http://www.gov.roRSS Guvernul Românieiro-ROȘtiri din 02.06.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-06-02 07:50:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-06-02-07-52-15big_sigla.jpegȘtiri din 01.06.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-06-01 13:44:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_govr9546-enhanced-nr.jpgȘtiri din 01.06.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-06-01 12:44:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_whatsapp_image_2023-06-01_at_12.36.04_(2).jpegȘtiri din 31.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-31 20:34:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-31-08-31-46big_sigla_guvern.pngȘtiri din 31.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-31 16:40:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_govr9077-enhanced-nr.jpgȘtiri din 31.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-31 15:33:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-31-03-30-13big_sigla_guvern.pngȘtiri din 30.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/the-national-committee-for-emergency-situations-cnsu-convened-for-the-approval-of-the-national-nuclear-or-radiological-emergency-response-plan-pnrsunrPRESS RELEASE Given the request of the National Commission for Nuclear Activities Control (CNCAN) for the approval of the National Nuclear or Radiological Emergency Response Plan (PNRSUNR), Prime Minister Nicolae -Ionel Ciucă convened, in a hybrid system, the National Committee for Emergency Situations (CNSU). The decision adopted for the approval of the Plan takes into account the results of the evaluations of the exercises carried out on the basis of the programming at the national level regarding the testing of the Protection and Intervention Plan in the event of a nuclear accident or radiological emergency, developed in 2009. The plan approved today is correlated with the Regulation on the management of emergency situations specific to nuclear or radiological risk, approved by the Order of the Minister of Internal Affairs and the President of CNCAN No. 61/113/2018, and takes into account the operational aspects approved in the National Emergency Response Concept Radiological/Nuclear. We remind the fact that, by Decision no. 557/2016 regarding the management of risk types, five concepts of response in case of earthquakes, epidemics, floods, nuclear and/or radiological accidents, and forest fires are finalized. These national concepts of response have a role in ensuring management and operative intervention within the framework of response actions and implicitly ensure good coordination in order to mitigate the effects produced by the risk categories with impact on communities. 2023-05-30 18:14:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-30-06-18-14big_sigla_guvern.pngȘtiri din 30.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-s-consultations-with-the-representatives-of-the-sanitas-federationPRESS RELEASE Prime Minister Nicolae - Ionel Ciucă and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu met at Victoria Palace, with representatives of the Sanitas Federation, to discuss the funding priorities of the healthcare system. The main priorities on which solutions were agreed upon targeted the unblocking of hirings in the medical system, the elimination of inequities, and the construction of the new pay system. Thus, through a memorandum promoted by the Ministry of Health, the Government will approve the unblocking of 14,000 positions in the medical system, in the next period, a step already initiated at the level of the education system, both fields representing priorities of the ruling coalition. The necessary funding will be allocated to complete the payment of vacation vouchers for all employees in the system. To fully cover the salary increments in the medical system, the Government will adopt a normative act that will bring to the maximum salary level all health and social assistance employees mentioned in Annex II to Law 153/2017. From the perspective of the new salary law, the necessary steps will be taken to eliminate all inequities and to reposition nurses, in the future grid. Recognizing the important role of nurses in the functioning of the public health system will be found in future program for government. The Government representatives agreed to complete the negotiations for the signing of the new collective labor contract. During the talks, the need for better management of the situation of medical leaves was agreed upon. The dialogue will continue to implement the necessary solutions to improve the situation of the services offered by the medical system in Romania. The meeting was also attended by the Minister of Health, Alexandru Rafila, the Secretary General of the Government, Marian Neacsu, and the Honorary Advisor to the Prime Minister, Nelu Tătaru. 2023-05-30 16:34:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_govr8421-enhanced-nr.jpgȘtiri din 30.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-s-consultations-with-representatives-of-education-unionsPrime Minister Nicolae -Ionel Ciucă met at the Victoria Palace with representatives of education union leaders. During the dialogue attended by Education Minister Ligia Deca, the proposed measures to increase the income of education staff were presented. Regarding the salary increases requested in the new pay scale of the future law on salaries of personnel paid from public funds, Prime Minister Nicolae - Ionel Ciucă presented guarantees on the confirmation of using the average gross salary per economy as a reference for beginner teachers wage, as starting point for calculating the salary scale in education. Thus, at the level of the ruling coalition, as already agreed and subsequently presented on Monday, May 29 this year, during the meeting of the coalition leaders with representatives of the education unions, an agreement will be reached in this regard, and a memorandum will be adopted at the Government level and published in the Official Journal of Romania. As regards the requests for an increase in the income of education staff, until the new pay scale comes into force, given that already through the measures taken by this government, all the incomes of education staff reached the top of the salary scales, assurances have been strengthened regarding the resources necessary for the allocation of transitional amounts, so that each employee of the nearly 270,000 employees in the teaching and auxiliary teaching staff category will be allocated a net income of 4,000 lei, in two tranches, starting June, and the 65,000 employees in the non-teaching staff category will be granted a net income of 1,500 lei, in two tranches, starting June. These measures undertaken at the Government level are in addition to the budget allocations already implemented by the current Executive regarding the increase to the maximum of the scales provided under Law 153/2017 for all education staff, along with investments in the infrastructure of the education system. 