyen went on to say.

    Also attending the meeting, the Romanian Minister of the Economy and Digitalization, Bogdan Gruia Ivan, has told Radio Romania that Bucharest is ready to play its part in the development of this technology of the future.

    Bogdan Gruia Ivan:” Europe has eventually understood how important it is to be at the table of those who are shaping the world’s future. And Romania is here for this reason. A couple of days ago we signed a 64-million Euro agreement for the Romanian AI hub, which is connecting the technical universities in Romania and which automatically includes us into this European Commission project as a regional research hub.”

     As international media has noticed, the USA and Britain are not among the signatories of the aforementioned document due to some opinion differences on regulating the new technologies. Unlike Europe, which wants to move faster, at the same time being a framework in the development of artificial intelligence, the Americans want that “all possible efforts be made to encourage pro-growth politics in the area”. The new US vice-president, J.D. Vance, explains that heavy regulation in the field could kill AI. Some commentators believe that the positions of London and Washington have highlighted two confronting world visions.

    (bill)

  • Reactions to the resignation of President Klaus Iohannis

    Reactions to the resignation of President Klaus Iohannis

    The political class in Bucharest reacted to the first resignation in the history of Romanian presidents.

     

     

    Klaus Iohannis announced his resignation from the position of President of Romania on Monday, saying his decision was meant to pre-empt a political crisis. In a public statement, Iohannis described the opposition MPs’ bid to impeach him as useless, unfounded and damaging. He said that he had never violated the Constitution and warned over the danger of Romania facing political crisis had he been impeached.

     

    Klaus Iohannis: “Internally, society will be divided, there will be no discussion about the upcoming presidential elections, there will be no discussion about how Romania will move forward. Externally, the effects will be long-lasting and very negative. Absolutely none of our allies will understand why Romania is impeaching its president, after, in fact, it has already started the procedure for electing a new president. In order to spare Romania and the Romanian citizens from this crisis, from this unnecessary and negative development, I am resigning from the position of President of Romania.”

     

    The leaders of the ruling coalition in Bucharest said they were not aware of Klaus Iohannis’ intention to resign, but that the move was preferable to impeachment, which would have complicated the political situation. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu: “I did not know about it. I am not a big fan of President Klaus Iohannis. I have never voted for him”. Klaus Iohannis is now in the past, said in turn, the leader of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR), Kelemen Hunor, who explained that 10 years ago Iohannis was elected with huge hopes, but that he left behind a tense society. Kelemen Hunor: “He was elected with great hopes and with the chance to be a good president for every person, for every community. He has now stepped down, leaving behind frustration and disappointment, but, at the same time, has opened the way for all of us, for the coalition, for its candidate and for Romania to elect a good president, a president for every individual”.

     

    The opposition parties, the sovereigntist-isolationist POT, AUR, S.O.S Romania and the pro-European USR, who signed the motion for the president’s impeachment, welcomed the latter’s decision to resign. USR, however, says that the resignation comes very late and does not give answers to the questions that are tormenting the country. USR deputy leader, Ionuţ Moşteanu: “It is a decision that everyone has been waiting for. And USR has contributed to it. It is an advantage for all pro-European candidates that Klaus Iohannis will not be at Cotroceni during this campaign”.

     

    In turn, the representatives of AUR welcomed Klaus Iohannis’ resignation and announced their intention to table a censure motion against the government led by Marcel Ciolacu. The international media also reacted to the first resignation in the history of Romanian presidents. In a troubled Romania, the president throws in the towel, France Presse wrote, adding: “Klaus Iohannis leaves the presidency with an extremely controversial mandate and a high degree of unpopularity”, while Reuters specifies that the outgoing president of Romania resigns to pre-empt an impeachment bid in parliament.

  • Budget for 2025, promulgated

    Budget for 2025, promulgated

     

    The outgoing president Klaus Iohannis signed the decrees promulgating the 2025 state budget and social security budget laws. The two bills had been quickly endorsed last week in the joint plenary meeting of the Romanian parliament. MPs in the opposition—AUR, Save Romania Union, SOS Romania and the Young People’s Party—submitted thousands of amendments, but these were dismissed one by one by the vote of the ruling coalition, comprising the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania.

