COVID-19 cases continue to surge in some European countries while governments work to extend vaccination campaigns to prevent more deaths due to the virus.
Romania's president said the situation was now "a catastrophe" while Latvia entered a new state of emergency to encourage vaccination. Deaths due to COVID-19 in Russia, meanwhile, have been increasing.
Read more at:
COVID in Europe: Romania's situation a 'catastrophe' as Russian death toll increases | Euronews
Showing posts with label Romania. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Romania. Show all posts
10/12/21
11/10/19
Romania -ElectionsPro-EU incumbent Iohannis tops Romania's presidential vote, will face runoff
Romania’s centrist President Klaus Iohannis, who has earned praise in the West for his anti-graft stance, won the first round of a presidential ballot on Sunday and will face former premier.
Read more at:
Pro-EU incumbent Iohannis tops Romania's presidential vote, will face runoff
Read more at:
Pro-EU incumbent Iohannis tops Romania's presidential vote, will face runoff
2/18/19
Romania: Top EU official praises fired Romanian corruption prosecutor and says fight must continue
Top EU official praises fired Romanian corruption prosecutor, says fight must continue
2/8/19
EU: European experience with migration shows that border walls don't stop migration
Aging Europe needs immigration, but in order to achieve this in an organized and orderly way it needs unity of purpose, better planning, and certainly no border walls
12/30/18
Romania: EU President doubts Romania's ability to assume EU Presidency
EU's Juncker doubts Romania's ability to assume EU presidency European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker voiced doubts on Saturday about Romania's ability to take over the EU's six-month rotating presidency next month, amid tensions between Bucharest and Brussels.
Read more at: http://www.france24.com/en/20181229-european-union-juncker-doubts-romania-eu-presidency
11/27/17
Romania: Thousands of Romanians rally against ruling party’s judicial overhaul
Tens of thousands of Romanians rallied in the capital Bucharest and
dozens of other cities on Sunday (26 November), protesting against a
widely criticised plan by the ruling Social Democrats to overhaul the
judiciary.
The PSD-led coalition, which holds a robust majority in parliament, is drafting an overhaul that the European Commission, foreign diplomats and thousands of magistrates have criticised as placing the justice system under political control, potentially weakening an anti-corruption drive.
A special parliamentary commission started debating the bill last week, with the ruling party aiming to have it approved by the end of the year.
Read more: Thousands of Romanians rally against ruling party’s judicial overhaul – EURACTIV.com
The PSD-led coalition, which holds a robust majority in parliament, is drafting an overhaul that the European Commission, foreign diplomats and thousands of magistrates have criticised as placing the justice system under political control, potentially weakening an anti-corruption drive.
A special parliamentary commission started debating the bill last week, with the ruling party aiming to have it approved by the end of the year.
Read more: Thousands of Romanians rally against ruling party’s judicial overhaul – EURACTIV.com
9/14/17
EU: How some migrants are switching to Romania in their bid for Europe - by Chris Harri
Migrants have seemingly changed tack in their bid to reach Europe, it’s emerged.
More than 150 people – mainly from Iran and Iraq – crossed the Black Sea from Turkey and were rescued at Midia on Romania’s eastern flank on Tuesday August 12th.
.
It’s part of a new trend over the last month that has seen around 470 migrants arrive in the EU country.
It comes as EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker called for Romania to be part of the Schengen Area, potentially making it easier for migrants to move westwards once in Europe.
The route has been used in the past.
It hit a five-year high in 2014 with around 430 arrivals but numbers then dropped off, falling to 68 in 2015 and just one last year.
Gabriela Leu, a spokeswoman for UNHCR’s office in Romania, told Euronews: “Sea crossing are dangerous and the fact people are putting children on these boats shows they have to be very desperate.
Read more: How some migrants are switching to Romania in their bid for Europe | Euronews
More than 150 people – mainly from Iran and Iraq – crossed the Black Sea from Turkey and were rescued at Midia on Romania’s eastern flank on Tuesday August 12th.
.
It’s part of a new trend over the last month that has seen around 470 migrants arrive in the EU country.
It comes as EU chief Jean-Claude Juncker called for Romania to be part of the Schengen Area, potentially making it easier for migrants to move westwards once in Europe.
The route has been used in the past.
It hit a five-year high in 2014 with around 430 arrivals but numbers then dropped off, falling to 68 in 2015 and just one last year.
Gabriela Leu, a spokeswoman for UNHCR’s office in Romania, told Euronews: “Sea crossing are dangerous and the fact people are putting children on these boats shows they have to be very desperate.