2023-05-30 13:44:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-30-01-45-43big_sigla_guv_coroana_albastru.pngȘtiri din 29.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/humanitarian-aid-for-the-syrian-arab-republicPRESS RELEASE Prime Minister Nicolae - Ionel Ciucă convened today, in a hybrid system, the National Committee for Emergency Situations(CNSU). During the meeting, the CNSU decision on granting free-of-charge humanitarian aid to the Syrian Arab Republic was approved. The aid is intended to support the population affected by the major earthquake produced on February 6, 2023, on the territory of the Republic of Turkiye - Gaziantep region, which also seriously affected this country. The aid is granted based on the humanitarian assistance request submitted by the Syrian Arab Republic through the European Civil Protection Mechanism. The aid, consisting of essential goods - food, medical equipment, and shelter items, is offered by the Romanian state through the National Administration of State Reserves and Special Issues, respectively the Romanian Patriarchate. Details on the transport will be established between the Department for Emergency Situations and the European Commission. The goods will be shipped via air with the logistical support of the National Defense Ministry. 2023-05-29 19:40:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-29-07-53-16big_sigla_guvern.pngȘtiri din 28.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-28 12:58:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_whatsapp_image_2023-05-28_at_13.32.43.jpegȘtiri din 26.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-26 18:12:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_8n2a7469.jpgȘtiri din 26.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-26 12:45:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_8n2a7221.jpgȘtiri din 26.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/press-statements-by-prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-speaker-of-the-chamber-of-deputies-marcel-ciolacu-and-vice-prime-minister-kelemen-hunor [Check against delivery] Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: Good morning! Ladies and gentlemen, dear Romanians, I took over as Prime Minister at a time similar to this one, in which some problems needed to be solved, and we could then find solutions for the healthcare crisis, energy crisis, then the conflict in Ukraine ensued, all the consequences of economic crisis, inflation and together with the ruling coalition, with you all, we managed to overcome these successive and overlapping crises. Last year, we went through all these, responsibly undertaking and identifying together solutions to all these problems. I would not repeat them now, as you all know very well. The Government I am leading is a government that is politically endorsed, with consolidated parliamentary support, we are here before you, with the chairman of the Social Democratic Party(PSD), with UDMR chairman, Kelemen Hunor. We all agreed that the only chance for us to overcome all these problems is a stable political coalition, it is what we achieved. We can state that through this political stability, we could manage the energy crisis, the consequences of the war in Ukraine, and the inflation effects, and we could all notice that as of this year, inflation began to drop, and there are premises that by the end of the year, the inflation fell below two figures and I consider that all these measures ensured our economic growth, Romania is the country in Europe that had the third biggest economic growth last year and in the first trimester of this year. We considered that our measures should be oriented so that citizens do not feel all these consequences and we can easily overcome them. I thought that through investments, we ensure economic growth, and last year, the absorption of European funds and the value of direct foreign investment amounted to nearly 22 billion euros, a record value for our country. We also established at the political level that halfway from the time I decided to form this coalition, up to next years elections, a year and a half from November 2021 to now, we should do it in such a way as to secure the coherence of political stability, governmental policies, and at half-way through this period, I will lodge my mandate, and Mr. Marcel Ciolacu will take over. Today, I should have ended my term in office if the situation had remained at a certain balance. Considering that as it happened so far, together with you I found solutions, I did not fall back on responsibility, after the discussions we had at the coalition level last evening, and this morning, we decided to continue the dialogue with the unions in education, to maintain this dialogue to find solutions for the justified problems of teachers and do it in such a way that, based on understanding and reason, together with you, we find solutions, only that these solutions cannot be solved by a single decision. These are problems that have been accumulated over time, over 30 years. What we did for education, as I stated yesterday in Cluj, was to demonstrate that in this year and a half, the present coalition has undertaken the development and modernization of the education system. We have allocated considerable sums in this regard, compared to what meant only words until recently. From 2022 until today, additional 8 billion lei have been allocated to education from the state budget. Through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, we have assumed the allocation of 3.6 billion euros precisely for everything that means the modernization and reform of the education system, everything that means technical support, and, of course, the training and specialization of teaching staff. We are also aware of the need to increase the salary level of teaching staff not only at the level of your expectations but to the level of recognition for what it means to be a teacher in Romania. We all want the future of this country to be predictable. The future depends on the education of our children, the level, and the standard of education of our children. This is done not only by allocating resources but all this is done by ensuring a framework as well established and as complex as possible in terms of both the technical endowment of the education system and the training and specialization of all teaching staff, as well as through a salary level. Its just that, at this moment, once again, appealing to the reason of all teaching staff, we cannot assume to unbalance the entire system and state budget through a one-way measure. Returning to what we have to do in the future, in the short-term future, that is, in the coming days, we will continue to maintain the dialogue with the unions, and hold talks with them, I presented them all the data as honestly and accurately as possible and we hope that, eventually, to the extent of the trust that we are sure that we will acquire, following this dialogue, we will reach a conclusion, a