     

    The opposition claimed that many amendments were rushed away without careful consideration. The budgets of ministries, on the other hand, were adopted as received from the reporting committees, and one of the few amendments to pass concerned an increase in the funding of the health ministry. Another amendment scrapped the approx. EUR 140,000 originally earmarked to the Constitutional Court of Romania for covering medical prescription claims for employees and retired judges.

     

    The draft budget for 2025 was passed by the government on February 1 and is based on a 2.5% economic growth rate and a budget deficit of 7% of GDP. The 2025 budget will enable the country’s development process to continue, PM Marcel Ciolacu said. He emphasised that higher amounts have been earmarked for the health ministry, for motorways and railways, as well as for education, and he dismissed the idea of ​​an austerity budget.

     

    In turn, the finance minister Tanczos Barna described the state budget for 2025 as “modest” and based on a prudent increase in revenues, “without exaggeration.” He claimed that there is “enough money for salaries, pensions and social benefits”.

     

    The budget was criticised not only by the opposition, but also by employers and trade unions, while Fiscal Council experts said that revenues were overestimated.

     

    The 2025 budget was finalised after late last week an IMF delegation completed its talks in Bucharest with the main institutions responsible for Romania’s monetary and fiscal policies. It was not an assessment mission, but only a fact-finding one, and PM Marcel Ciolacu assured the IMF of the government’s determination to comply with the budget deficit target of 7% of the GDP and to implement the reforms undertaken in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

     

    The IMF made public its latest forecasts regarding the Romanian economy last autumn, when it estimated a 7% deficit for the end of 2025, the same as predicted by the Government. The IMF estimates are, however, more optimistic both in terms of the economic growth rate (3.3%, compared to only 2.5% forecast by Bucharest) and inflation (3.6%, below the 4.4% target set by the government). (AMP)

  • The Conclusions of the IMF and World Bank missions

    The Conclusions of the IMF and World Bank missions

    The delegations of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank have concluded their talks in Bucharest with the representatives of the main bodies in charge of Romania’s monetary and fiscal policies. The IMF team met the representatives of the government and the National Bank to assess the latest financial and economic developments and update their macroeconomic forecasts. At the moment, Romania has no ongoing funding agreement with the IMF, but the Fund conducts annual assessments of the performance of the Romanian economy based on consultations on Article IV.

    Prime minister Marcel Ciolacu conveyed to the IMF experts his government’s commitment to stay within the budget deficit target of 7% of GDP and to implement the reforms undertaken under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The prime minister highlighted the measures aimed at the reduction of personnel spending, restructuring of the public sector and the administrative and territorial reorganisation, which are a priority in the coming period.

    During the talks with the IMF mission, finance minister Tánczos Barna reiterated the government’s commitment to reduce the budget deficit and create a leaner state in the next seven years, while boosting allocations for investments that support the economy. He said a series of measures need to be taken to gradually restore the budget deficit balance and prevent an economic crisis similar to that of 2009.

    The International Monetary Fund published the latest forecasts with regard to the performance of the Romanian economy in the autumn of 2024, estimating a 7% deficit for the end of 2025, the same level as that forecast by the Romanian government. The Fund’s expectations are, however, slightly more optimistic with respect to economic growth, putting it at 3.3%, compared with the government’s forecast of 2.5%, as well as with respect to inflation, which it expects to hit 3.6%, below the government’s estimate of 4.4%.

    The representatives of the World Bank welcomed the government’s reform plan and the attention given to investments, saying Romania is a strong and resilient partner. For a better management of joint projects, the two parties agreed on a working mechanism with frequent meetings over the coming period. The group’s executive director, Eugene Rhuggenaath, said the World Bank would expand its investments in Romania to energy, the green transition, infrastructure and other areas with a growth potential. The Bank’s officials also hailed Romania’s support for the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, as well as its contribution to ensuring stability in the region.

    Prime minister Marcel Ciolacu said the authorities will continue to support the development of infrastructure and the agricultural, industrial and building sectors. Also, they will go ahead with the projects to improve medical care and energy services.