Read more: How some migrants are switching to Romania in their bid for Europe | Euronews
9/2/17
EU-Motherhood: Which EU country has the most teenage mothers? - by Chris Harris
Romania and Bulgaria have the highest proportion of teenage mothers in the European Union, new figures have revealed.
Nearly one-in-ten births in both countries was to a teenager or girl even younger in 2015, the latest year for which data is available.
That is more than three times the EU average.
Read more: Which EU country has the most teenage mothers? | Euronews
Nearly one-in-ten births in both countries was to a teenager or girl even younger in 2015, the latest year for which data is available.
That is more than three times the EU average.
Read more: Which EU country has the most teenage mothers? | Euronews
8/15/17
Tropical Diseases Now In Europe: Holiday season means risk of tropical diseases - by Steve Bridges
Warmer weather and summer travel put tropical mosquito-borne diseases on the European health authorities’ radar.
The warming climate has unpredictable and wide-ranging impacts on the environment. Some climate effects on human health are direct, such as extreme weather and rising sea levels that threaten low-lying areas. Other climate change effects on health are no less unpredictable but more indirect.
The Asian Tiger mosquito and Yellow Fever mosquito species are now present in parts of Europe
thanks to warmer temperatures, bringing the risk of tropical diseases with them.
August and September are the primary transmission season for mosquito-borne diseases.
Italy saw the first locally acquired case of "chikungunya" in Europe, with over 200 individuals affected. Chikungunya causes fever and severe joint pain that is often debilitating and can vary in duration.
There have also been cases of "dengue fever" in France, Madeira, and Croatia. Dengue causes bleeding, low levels of blood platelets and plasma, joint pain, and fever.
And the first EU cases of "West Nile fever" were detected in Italy and Romania in 2016.
Read more: Holiday season means risk of tropical diseases in Europe
The warming climate has unpredictable and wide-ranging impacts on the environment. Some climate effects on human health are direct, such as extreme weather and rising sea levels that threaten low-lying areas. Other climate change effects on health are no less unpredictable but more indirect.
The Asian Tiger mosquito and Yellow Fever mosquito species are now present in parts of Europe
thanks to warmer temperatures, bringing the risk of tropical diseases with them.
August and September are the primary transmission season for mosquito-borne diseases.
Italy saw the first locally acquired case of "chikungunya" in Europe, with over 200 individuals affected. Chikungunya causes fever and severe joint pain that is often debilitating and can vary in duration.
There have also been cases of "dengue fever" in France, Madeira, and Croatia. Dengue causes bleeding, low levels of blood platelets and plasma, joint pain, and fever.
And the first EU cases of "West Nile fever" were detected in Italy and Romania in 2016.
Read more: Holiday season means risk of tropical diseases in Europe
3/4/17
European Parliament votes to end visa-free travel for Americans - by Jon Sharman
The European Parliament has voted to end visa-free travel for Americans within the EU.
It comes after the US failed to agree visa-free travel for citizens of five EU countries – Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Poland and Romania – as part of a reciprocity agreement. US citizens can normally travel to all countries in the bloc without a visa.
The vote urges the revocation of the scheme within two months, meaning Americans will have to apply for extra documents for 12 months after the European Commission implements a “delegated act” to bring the change into effect.
The Commission discovered three years ago that the US was not meeting its obligations under the reciprocity agreement but has not yet taken any legal action. The latest vote, prepared by the civil liberties committee and approved by a plenary session of parliament, gives the Commission two months to act before MEPs can consider action in the European Court of Justice.
Australia, Brunei, Japan and Canada were also failing in their obligations, but all four have lifted, or are soon to lift, any visa restrictions on travel for EU citizens
The Commission is legally obliged to act to suspend the visa waiver for Americans, but the European Parliament or the Council of the European Union have the chance to object to the “delegated act” it uses to do so.In December, MEPs pressed for the move in order to “encourage” Washington to play its part, according to a statement by the parliament.
But Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos warned of “consequences”, including potential “retaliation” and a drop in visitor numbers precipitating substantial losses for the continent’s tourism industry.
In December, MEPs pressed for the move in order to “encourage” Washington to play its part, according to a statement by the parliament.But Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos warned of “consequences”, including potential “retaliation” and a drop in visitor numbers precipitating substantial losses for the continent’s tourism industry.
But Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos warned of “consequences”, including potential “retaliation” and a drop in visitor numbers precipitating substantial losses for the continent’s tourism industry.
Just days ago the Council said it would liberalise the visa regime for citizens of Georgia travelling into the EU.
Georgians can now, subject to final approval of the regulation, stay in any EU country for 90 days in any period of 180 days without needing a visa.