solution to their protest. It is also very important to mention that the measures we have taken and presented at this time, do nothing else or have not been oriented in any other direction than to demonstrate to them that all we say we assume. In fact, during the entire term of office, we did not say anything or commit to anything, if we were not able to achieve it. Everything that I said, together with you, once again, and I admit and emphasize this, we had an open dialogue with the entire associative environment, the business sector, with all those who wanted to present the problems as well as the solutions and they were of great help to us, because we were able to come and adapt both legislative and administrative measures to reality, to what people come to us to report that we need to solve. We will do the same in the future, in the dialogue we will have with civil society, the trade unions, especially with those in education, and I presented them as clearly as possible that in the government program, in the measures that we took, in the package of laws, education remains a priority for all of us. Education and health are the priority areas for this government or any government that will take responsibility, and there are issues as sincere as possible. I didnt make any kind of mention of anything in particular that ultimately wasnt resolved. In such conditions, as I mentioned earlier, we had discussions until late last night, we met again this morning and we agreed that until this problem is solved I will not tender my resignation and I will continue to assume my responsibility as prime minister. In this way, I hope that the conditions will be created so that, in the shortest possible time, we can implement the plan at the coalition level. Thank you. Marcel Ciolacu: Mr. Prime Minister, Chairman, this government is not only about stability but as you say, it is also about taking responsibility. I have said it ever since last week that, before political discussions, we have to assume together the solution to major problems in society, especially since a general strike implies a particular emotional burden, especially since we are talking about a general strike of the teachers. Education represents one of the pillars of society, it regards both the present and the future. I believe that the decision made by us three, the co-chairs of this coalition, is fair. It is the decision we assume together. Together we will continue - I, as the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, representing the Legislature; the prime minister, representing the Executive - to solve this as quickly as possible this issue, is justified, coming from the teachers. However, we must have the balance to find the most suitable moments and, together, we assumed the fact that the number one priority in the program for the government is the teachers and the health system. We agreed on a timetable, together with the leaders in Education. It is a very short timetable, which we assumed together. I believe it is a fair decision not to enter political discussions until this teachers strike is solved, and afterward, to find together the best timetable for the rotation. Thank you. 2023-05-26 10:07:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_8n2a6921.jpgȘtiri din 25.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-25 21:37:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_govr8297-enhanced-nr.jpgȘtiri din 25.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-25 17:41:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-25-06-01-53big_image1.jpegȘtiri din 25.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-attends-the-ceremony-organized-at-the-tomb-of-the-unknown-soldier-in-carol-i-park-on-the-occasion-of-heroes-day2023-05-25 12:55:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-25-02-51-58big_image16.jpegȘtiri din 25.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-25 12:19:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-25-12-18-42big_sigla_guvern.pngȘtiri din 25.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-25 12:15:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-25-01-36-07big___002_resize.jpgȘtiri din 25.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/message-from-prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-on-the-occasion-of-heroes-day-and-the-feast-of-the-ascension-of-the-lord- It is a day of great historical and religious significance for the Romanian people. The tradition of more than one century of commemorative events dedicated to the heroes of the nation on the holy day of the Ascension of the Lord, a symbol day of Christian hope, gives us the certainty that the sacrifices of those who fought for the country will always remain in the collective memory, strengthening our confidence that their example will motivate many other generations to believe in the future. The heroes we honor today, known or unknown, live on through the Romania that they left us. We have a duty to keep the country on the path chosen by the will of its citizens: the path of democracy, of observance of the law, fundamental rights, and freedoms. We also pay tribute today to the heroes fallen in service in missions conducted under the aegis of international organizations or as part of Romanias commitments alongside allied and partner states in defense of peace and democracy in the world. The respect for all these heroes is the measure of respect for Romania itself and our future. A pious homage and eternal gratitude! May God rest in peace all the heroes of Romania! Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă, Prime Minister of Romania 2023-05-25 09:25:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-25-09-22-41big_sigla_guvern.pngȘtiri din 24.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-ciuca-romania-relies-on-cooperation-with-canadian-investors-to-ensure-energy-from-clean-and-safe-sources-as-well-as-on-the-constant-support-of-the-united-statesThe special relations between Romania and Canada are based on traditional collaboration in the field of energy and the common values we share as members of the North Atlantic Alliance, stated Prime Minister Nicolae - Ionel Ciucă during a telephone conversation with his Canadian counterpart, Justin Trudeau. The Prime Minister of Romania appreciated the support granted by Canada for the rehabilitation project of Unit 1 at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant, an important contribution to the energy security of our country and the entire region, including the Republic of Moldova. The Government of Romania continues to rely on cooperation with Canadian companies for the development of the civilian nuclear program and the provision of energy from clean and safe sources, as well as the constant support of the United States of America, stated Prime Minister Nicolae - Ionel Ciucă. Prime Minister Ciucă also highlighted the collaboration at the NATO level and the important role of Canada in the context of the war in Ukraine and the support granted both to the Ukrainian people and to the Republic of Moldova. In this context, Prime Minister added that Romania and Europe need reliable partners with similar opinions for the consolidation of the Eastern Flank, for the development of supply chains and economic cooperation. Prime Minister Ciucă mentioned that bilateral relations have new opportunities for consolidation in the economic and social field and invited Prime Minister Trudeau to pay a visit to Romania. 