  • Irregularities regarding the exhibition in Assen

    Irregularities regarding the exhibition in Assen

    The Dutch police are trying to track down the Romanian treasury artifacts stolen on January 25 from the Drents Museum in Assen. The three suspects detained in this sensitive case refuse to say what they did with the stolen objects, a helmet and three gold bracelets, whereas a fourth suspect, who was identified by the authorities, remains at large. A Dutch art detective believes there is a 50% chance that the thieves have already melted the gold artifacts, fueling the emotion and fears of Romanian authorities regarding the outcome of this investigation. The fact that the police quickly arrested the suspects gives the detective hope that the thieves did not have time to do this, but their insistence on not telling the police where the artifacts are worries him, the Dutch media writes.

     

    The Prime Minister’s Inspection Corps checked the way the National History Museum in Bucharest loaned the items to the Drents Museum and the way the exhibition was organized. The report found irregularities and legal loopholes in terms of protecting cultural heritage, as well as deviations from observing the legal framework regulating the temporary export of classified movable cultural goods. Thus, the investigation revealed that the security and anti-burglary measures and conditions proposed by the Dutch side were not subject to an expert analysis. The situation was caused, on the one hand, by the lack of established norms in this regard and by the lack of establishing specific attributions within the organizational structures and entities involved in approving the move. The analysis of the security measures accepted by the National Museum of History for the organization of the temporary exhibition at the Drents Museum in the Netherlands, compared to those established for the exhibitions in Madrid and Rome, revealed that the measures were less rigorous, at least in terms of ensuring security with specialized 24/7 personnel.

     

    On the other hand, the measures regarding the organization of the exhibition in the Netherlands were not subject to the analysis and formal approval of the board of directors established at museum level. This represents a deviation from the norms regulating the organization and functioning of the National Museum of History of Romania. Last but not least, for some of these items the last reevaluation for insurance purposes was carried out more than 14 years ago, although, according to regulations, the process is supposed to be carried out every 10 years. The findings of the investigation were communicated to the Prosecutor’s Office with the High Court of Cassation and Justice. Against this backdrop, Culture Minister Natalia Intotero said she would call for tighter legislation regulating the conditions under which exhibitions can be held abroad. (VP)

  • Significant GDP growth in Romania

    Significant GDP growth in Romania

    Romania surpassed Poland in terms of GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power parity, according to data presented by Ionuţ Dumitru, professor at the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest. During a conference organized by the Concordia Employers’ Confederation, the expert said that this economic performance places Romania not only above Poland, the largest country in the region, but also above other neighbours, such as Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Croatia or Greece.

    The rapid growth of the Romanian economy has been supported by several factors, including: consistent flows of foreign investments, favourable fiscal policies and rapid development in strategic sectors, as well as the significant increase in wages in recent years. The high inflation, determined by the increase in costs in the post-pandemic period, led to a rapid growth of the nominal Gross Domestic Product per capita, which has increased by an average of 11% per year in the last 5 years. According to the latest data, this indicator has exceeded 80% of the European Union average. Thus, Romania has quickly recovered the economic gaps compared to Western Europe, approaching the EU average.

    The flat tax system had a positive effect on the GDP growth – according to a study carried out by experts from the Academy of Economic Studies, at the request of Concordia. Based on calculations, the specialists claim that a tax system based on progressive quotas would not significantly increase the revenues to the state budget. Ionuţ Dumitru even says that the income tax regime remains one of the few competitive advantages that Romania still has, compared to the states in the region. The decision regarding the tax reform is eminently political, and the discussions are more ideological and less based on numbers and serious analysis – says Professor Dumitru. In his opinion, Romania can pass to a progressive taxation when it becomes a truly rich country, because there is still a gap to recover compared to western standards.

    For his part, the executive director of Concordia, Radu Burnete, said that the business environment does not want to change the flat tax system. The president of Concordia, Dan Şucu, also stated that entrepreneurs and the business environment need a predictable and sustainable fiscal system, capable of ensuring prosperity at the level of the entire society, in the medium and long term. “With a tax burden on labour of over 40% in Romania, any increase in taxes will have a negative impact on citizens’ incomes, consumption and, implicitly, the GDP. The budget deficit cannot be fixed with tax increases, and even less progressive taxation, but with systemic reforms to make the state administration and tax collection more efficient” – said Şucu, in a press release issued by the employers’ organization he leads. (MI)

  • Outpatient centres for respiratory infections

    Outpatient centres for respiratory infections

     

    Romania has declared a state of epidemiological alert due to the large number of respiratory infections. In recent weeks, cases of flu, viral infections and pneumonia have multiplied and exceed the average number reported in previous seasons. Hospitals have introduced restrictions on visitors, and healthcare authorities urge people to observe hygiene rules, avoid crowded places and keep people with flu symptoms away from the community. The health ministry says daily observational triage should be organised in schools, and children with symptoms should be sent back home.