Carmelo Abela, Malta’s minister for national security, said: “This agreement will bring the people of Georgia and the EU closer together and will strengthen tourism and business ties. It follows the completion of the necessary reforms by Georgia, addressing document security, border management, migration and asylum.”
Last month it was reported that the EU was considering the adoption of a US-style electronic travel permit scheme – a move that could create a new administrative hurdle for British tourists after Brexit.
Read more: European Parliament votes to end visa-free travel for Americans | The Independent
2/3/17
Romania: Protesters in Romania hold huge demonstration over government 'anti-corruption U-turn'
Protesters in Bucharest have condemned a government
decision to decriminalise some misconduct offences, in one of the
biggest demonstrations since the 1989 revolution.
Tens of thousands of angry Romanians claim the passing of an emergency decree on Tuesday will allow corrupt politicians to escape justice.
The change in the law will decriminalises official misconduct in cases where the financial damage is less than 200,000 lei (44,000 euros).
“It’s an incredible manifestation of disappointment from these people who feel that they have been cheated. They have been deceived by the government. This Socialist government came to power only one month ago and in one month they managed to have 100.000 people unprecedented since the revolution on the streets against it.”
Read more: Protesters in Romania hold huge demonstration over government 'anti-corruption U-turn' | Euronews
Tens of thousands of angry Romanians claim the passing of an emergency decree on Tuesday will allow corrupt politicians to escape justice.
The change in the law will decriminalises official misconduct in cases where the financial damage is less than 200,000 lei (44,000 euros).
“It’s an incredible manifestation of disappointment from these people who feel that they have been cheated. They have been deceived by the government. This Socialist government came to power only one month ago and in one month they managed to have 100.000 people unprecedented since the revolution on the streets against it.”
Read more: Protesters in Romania hold huge demonstration over government 'anti-corruption U-turn' | Euronews
1/6/17
‘Fake cyber war’: Hacker ‘Guccifer’ says US obsessed with Russian invasion
Romanian hacker ‘Guccifer,’ who exposed Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server, says the ongoing barrage of accusations by politicians in the US who claim that Russia “hacked the US election” is part of a “fake cyber war.”
'Guccifer', whose real name is Marcel Lehel Lazar, spoke to Fox News from a Romanian prison, where he is serving a sentence for cybercrimes. After serving his sentence in Romania, he is to be extradited to the US, where he will also spend time in jail.
Read more: ‘Fake cyber war’: Hacker ‘Guccifer’ says US obsessed with Russian invasion — RT News
'Guccifer', whose real name is Marcel Lehel Lazar, spoke to Fox News from a Romanian prison, where he is serving a sentence for cybercrimes. After serving his sentence in Romania, he is to be extradited to the US, where he will also spend time in jail.
Read more: ‘Fake cyber war’: Hacker ‘Guccifer’ says US obsessed with Russian invasion — RT News
12/30/16
EU: Will Bulgarians and Romanians be toasting their ten years in the EU?
Bulgaria’s GDP per capita was 41 percent of the EU average when it joined in 2007, rising to 47 percent in 2015, the latest year for which data is available.
Romania’s, meanwhile, stood at 57 percent in 2015, up from 43 percent in 2007, according to data from Eurostat.
There is also a smaller proportion of people in both countries at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
In Bulgaria, around 60 percent fell into this category in 2007, falling to 41.3 percent in 2015.
In Romania the figure fell from 47 percent a decade ago, to 37.4 percent in 2015.
Yet despite these positive indicators, people in Romania are not all feeling this in their pockets, Romanian political analyst Radu Magdin told Euronews.
“Yes you can say we registered economic growth, yes you can say after the economic crisis Romania is the economic tiger of Europe,” he said. “But there is some frustration – which is not attributable to Europe – in the sense that the economic growth is not being reflected in people’s pockets.
“The structure of the economy is mostly based on exports. The profits being made by multinational companies are reflected in this growth but it’s very difficult to translate this growth into people’s pockets because we’re not talking redistribution.”
Read more: Will Bulgarians and Romanians be toasting their ten years in the EU?
Romania’s, meanwhile, stood at 57 percent in 2015, up from 43 percent in 2007, according to data from Eurostat.
There is also a smaller proportion of people in both countries at risk of poverty or social exclusion.
In Bulgaria, around 60 percent fell into this category in 2007, falling to 41.3 percent in 2015.
In Romania the figure fell from 47 percent a decade ago, to 37.4 percent in 2015.
Yet despite these positive indicators, people in Romania are not all feeling this in their pockets, Romanian political analyst Radu Magdin told Euronews.