2023-05-24 21:13:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_0c53a555-18f5-42a4-9fb1-d493c7ffdd0c.jpgȘtiri din 24.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-24 19:08:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big___004_resize.jpgȘtiri din 24.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-24 16:19:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_govr7482-enhanced-nr.jpgȘtiri din 24.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/president-of-the-federal-republic-of-germany-frank-walter-steinmeier-welcomed-at-victoria-palacePRESS RELEASE Prime Minister Nicolae - Ionel Ciucă's meeting with the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier Prime Minister Nicolae - Ionel Ciucă welcomed, at the Victoria Palace, the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, on the occasion of the latters state visit to Romania. The discussions focused on the continued development of bilateral cooperation in the context of the EU and NATO. The two dignitaries highlighted the privileged, strategic nature of Romanian-German relationships, based on a consistent political dialogue and a solid economic component. These relations are facilitated and enhanced by strong interpersonal ties, especially through the contribution of the growing Romanian community in Germany and that of the ethnic Germans in Romania. President Steinmeier and Prime Minister Nicolae - Ionel Ciucă also emphasized the importance of maintaining European and Euro-Atlantic unity in ensuring support for Ukraine. At the same time, the Head of the Romanian Executive appreciated the activity of the over 25,000 companies with German participation in Romania and which make Germany the first investor in the Romanian economy, present in key sectors. In this context, Prime Minister recalled the potential to strengthen cooperation in areas such as infrastructure, including transport and energy, green energy, hydrogen industry, automotive industry, agriculture and food industry, circular economy, critical raw materials, digitalization, research and innovation, defense industry, electronics, and electrical engineering sector, semiconductors. Also, Prime Minister Nicolae - Ionel Ciucă appreciated German President Steinmeiers reiteration of Berlins support for Romanias accession to the Schengen Area. Background information The state visit of the Federal President to Romania, between May 24-26, takes place against the background of increased dynamics of Romanian-German political and diplomatic contacts at the highest level. This will contribute to the consolidation of the special partnership, with strategic valences, built between Romania and Germany. At the same time, it will boost effective cooperation in the most diverse fields of interest for our countries - European and foreign policy, the economic, energy, military, educational fields, work, and social affairs. 2023-05-24 15:05:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_8n2a6044.jpgȘtiri din 23.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-23 16:24:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_govr6540-enhanced-nr.jpgȘtiri din 23.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-s-meeting-with-the-european-commissioner-for-budget-and-administration-johannes-hahnPRESS RELEASE Prime Minister Nicolae - Ionel Ciucă had a meeting with the European Commissioner for Budget and Administration, Johannes Hahn. Attending the talks were the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Marcel Ciolacu, Minister of Finance Adrian Caciu, Minister of Investments and European Projects, Marcel Bolos, and members of the teams of senior officials. The discussions focused on the European context and the preparation of the review of the EU Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF 2021-2027), demarche coordinated by Commissioner Hahn. The Romanian side and the European Commissioner expressed their confidence that the revision exercise of the MFF will provide adequate answers to the impact of the challenges that the EU faced in the context of Russias war in Ukraine, of high energy prices, but also to the need to accelerate the energy transition and of increasing the competitiveness of the European industry. The interlocutors also showed the need to identify additional support for the expenses related to the support of Ukraine. In this context, Romanian officials emphasized that solidarity and cohesion are key principles in the complex period that Europe is going through. They showed that Romania wants to be part of a quick, punctual, and efficient solution. It is essential that the revision of the current multiannual framework does not affect the implementation of the initiated projects and does not affect the already agreed financing of the EUs traditional policies (Cohesion and Common Agricultural Policy). The Romanian side also referred to the connection between the discussions on the budget and the ongoing debate on the reform of the Stability and Growth Pact. In this context, the call was reiterated to remove from the calculation of the public deficit the expenses for defense investments and the interest rate related to the loan component of Romanias National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). Background elements: Commissioner Hahns visit to Bucharest took place in preparation for discussions on the EUs Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF 2021-2027) revision. In this respect, Commissioner Hahn is to visit all Member States to explore their main stakes and objectives for a review of the MFF mid-way through the implementation period. In the context of the economic implications of some recent developments at the regional and global level (the conflict in Ukraine, energy prices and the inflation trend, supporting the competitiveness of European industry with low carbon emissions, etc.), the European Commission expressed its intention to assess the MFF implementation stage, followed by targeted change proposals. Romania is one of the main beneficiaries of the budget allocations for the cohesion policy and a net beneficiary of the EU budget. 2023-05-23 15:02:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_govr6993-enhanced-nr.jpgȘtiri din 23.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-23 14:09:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_8n2a5574.jpgȘtiri din 23.