     

    The health minister Alexandru Rafila explained that the flu has seasonal evolution in the northern and southern hemispheres, respectively. “Of course it is a greater effort, there are longer waiting times, but this happens absolutely everywhere, we cannot help but face problems in Romania as well. We are doing everything in our power and in the hands of local public healthcare authorities to be able to manage this situation in a favourable way,” Alexandru Rafila said.

     

    As the number of cases is growing from one week to the next, and hospital emergency rooms are overcrowded, more than 300 outpatient centres for flu and respiratory infection cases have been opened throughout the country. The health ministry has made public a list of the units available for Romanians with such problems.

     

    The measure is designed to reduce the pressure on hospital emergency rooms, after the number of virus cases doubled last week alone. More precisely, over 170,000 cases of respiratory infections were reported last week, and 15 people died from the flu, bringing the total number of casualties since the beginning of the season to 35.

     

    The health minister Alexandru Rafila says that every year during the flu season the situation is complicated both for adults and children, but this is the largest number of cases reported in recent years. He also added that patients with symptoms should first of all contact their family physicians, and that they should only go to the permanent centres or the outpatient units if their health worsens or worrying symptoms appear. Mr. Rafila said he was not in favour of closing schools, but emphasised that kids with respiratory infections should be kept at home. In his opinion, he added, the best solution is to keep teaching activities running. (AMP)

  • The Romanian Parliament adopted the 2025 budget

    The Romanian Parliament adopted the 2025 budget

    At the end of marathon debates, which lasted more than eight hours, the plenum of Romania’s Parliament adopted, on Wednesday evening, the state budget and social insurance bills for 2025. The vote came after many tense episodes, which occurred against the backdrop of the rejection by the majority coalition government (PSD-PNL-UDMR) of almost all of the several thousand amendments submitted by the opposition. The budget is based on an economic growth rate of 2.5% and a budget deficit of 7% of the GDP. The finance minister, Tanczos Barna, emphasized that the state budget for 2025 is a moderate one, a budget that is based on a prudent increase in revenues, without exaggerations. As for the state social insurance budget law, it provides primarily for pension payments, the relevant minister emphasized. ‘Regardless of who will be in the government and the finance ministry in three, four, five years, Romania’s commitment to the European Commission should be respected. Step by step, we must reduce the budget deficit, we must at the same time preserve investments. Investments are the engine of the economy, and investments are also preserved in this budget’, said Tanczos Barna.

     

    The budget for 2025 will allow the continuation of the country’s development process, the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu also showed, who specified that the funds for the health ministry increased by over 30%, the amounts allocated for highways and railways by 20%, and the budget for education by almost 10%.

     

    Marcel Ciolacu: “We’ll not touch the Romanians’ incomes in payment, or the pensions, which last year were increase by an average of 40%, or the salaries, where there was an annual increase of almost 25%, we do not increase the VAT and we do not need IMF money. We have in this budget the largest allocation of resources from European funding since our accession to the European Union.”

     

    From the opposition, the Save Romania Union (USR) MPs and those of the sovereigntist parties (AUR, S.O.S. Romania and POT) criticized the lack of predictability, the overestimation of revenues, the indebtedness of Romanians through the measures provided and the elimination of some fiscal facilities.

     

    USR deputy Claudiu Năsui explains: “The same lies, the same inflated incomes just to justify higher expenses. Because the income part only interests you to justify these expenses that you make year after year, and that you say you want to reduce. This budget hides the same lie of Marcel Ciolacu, exposed year after year.”