“Yes you can say we registered economic growth, yes you can say after the economic crisis Romania is the economic tiger of Europe,” he said. “But there is some frustration – which is not attributable to Europe – in the sense that the economic growth is not being reflected in people’s pockets.
“The structure of the economy is mostly based on exports. The profits being made by multinational companies are reflected in this growth but it’s very difficult to translate this growth into people’s pockets because we’re not talking redistribution.”
Read more: Will Bulgarians and Romanians be toasting their ten years in the EU?
6/3/16
Global Warming: Wet weather persists in Europe
Europe's downpours persist, causing deaths in France, Belgium, Germany and Romania
http://dw.com/p/1IzvZ
Read the full report click here
Read the full report click here
5/12/16
US activates controversial missile shield in Romania
The US keeps saying: "It was never, ever about Russia. It was always about ballistic missiles
coming out of the Middle Eastern region towards NATO allies and US
forces in Europe"
But Russia claims the shield is aimed at blunting its nuclear arsenal.
“It was never, ever about Russia. It was always about ballistic missiles coming out of the Middle Eastern region towards NATO allies and US forces in Europe,” said Robert Work, US Deputy Secretary of Defense.
“And I’d just like to echo what the Secretary General has said – we have offered to the Russians to show them the technical specs.”
Moscow says the system, at the southern Deveselu air base, is a “direct threat” to security.
It’s accusing the US of violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
“We consider the deployment of such launching platforms on land as contradicting one of the key provisions of the INF Treaty,” said Maria Zakharova, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman.
“Thereby, the United States have violated the INF Treaty, which has to be declared openly and without any additional diplomatic expressions.”
While US and NATO officials are adamant that the shield is designed to counter threats from the Middle East, they’re vague on whether the technology could be reconfigured to defend against Russia – if there’s a conflict.
Note EU-Digest: Here we go again. "The Global police and busy body". In defense of democracy or just having bad judgement by stepping on other countries toes ?
Read more: US activates controversial missile shield in Romania | euronews, world news
But Russia claims the shield is aimed at blunting its nuclear arsenal.
“It was never, ever about Russia. It was always about ballistic missiles coming out of the Middle Eastern region towards NATO allies and US forces in Europe,” said Robert Work, US Deputy Secretary of Defense.
“And I’d just like to echo what the Secretary General has said – we have offered to the Russians to show them the technical specs.”
Moscow says the system, at the southern Deveselu air base, is a “direct threat” to security.
It’s accusing the US of violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
“We consider the deployment of such launching platforms on land as contradicting one of the key provisions of the INF Treaty,” said Maria Zakharova, a Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman.
“Thereby, the United States have violated the INF Treaty, which has to be declared openly and without any additional diplomatic expressions.”
While US and NATO officials are adamant that the shield is designed to counter threats from the Middle East, they’re vague on whether the technology could be reconfigured to defend against Russia – if there’s a conflict.
Note EU-Digest: Here we go again. "The Global police and busy body". In defense of democracy or just having bad judgement by stepping on other countries toes ?
Read more: US activates controversial missile shield in Romania | euronews, world news
4/13/16
EU: Corruption costs EU ‘up to €990 billion a year’ – by Ryan Collin
 |
| EU Corruption costs: close to € 1 trillion a year |
Corruption in the EU comes in many forms and has multiple economic, social and political effects, according to the Cost of Non-Europe in the Area of Corruption Study by RAND Europe. Based on three scenarios using different methodologies that included both direct and indirect effects, the study found the EU suffers losses in its gross domestic product that range between €179 billion and €990 billion each year.
“Corruption is a big black hole at the heart of the European economy,” said Carl Dolan, director of Transparency International. “If companies see the public procurement process is rigged then they are not going to take part in that bid and therefore the public loses out because these aren’t competitive tenders.”
The study found that corruption related to public procurement was estimated to cost nearly €5 billion per year. Procurement corruption includes deliberately removing companies from the bidding process so there is only one viable candidate and limiting the amount of time a company has to respond to a tender for a new contract.
To reduce it, RAND Europe suggested that the EU implement a Union-wide e-procurement system, which would bring down the cost of corruption by an estimated €920 million. Another measure to cut corruption would be establishing a European Public Prosecutor’s Office, the study said. Such an office would investigate corruption cases and could reduce corruption costs by €0.2 billion per year.
Read more: Corruption costs EU ‘up to €990 billion a year’ – POLITICO
9/23/15
Slovakian PM Refuses to Implement EU Refugee Quota Plan - by Felicity Capon
A tense summit between EU leaders dedicated to the greatest migration crisis to face Europe since WWII gets underway in Brussels on Wednesday, at the bequest of the German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
The Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia all voted against mandatory quotas, putting them at odds with Germany and France who are pushing for the resettlement scheme.