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-s-meeting-with-sahil-babayev-minister-of-labour-and-social-protection-of-population-of-the-republic-of-azerbaijanPRESS RELEASE Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă received, at the Victoria Palace, Sahil Babayev, the Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Azerbaijan, present in Bucharest as Azerbaijani co-chair in the Joint Commission on Trade-Economic Relations and Scientific-Technical Cooperation between the Governments of Romania and Azerbaijan, for the implementation of the 7th session of this bilateral mechanism. The Prime Minister of Romania welcomed the intensification of high-level political dialogue following the visit of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan to Bucharest (December 17, 2022), respectively the visit of the President of Romania to Baku (February 2-3, 2023), stressing that the Strategic Partnership concluded in 2009 is the basis of the excellent relations existing between the two countries. The Head of the Executive conveyed the thanks and appreciation of the Romanian Government for Azerbaijan's openness in meeting the request regarding Romanias energy security - the delivery of 1 billion cubic meters of natural gas, starting April 1, 2023 - noting that the energy sector of the Romania-Azerbaijan cooperation remains one of excellence. In this context, he mentioned the importance for Romania and Europe of some far-reaching projects in this field, which are on the agenda, such as the transmission of green energy from the Caspian area of Azerbaijan (through the submarine cable in the Black Sea), the additional transport of natural gas in liquefied form (the LNG terminal on the Georgian coast of the Black Sea and the regasification terminal in Constanța). Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă emphasized the importance of intensifying mutual efforts to expand Romanian-Azeri cooperation in as many areas of common interest as possible, given that the existing real potential is not sufficiently exploited. He also mentioned that transports are a real area of cooperation between Romania and Azerbaijan, through the ports of Constanța and Baku that can become the bridgeheads of the Black Sea-Caspian Sea route within the Middle Corridor for the transport of goods between Europe and Asia. Prime Minister Ciucă encouraged the prioritization of real projects that can be developed and implemented between Romania and the Republic of Azerbaijan. He ensured, in this respect, the full support of the Romanian side and reiterated Romanias position regarding the resolution of conflicts in the region, in line with international law principles. The Prime Minister wished success to the works in Bucharest of the Joint Intergovernmental Commission on Trade-Economic Relations and Scientific-Technical Cooperation between Romania and the Republic of Azerbaijan. 2023-05-23 13:12:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_govr6193.jpgȘtiri din 23.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-23 09:54:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_govr5516.jpgȘtiri din 22.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-22 16:06:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_8n2a4926.jpgȘtiri din 21.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-s-consultations-with-representatives-of-the-education-unionsPRESS RELEASE Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă and the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu met, at the Victoria Palace, with representatives of education unions, to continue the dialogue to solve the problems reported within the education system. The Government representatives proposed financial incentives for beginners and tenured teaching staff from educational units located in disadvantaged areas. At the same time, the Government maintained its commitment to increase salaries up to the maximum of the non-teaching staff grid included in Annex 8, in addition to the enforcement of Salary Law No. 153. This measure, aimed at increasing incomes, will also be extended to the other categories of employees set out in Annex 8. The Government undertakes that Education will continue to be the number one priority in meeting the objectives of the program for the government and in eliminating salary law inequities. In this respect, a calendar will be assumed so that at the level of the Ministry of Labor, the draft new salary law will be completed by July 15th, to start the dialogue with social partners, and later submit the draft law to the Romanian Parliament for approval on September 1st of this year. The Government will continue the dialogue with the education union representatives to finalize the legislative package, which will provide guarantees that Education remains a priority for the current ruling coalition. 2023-05-21 15:24:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-21-03-47-09big_1.jpgȘtiri din 18.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-attended-the-signing-ceremony-of-the-joint-action-plan-in-the-field-of-preventing-and-combating-trafficking-in-human-beings-agreed-between-romania-and-the-united-kingdom-of-great-britain-and-northern-ireland PRESS RELEASE The Joint Action Plan on combating trafficking in human beings signed between the Government of Romania and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland The joint action plan in the fight against human trafficking between the Government of Romania and the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland was signed today, at the Victoria Palace. The signing of this Joint Action Plan represents an extremely important moment in the cooperation relationship between Romania and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, on the sidelines of our Strategic Partnership and the joint efforts to prevent and fight crime. The document is part of the vision and strategy of this field, which the Government of Romania has assumed in the last two years, through which we want Romania to be a hostile country to human traffickers and a safe and friendly country for the victims of this scourge. Moreover, the signing of this joint document of multisectoral cooperation in the field of the fight against human trafficking is also the expression of the care and concern that the Government of Romania has for its most vulnerable citizens exposed to the risk of human trafficking, who are living in Romania or one of the largest communities in the Diaspora, namely the one in Great Britain. The action plan signed today comes to offer solutions and common and convergent directions of action between the two states on the line of: 1. Understanding the phenomenon of trafficking and new forms of exploitation, 2. Identifying traffickers and bringing them before the courts, 3. Prevention of human trafficking 4. Identification and protection of victims of human trafficking. It is imperative to maintain our firm commitment to fight against this scourge and to have the ability and willingness to address this problem on all three levels: prevention, combat, and protection of victims. The Romanian Executive has assumed at the highest level the responsibility of coordinating the fight against human trafficking, and my message is very clear: human trafficking is a form of crime for which Romania's Government has zero tolerance, stated Prime Minister Nicolae -Ionel Ciucă. The Joint Action Plan was signed on the Romanian side by State Advisor Madalina Turza, National Anti-trafficking Coordinator at the Government level, and by Secretary of State Bogdan Despescu, Head of the Department for Order and Public Safety within the Interior Ministry, and on the British side by Sarah Dines, UK Minister for Safeguarding. 