     

    Eventually, the two laws were sent to the president for promulgation in the forms proposed by the Government, with very minor changes. (LS)

  • French Report on Digital Interference

    French Report on Digital Interference

    The political crisis in Bucharest, never seen before in the 35 years of post-communist democracy, has become a case study for foreign experts. The manipulation of information on social media, used in the first round of the presidential elections in Romania, can be repeated in any other country – warns the report drawn up by a French governmental institution, VIGINUM, quoted by the Radio Romania correspondent in Paris. The research conducted by this body, in charge with protection against foreign digital interference, indicates the existence of very sophisticated manoeuvres that would have disrupted the smooth running of the Romanian presidential election. These would consist in the mobilization of thousands of accounts, with the aim of artificially increasing the frequency of keywords associated with the independent candidate Călin Georgescu – accused by his political opponents of connections or at least affinities with Putinist Russia.

    The recommendation algorithm of the Chinese network TikTok was manipulated, so that the respective posts appeared in the users’ news feeds, which led, in just two weeks, to the explosive growth of Gerogescu’s popularity. More than 100 TikTok influencers without particular political concerns and more than eight million active subscribers seem to have been recruited to participate, without realizing it, in a campaign designed to give visibility to the nationalist candidate.

    The report adds that the phenomena observed were not limited to TikTok, as other modes of operation were identified on the platforms of the Meta group – Facebook and Instagram. After Georgia and the neighbouring Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet, predominantly Romanian-speaking), Romania was the third European country affected, at the end of 2024, by large-scale manipulation of the electoral process – says VIGINUM, which specifies that, at this stage, the sponsor behind the pro-Georgescu campaign remains unknown. Countless unknowns persist in Bucharest as well.

    Organized as scheduled, on November 24, 2024, the first round of the presidential elections was initially validated by the Constitutional Court. Later, based on the documents provided by the Supreme Council of National Defence (CSAT), the same Court invoked the interference of a so-called state actor and decided to cancel the entire process for the election of the country’s president. The contenders in the second round, scheduled for December 8, would’ve been Călin Georgescu and the USR leader (in opposition), the pro-European Elena Lasconi.

    At the polling stations abroad, opened on December 6, tens of thousands of Romanians had already voted in the second round, until the CCR decided to cancel the elections. However, the Venice Commission has stated that such a decision should not be based exclusively on classified information, which does not guarantee the necessary transparency, but should precisely indicate the violations and the evidence of that. The members of the Commission, who are independent experts in constitutional law, also argue that proving violations of the law through online campaigns and social media is particularly difficult. (MI)

  • The European Commissioner Roxana Mânzatu in Bucharest

    The European Commissioner Roxana Mânzatu in Bucharest

    Shortly after taking office, the European Commissioner nominated by Romania, Roxana Mânzatu, visited her home country in an official capacity.

     

    A member of the Social Democratic Party (in the ruling coalition) since 2000, when she was 20 years old, a former Deputy in the national parliament and a former MEP, with a brief term as minister for European funds, the Romanian politician is one of the vice-presidents of the new European Commission, in charge with “People, Skills and Preparedness”. In this capacity, she said, she manages around 20% of the European Union’s multiannual budget.

     

    At a meeting in Bucharest on Tuesday with Romania’s acting president, Klaus Iohannis, she discussed the role of education in fighting disinformation and manipulation, as well as in strengthening the democratic resilience of European societies.

     

    According to the Romanian Presidency, the head of state pointed out that areas such as artificial intelligence, security and defence have a major social component, and the success of these policies depends on society’s preparation and knowledge.

     

    One of the topics discussed with the Social-Democratic PM Marcel Ciolacu and his ministers of labour, European funds and education was the so-called “Compass”, a plan by Brussels to restore EU competitiveness. “We cannot be competitive without well-trained human resources and without good working conditions. The point of this compass is to guide future policies, financing (…) We prioritize new technologies, innovation, access to financing, the elimination of cumbersome administrative procedures, a lot of simplification, coordination between member states. But we can only do all this if we have workforce that is prepared and motivated to work in the respective sectors,” Commissioner Mânzatu argued.

     

    In February, she announced, the EC will launch the Clean Industrial Deal, a plan for the industrial decarbonisation of the continent, which she claims is “pragmatic, focused on interventions in important sectors that can ensure strategic autonomy for the European economy.” The automotive industry, among other sectors, is taken into account, which Roxana Mânzatu says is very relevant for Romania, has ensured Europe’s global leadership and provides 13 million jobs in the Union.