Read more: Slovakian PM Refuses to Implement EU Refugee Quota Plan
1/16/14
European Automobile Industry: Europe's Car Sales Fall For Sixth Year
Europe's new car registrations declined for the sixth consecutive year in 2013, as recovery in demand over the second half of the year was insufficient to offset deep contractions seen in earlier months.
New car sales dropped 1.7 percent to 11.8 million units in 2013, data published by the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association or ACEA showed Thursday.
In terms of annual volumes, ACEA said 2013 was the worst year since 1995, when data was compiled for 15 EU countries, and the worst ever since it began the series in 2003 with the enlarged EU.
PSA Peugeot Citroen sales plunged 8.4 percent in 2013 and Italy's Fiat suffered a 7.1 percent decline. General Motor's sales were down 4.3 percent and that of Ford slipped 3.2 percent. On the other hand, sales of Renault grew 4.4 percent and that of Jaguar Land Rover by 9.7 percent.
Meanwhile, overall car registrations in December alone increased at the fastest pace since end-2009, driven by price reductions offered by manufacturers. Sales grew 13.3 percent from the previous year, which was the fourth consecutive annual rise.
Read more: Europe's Car Sales Fall For Sixth Year: ACEA
1/3/14
EU Opinion: 'It's about the future of Europe' - by Alexander Andreev
"The migrants are coming!" It's a battle cry currently heard across large parts of Europe - an issue dominating not only the headlines in the British press, but also the talk in German pubs and even the toned-down, politically-correct documents of the Christian Social Union (CSU) and the Alternative for Germany (AfD) parties.
We are currently experiencing an attempt to reduce a complex problem involving party politics and European policies to a single aspect – namely the dangers associated with the alleged flood of immigrants from Bulgaria and Romania and their impact on the public welfare systems.
But the reality is much more complicated. First of all, it concerns citizens of two different EU member states. Secondly, the migration isn't homogenous. While some Bulgarians and Romanians have a sincere desire to find work, others hope to collect child and unemployment benefits.
And some of these people are Roma. Bulgaria and Romania have millions of Roma people, most of whom are very poor, and very badly treated by the majority population. Thirdly, the migrants' qualifications vary. While some are doctors and engineers, others can hardly read and write. And fourthly, there are no reliable forecasts of the number of possible immigrants, nor of the advantages or disadvantages for the labor market and welfare systems.
Read more: Opinion: 'It's about the future of Europe' | Europe | DW.DE | 02.01.2014
We are currently experiencing an attempt to reduce a complex problem involving party politics and European policies to a single aspect – namely the dangers associated with the alleged flood of immigrants from Bulgaria and Romania and their impact on the public welfare systems.
But the reality is much more complicated. First of all, it concerns citizens of two different EU member states. Secondly, the migration isn't homogenous. While some Bulgarians and Romanians have a sincere desire to find work, others hope to collect child and unemployment benefits.
And some of these people are Roma. Bulgaria and Romania have millions of Roma people, most of whom are very poor, and very badly treated by the majority population. Thirdly, the migrants' qualifications vary. While some are doctors and engineers, others can hardly read and write. And fourthly, there are no reliable forecasts of the number of possible immigrants, nor of the advantages or disadvantages for the labor market and welfare systems.
Read more: Opinion: 'It's about the future of Europe' | Europe | DW.DE | 02.01.2014
12/17/13
Car Industry: Europe’s Hottest Car - The No-Frills Dacia - by David Jolly
The hottest car in Europe this year is not a BMW, a Benz or a Bentley. It is Renault’s low-cost brand, Dacia, out of Romania.
Read more: Europe’s Hottest Car - The No-Frills Dacia - NYTimes.com
Though Dacia captured less than 3 percent of the market in Europe, its performance has been remarkable for a former Soviet-bloc brand that reappeared only in 2004.
But in many ways, it may be the right car at the right time for Europe. With unemployment in the euro zone above 12 percent and economic uncertainty high, Dacia has found a foothold with prices as low as 7,700 euros, or about $10,600, taxes included, for its no-frills Logan sedan.
In data released Tuesday on European auto sales, Dacia showed the greatest gains of any brand, with sales this year through November surging 21.1 percent compared with the same period a year ago. That’s well above second-place finishers Mazda and Jaguar, each with 15.6 percent increases, according to the data.
Read more: Europe’s Hottest Car - The No-Frills Dacia - NYTimes.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)