2023-05-18 16:28:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-18-05-35-27big_3.jpgȘtiri din 18.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-s-meeting-with-h-e-mrs-annick-goulet-ambassador-of-canada-to-romaniaPrime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă received the farewell visit of H.E. Mrs. Annick Goulet, Ambassador of Canada to Romania. The meeting was the occasion to recall the moments of Canadas cooperation with Romania from the first mission of a NATO state for defense and deterrence on the Eastern Flank, immediately after the annexation of Crimea, in 2014, to the six consecutive air policing missions of Canadian aircraft in support of Romanias defense in the Black Sea area. The Prime Minister of Romania thanked for the exemplary military cooperation and the extremely close relationship, starting from the parliamentary dimension of the creation of the Canada-Romania friendship group to the expected progress regarding the Joint Declaration for a Strengthened Strategic Partnership, and, the central theme of bilateral relations, civil nuclear cooperation. Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă emphasized that Romania was thus advantaged by the Canadian Candu technology brought to our country and used at Cernavodă, being the only country that had North American technology and thus could be selected to be the nodal point for the development of SMRs, small modular reactors by American partners. The Ambassador of Canada to Romania thanked for the support received so far from Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă and appreciated the commitments assumed by our country, which helped Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, but also catalyzed and trained the international support of various states to get involved in the security and defense of the two states on the border of NATO and the European Union and securing their path to European integration. Ambassador Annick Goulet also noted that nuclear energy, which she considers part of the solution for the transition to renewable energies, is a real bridge between the two states that has lasted for more than 40 years. Prime Minister Ciucă wished success to the Ambassador in her future missions, assuring the Canadian partner and all interested investors that Romania will remain stable and that policies will continue to be adopted at the level of the ruling coalition. 2023-05-18 13:45:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-18-01-45-36big___001_resize.jpgȘtiri din 18.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-attends-the-seventh-edition-of-the-black-sea-and-balkans-security-forum Speech by Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă at the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum [CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY] Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: Good morning, Prime Minister Dorin Recean, Ministers, Ambassadors, Your Excellencies, dear guests, allow me before addressing the issue, to congratulate and thank the representatives of the New Strategy Center, Mr Nitu and his team, professor Campeanu, for the partnership in carrying out the activity that the New Strategy Center has been carrying out for seven years on a very topical, relevant issue. It is the proof of coherence regarding our vision on the Black Sea and Balkans region, the vision that I shared each time as part of activities like that of today, but within a formal framework. Today, we are facing a situation in which we need to ask as many questions as possible, and we will find answers. Surely, we will find answers, only I do not know how much those answers will solve the situation, they complete the entire array of concerns of all those who indeed are in charge of security and safety. Ladies and gentlemen, the world has changed and everything in the field of security has been rewritten, it should be revised in the Black Sea region, where most of this large - scale war of aggression of Russia in Ukraine is taking place. We have the clearest elements of the definition of a war of conquest, but also of a neo-colonial war - Russia against Ukraine, which breaks away from the empire, a true war of independence of Ukraine. If all assessments regarding the security situation of Eastern Europe, the threats, risks, and vulnerabilities of the region had a conservative post-Cold War approach, with Russia committed and partner, possibly competitor and rival, we saw, on the occasion of February 24, 2022, the transition to a new old paradigm of war on a large scale, of duration, of high intensity as a threat. Thus, the defense industry returns to the work plan, which must become a war industry, and small, technological, and sophisticated armies of professionals, which must return to mass armies with reserves at the level of the entire society and extensive mobilization capacity to face a large-scale war, a long and high-intensity war, which exhausts the resources not only of the country in conflict but also of the countries of Europe Freedom of overflight and freedom of maritime traffic, freedom of navigation in territorial waters, exclusive economic zones, and the free international zone in the Black Sea create a distinct component of security threats that call for the reinforcement of the Allied presence. Outside the restricted areas, with months, even years, for firing exercises, and dangerous wartime operations, Russias abuses resulted in the subsequently controlled downing of the American surveillance drone by the Russian fighter trail or a similar and dangerous intervention, but under the name of the qualified direct operation, without using the armament provided, at the Polish plane participating in a European FRONTEX mission, in an aggressive and imprudent, dangerous and discouraging flight of Russian aircraft. In terms of threats, we must note Russias abuse of entire areas of the Black Sea, which does not exclusively target Ukraine, where it has announced continuous military exercises for months and, as I said, even for years, practically even before the outbreak of conflict. I raised several times the issue of these prohibition zones in the Black Sea area that limited and sometimes blocked the freedom of navigation in the Black Sea. Real or imaginary exercises, the artificial creation of war zones and danger for the movement of commercial vessels, their blocking in ports or their interception, all were the subject of discussions and direct threats