     

    In an exclusive interview for Radio Romania, Roxana Mânzatu said she regretted that there are not enough Romanian beneficiaries in the research and innovation areas in the relevant programmes launched by the Commission. “I told all my colleagues, we are fully open to working even better with European money, so that people can feel the impact of these funds even more,” the Commission vice-president concluded. (AMP)

  • Simona Halep retires from tennis

    Simona Halep retires from tennis

    One of the greatest Romanian athletes, tennis player Simona Halep, announced her retirement at the age of 33.

     

     

    “It is tough to see such a great champion leave the sport”, the Americans from The Tennis Letter, a platform specializing in information on this sport, wrote after the Simona Halep’s announcement that she is retiring. The athlete from Constanţa (southeast) has inspired countless people along the way, The Tennis Letter also wrote.

     

    “I don’t know if it’s sadness or joy. It’s probably both. But I make this decision with an easy heart. I have always been realistic about myself. My body is not strong enough to take me to the level where I probably was. It’s very hard to get there and I know what it means to get there.” These are Simona’s words, said after losing the match to the Italian Lucia Bronzetti, on Tuesday, in Cluj-Napoca (northwest), in the first round of  Transylvania Open. Simona later said in a press conference: “I am at peace, I know that I did nothing wrong in tennis. All I want now is to get some rest. I am a professional tennis player who is exhausted from a professional viewpoint and I want to rest. I don’t want to make plans anymore so I will take things as they come and see what happens”.

     

    Simona Halep is, as the numbers show, the greatest tennis player in Romanian history. She was world number one for 64 weeks, between 2017 and 2019, the peak years of her career. She has two Grand Slam titles – the French Open in 2018 and Wimbledon in 2019 – as well as three other finals played in the most important tennis competitions: two at the French Open (2014, 2017) and one at the Australian Open (2018). She also finished runner-up at the 2014 WTA Finals.

     

    Starting from 2013, the year of her first performance in the big league, she has won 24 titles in total. She won over 40 million dollars from tennis, being in 3rd place all-time, after the Williams sisters. She defeated the younger one, Serena, in the Wimbledon final. The tennis history has also recorded memorable matches of Simona against athletes of the same caliber, such as Maria Sharapova, Angelique Kerber and Caroline Wozniacki.

     

    However, Halep’s most difficult and longest match ever was not played on clay, grass or hard, but in the famous court of arbitration in Lausanne, called to determine whether the Romanian had intentionally doped. In 2022, Halep had tested positive for a banned substance and subsequently suspended for four years. An eternity in tennis and many other sports, especially since, at that time, the Romanian had turned 31. In March last year, following the appeal filed by Halep at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), the latter decided that Halep had not intentionally violated anti-doping rules, so the painful match for her own honor was won. She returned to competition, but not at the level she wanted, due to physical problems. The organizers of the French Open and Wimbledon immediately reacted to her the announcement that the Romanian was ending her professional career, evoking her performances and wishing her all the best in her new life, the one after tennis.

     

  • EU – higher defence expenses

    EU – higher defence expenses

    With a war, which seems to be dragging on at its borders and with a White House leader, whom some have described unpredictable, some transactional, and others both, the EU cannot afford the luxury of putting common defence and security at the bottom of its agenda.

    EU leaders have recently convened in Brussels for an informal meeting devoted exactly to this issue. And they have insisted not only on raising the member states’ defence budgets but also on funding some joint projects out of community funds. Funding and cooperation at EU level might offset budgetary constraints, which are presently preventing some of the countries from earmarking more money for defence. Differences in the defence output could thus be eliminated and what is being produced in the EU, namely gear and ammunition, could be used in all member countries.

    Also attending the talks, Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, has underlined that the discussions should not miss out on the NATO membership of many EU members. Romania, he insisted, does not accept the idea of a European defence, which is being separate or done in parallel with what we are presently doing in NATO, because such a defence might not work out well. Community cooperation must not overlap the role of NATO, seen as the main player in the trans-Atlantic security, most of the EU leaders also believe.