to maritime security, which must be properly regulated and included in action plans, but also in projects to preserve freedom of movement, including by accompanying the transports of military patrol vessels, which will safeguard the transit. The safety of navigation and the freedom of movement of commercial and tourist vessels concerns not only the North-South route, especially Odesa-Istanbul but also the east-west navigation route, from the Caucasus to Europe. Hence the urgent theme of the ability to defend and protect the freedom of trade between Georgian ports and Constanta. For example, as part of commitments related to the law of the sea, international space, and the high seas. Especially since the East-West Strategic Corridor, Black Sea - Caspian Sea passes here. The European Union has the perspective of placing on the bottom of the Black Sea a data cable and a green energy cable originating from the wind energy produced in Azerbaijan, coming on the route Azerbaijan - Georgia - Romania - Hungary and, from there, to the other countries of the European Union. Here we can add multiple references. The transport, trade, and energy corridor crosses the Black Sea region from east to west and is in various stages of development. Then there is the existing transport and new corridors for oil and gas in the east-west direction, including oil and gas from Central Asia, especially from Kazakhstan, which is trying to avoid the monopoly and constraints of the CPC, the Russian-controlled North Caspian Corridor at Novorossiisk, a source that also supplies Romania. Important steps have already been taken on the Kazakhstan-Azerbaijan corridor as a trans-Caspian link, from where it enters either the BTC (Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan) pipeline at Ceyhan, or it can follow the rail route to Batumi and the maritime one to Constanța, so on transport from east to west and of course, also the other way around. Last but not least, a Romania-Azerbaijan consortium is currently studying and commissioned the feasibility assessment for liquefied gas transport on the Kulevi-Constanța route. The feasibility study is to be completed in 12 months and foresees a liquefaction station at Kulevi and a de-liquefaction station at Constanța Sud and the introduction of the gas into pipelines, from where it can be transported anywhere through the BRUA system, which is becoming more and more most relevant. Mr. Director Sterian seems glad that I mentioned this gas transport network as being very important, especially in this period. This is an additional gas supply option for Europe if it proves viable in the context of the new energy costs that the war has determined and which can profile Romania as a gas hub for the neighboring states, the Republic of Moldova, primarily, from production or imported on alternative routes. As Prime Minister with whom I discussed this morning is here, I tell you that yesterday, at the Cabinet meeting, we approved a memorandum through which the Energy Ministry structures and companies such as Transgaz, and Transelectrica will better profile, formally, the gas and energy interconnection between Romania and the Republic of Moldova. Of course, maritime security in the Black Sea is inextricably linked to the security of drilling rigs in the exclusive economic zones. Already, Russia has outlined its military aggression and takeover of Ukrainian drilling rigs and extracted resources. The subject is discussed at the Allied level, and the first responsibility rests with the state, with allied support, on the entire dimension of critical infrastructure and critical submarine infrastructure. Under these conditions, analyzing what happened in Ukraine after about a year and a half, and because resilience is one of the main topics of the conference, we can say that resilience implies that the societies that give political support and reserves of military personnel and capabilities to be should be willing to fight, to have the necessary motivation and morale, but also to accept a level of losses and costs that the defense of the national territory entails. The patriotism, abnegation, and self - sacrifice of a nation cannot be replaced by anything else. The war involving a regional power like Russia tends automatically, we can say, in the long run, towards a war of attrition. And this is where the ability to regenerate, to rebuild strength, again and again, matters. That comes from reserves and society. On these coordinates, it is extremely important to review defense plans in the face of the prospect of a large-scale war, through resilience plans and planning to counter the risks and threats presented. It involves a general effort of the entire society, then, an Allied effort that concerns us directly and the ability to support Ukraine with everything we can, so that it wins this war. Alike, we need to support the Republic of Moldova to counter the secondary effects of the current war, its security being fully interdependent with Ukraine's security. Given these circumstances and that I will very soon end my term of office, after a year and a half as Prime Minister, I can say that Romania has both the human resource and the other resources as well to give substance to its resilience and this could be proven. Given all the conditions created by this conflict in the vicinity of our border, with all the problems it created regarding energy - because we talked about energy and the need to find new sources of energy - inflation, in everything that significant logistics and supply chain, and many others, our country, however, managed - and I say this without the pride of biblical sin - that we managed to register economic growth of 4.7%, attract European funds that reached the largest amount, persuade foreign partners - and there are a lot of representatives of embassies, professional specialists attending this conference here whom I thank. Therefore, we managed to attract a lot of foreign investments, to have a relationship as honest as possible and consolidated within the strategic partnerships, starting with the strategic partnership with the United States, the strategic partnership with France, with Great Britain - I dont want to forget anyone - with everyone, with those we have these strategic partnerships and not only that, but with everyone else who saw the potential of our country and the opportunities to do what is needed together to increase the resilience, not just of one country, and to increase the resilience of the region, within the European Union, within the North Atlantic Alliance. I am very glad that Romania, during this period, remained that pillar of stability in the Black Sea region and the Balkans. There are two very good friends here with whom I served together, in uniform - Phil, and James -, who I am convinced remember every time I told them that this country is the regional pivot, here is that, after all this time, today, Romania can truly be considered a regional pivot. Thank you and I wish you every success further on! 2023-05-18 11:00:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-18-12-27-15big___006_resize.jpgȘtiri din 17.