    Invited to the talks, NATO Secretary General, Mark Rutte, says that irrespective of the solutions found, Europe’s defence industry must grow and the main solution here is to raise the defence budgets.

    “We are now assessing the gaps for each of the allies between where we are and where we should be. And based on that, the capability targets will be decided upon. And based on that, we will decide on the new defence spending plans. But it will be considerably higher than 2 percent of the GDP, I can assure you” the Alliance leader said.

    In terms of procurement, the French president, Emmanuel Macron, was the only one to speak about “preferential purchase” from the European Union. This position, which would exclude a large part of US suppliers in the future, has triggered reluctance among member countries who want to avoid tense relations with United States against the present global insecurity background, as our correspondent in Brussels has noticed.

    The USA is a NATO ally, which has so far covered most of the Alliance’s procurement burden. And NATO Secretary General suggests the EU countries gradually take over more and more of this burden, not only in terms of covering NATO expenses, but also in terms of the support granted to Ukraine.

    President Klaus Iohannis reminded the Romanian journalists that in spite of the big deficit last year, Romania registered significant economic growths, which also allowed for bringing the defence budget up to 2.5% of the GDP, an example for the EU countries.

    (bill)

  • Romanian Patriarchate celebrates a century of existence

    Romanian Patriarchate celebrates a century of existence

    On February 4, the Romanian Orthodox Church (BOR) celebrates a century since it became a Patriarchate. The idea of ​​elevating it to the rank of patriarchate had appeared a few decades earlier, after the Church had become autocephalous, in 1885, but it only materialized after the Great Union of 1918, when it totaled 14 million believers and had five metropolitanates and 18 dioceses in its subordination. Then, at the end of World War I, the provinces with a majority Romanian-speaking population occupied by the neighboring Tsarist and Austro-Hungarian Empires, Bessarabia (east), Bukovina (northeast), Transylvania (center), Banat, Crişana and Maramureş (west), united under the authority of Bucharest. In addition to the communion of ethnicity, culture and language, these provinces were also tied to the motherland by the majority Orthodox faith. The founding document of the Romanian Orthodox Patriarchate, read out in a meeting of the Synod on February 4, 1925 and unanimously approved by its members, was later adopted by the Romanian Parliament. Also in February, the law and the organizational statute of the Romanian Orthodox Church were promulgated, based on which Metropolitan-primate Miron Cristea was named Patriarch. Cristea sent letters of notification to the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the other affiliated Orthodox churches. Ecumenical Patriarch Basil III issued the act of recognition of the Romanian Patriarchate on July 30, 1925, and the enthronement ceremony took place on November 1 the same year.

     

    Marking a centenary since its establishment in 2025, the Romanian Patriarchate this year has canonized 16 new saints. They are clergymen and theologians who distinguished themselves especially by professing their faith during the atheist communist regime, installed in power by the Soviet occupation forces, and eventually died in their prisons. Three of the 16 are born in Bessarabia, the eastern Romanian territory annexed in 1940 by the Stalinist Soviet Union, the present-day territory of the Republic of Moldova. In fact, the Romanian Patriarchate reactivated its Metropolitanate of Bessarabia in 1992, just one year after the disintegration of the USSR, and numerous citizens of the neighboring republic are officially part of the Romanian Orthodox Church.

     

    The Synod also supports the establishment of the Romanian Orthodox Church in neighboring Ukraine, home to over 400 thousand Romanians, most of them inhabiting the borderlands, in northern Bukovina, northern and southern Bessarabia and the Hertsa Region. There are also millions of Romanian Orthodox believers in the diaspora in the West (in Western Europe and North America), spiritually shepherded in their parishes by Romanian priests. In the last census conducted in Romania in 2021, nearly 16.4 million people declared their confessional affiliation. 85.3% of these said they were Orthodox, 4.5% Roman-Catholic, 3% associated themselves with the Reformed Church, and 2.5% with the Pentecostal Church. 0.7% of Romanians said they were Eastern-Catholic Catholic. 0.9% of those surveyed described themselves as either atheists or agnostics. (VP)

  • Crin Antonescu endorsed by the ruling coalition

    Crin Antonescu endorsed by the ruling coalition

    The former Liberal leader, Crin Antonescu, has been endorsed by the parties that form the ruling coalition in Bucharest to run in the upcoming presidential election as their candidate.

    After first getting the support of the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, on Sunday, Antonescu, was endorsed by the representatives of the Social Democrats. His validation was expressed during a special congress held in Bucharest on Sunday, which was attended by thousands of delegates. Parties that are part of the incumbent ruling coalition in Romania must provide the correct alternative: Crin Antonescu, a person with a presidential profile, a man competent and experienced, the PSD president, Marcel Ciolacu says. According to him, at the previous election round in December last year, a round that was invalidated by the Constitutional Court due to interferences, Romania suffered a real social trauma, and the accumulated social frustration in time turned into an anti-system fury that eventually erupted. And for this reason, this moment is of major importance.

    Marcel Ciolacu: “Here at the PSD, we never gave up when the going was tough and we must assume this moment as well, with the same amount of courage. To leave the country now prey to the mystic nationalism would be an act of cowardice towards the people and an unpardonable betrayal to Romania’s future. To repeat the same mistakes in the presidential election in May, would mean to set Romania’s clock 35 years back.”    

    Crin Antonescu says that against the tense international background, Romania has to defend and observe its condition of an EU member country, a member of NATO and the strategic partnership with the United States of America.

    The former Liberal leader pledged to be a strong president through commitment, attitude, dedication and partnership

    Crin Antonescu: “I will be a strong president, not through the violation of the Constitution, not through its abusive interpretation, or by betraying its spirit, nor through machinations involving the secret services, or by interfering with or influencing the justice, which has been one of the biggest misfortunes of the past two decades in Romania.”

    Referring to the statement of the extremist-sovereignist candidate, Călin Georgescu, who ended up on the first position in the previous round of voting and who said that he would dismantle the political parties, if elected, Antonescu argued that the disappearance of the political parties is tantamount to the disappearance of democracy, pluralism and freedom.

    Before granting their support, the PSD, PNL and UDMR had ordered sociological surveys according to which, Crin Antonescu ranks among the firsts and stands good chances of making it to the second round. The first round has been slated for May 4 and the second for May 18.

    (bill)

     

  • Parliament to vote 2025 budget

    Parliament to vote 2025 budget

    The government has approved Romania’s draft budget for 2025, built on an economic growth rate of 2.5%, an average inflation rate of 4.4% and a deficit of 7% of GDP. Finance Minister Tánczos Barna argues the budget is moderate and balanced, based on a cautious forecast, which focuses on investments with record allocations of some 30 billion EUR. The budget provides enough money for salaries, pensions and social benefits, the Romanian official gave assurances, although these will all remain at the level of 2024, after the government had already frozen, in early January, all public sector salaries by government decree. In turn, pensions will no longer be increased in line with the evolution of the inflation rate. Similarly, the government has announced the restructuring of central public institutions and state-owned companies, which are expected to cut their expenses, but also provide quality services.

     

    It is essential that the budget balance be maintained over the next seven years, until the deficit is lowered to 3%, in order to be able to manage the structural vulnerabilities of the national economy, Minister Tánczos Barna also said. The Ministry of Transport will receive additional money to continue the infrastructure projects that have already started, in addition to the Ministries of Energy, Labor, Education, Health and European Funds. 2.5% of the GDP has been allotted to the modernization of military equipment. The budget of intelligence services will be higher this year, with the largest increase allotted to the Special Telecommunications Service, for the modernization of IT infrastructure and the organization of the presidential and local partial elections. On the other hand, Parliament, the presidency, as well as the Ministries of Agriculture, Development and Culture will see their budgets slashed.

     

    Regarding public debt, Finance Minister Tánczos Barna explained that it is on a downward slope, but the effects of previous loans will be visible for a long time in interest expenses. Romania should produce more and borrow less, Minister Barna argued. Amid protests staged by key categories of employees disgruntled with the authorities’ plan to cap their revenues, and also considering the European Commission’s request that Romania reduce its deficit, the 2025 budget bill was submitted to Parliament and is expected to be debated this week, in an emergency procedure, at the start of the parliamentary session. The debate and the vote are expected to unfold without a hitch against the backdrop of a mobilization of MPs of ruling coalition parties, which at any rate hold the majority. (VP)