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-17 19:14:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-17-07-17-42big_sigla_guvern.pngȘtiri din 17.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-17 18:13:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-17-06-39-44big___003_resize.jpgȘtiri din 17.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-17 16:13:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_govr3242.jpgȘtiri din 17.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-attended-the-military-and-religious-ceremony-marking-the-centennial-of-the-laying-of-the-remains-of-the-unknown-soldier-of-romania-in-the-eternal-resting-place-established-in-1923Speech by Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă at the centennial of the Unknown Soldier of Romania [CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY] Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: Dear war veterans, Dear members of defense committees in the Romanian Parliament, Ministers, Generals, NCOs, officers, professional soldiers, Ladies and gentlemen, Today, we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the reinterment of the remains of the unknown soldiers fallen in the First World War, remains that were placed in Carol Park, in the middle of the capital, as a sign of living remembrance and pious gratitude to those who sacrificed their lives in the battles to defend the country and forge Greater Romania. It is the tribute of the entire country to those who, as a result of the vicissitudes of war, could no longer be identified, given a proper, Christian burial, and commemorated by their families and by those close to them. May 14 remains, therefore, to be forever the day of the Romanians gratitude for the forerunners who made the ultimate sacrifice. The importance of this moment has increasingly been enhanced as the World War II veterans, of whom few are still alive, have been joined over the last 30 years by the new veterans of external theaters of operations, who have succeeded, through their sacrifice, to bring Romania into the North Atlantic Alliance, substantiating the respect and prestige Romania enjoys within NATO. The unknown servicemen have strengthened the historical developments of the country, the forging of Greater Romania, and the liberation from the fascist yoke. Through their sacrifice, Romania is in the most favorable situation in terms of defense and security in its history, through membership in NATO and the EU and the current system of strategic partnerships. The world is changing, and Russias full-scale war of aggression against Ukraine only serves to remind us of the need to continue to maintain respect and recognition for the sacrifices made by all military. We have this responsibility to promote awareness of the importance of the military position in society, to strengthen the corps of army professionals in the Romanian Army, and to open doors for army careers to as many young people and professionals in related fields as possible, whom the Army and Romania's defense system need. At the same time, resilience in the face of major contemporary crises cannot be strengthened without the contribution of the entire society, of every citizen, who, by joining the effort to defend the country, the territory, and fellow citizens, and through engagement, patriotism, and dedication, can contribute to Romanias defense efforts in the most challenging times. Those commemorated today as unknown soldiers were Romanians from all walks of life, both volunteers, professionals, and soldiers in mandatory service, who took part in the homeland defense knowing that this is, above all, the duty of every Romanian. Respect and gratitude to the unknown soldiers! Respect and gratitude to the Romanian Army! Glory to Romania! 2023-05-17 12:46:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big___008.jpgȘtiri din 17.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-attended-the-solemn-plenary-session-of-the-parliament-devoted-to-marking-75-years-of-uninterrupted-diplomatic-relations-between-romania-and-the-state-of-israel Speech by Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă at the solemn plenary session of the Parliament devoted to marking 75 years of uninterrupted diplomatic relations between Romania and the State of Israel [CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY] Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: Speaker of the Knesset of the State of Israel, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, President of the Senate, Members of the Parliament, Members of the Cabinet, Your Excellencies, Ambassadors, Members of the Jewish community, Ladies and gentlemen, I am glad to participate in the solemn plenary session of the Parliament devoted to marking 75 years of uninterrupted diplomatic relations between Romania and the State of Israel. We are connected not only through a long diplomatic collaboration but also by a special, strategic relationship, based on the deep ties between our peoples and our shared values. These things that bring us closer must also be the basis on which we build and strengthen our bilateral relationship in the future and, at the same time, the common response to the challenges in the current international context. In this context marked by revisionist actions, and also by the rise of extremist discourse in European societies, both challenges represent threats to the free world, of which Romania and the State of Israel are a part. Both challenges reinforce each other, threatening the security of our states, the foundations of international relations, and the unity of democratic societies. In the face of this onslaught of hate and violence, we must stay united to remain strong. Romania is determined to be part of the common response of democratic states to the war waged by Russia against Ukraine. At the same time, we are deeply committed to combating any form of extremism and hate speech, at home and anywhere in the world. We know that there can be a very short distance from extremism to anti-Semitism or any other form of extremism. That is why Romania supported all the European projects dedicated to combating anti-Semitism, and recently, between 2-4 May, this year, our country hosted the fourth meeting of the European Commission's Working Group on the implementation of the EU Strategy on combating antisemitism and fostering Jewish life, which I had the honor to attend. These actions of the Romanian state will continue, and the National Liberal Party and the Government of Romania will continue to advocate the promotion in the Romanian society of the spirit of tolerance and respect towards other ethnic groups, an expression of the strength of a society, not its weakness. Ladies and gentlemen, Israel is one of its strongest and most important partners of Romania in the Middle East, and also the state with which we enjoy an increasingly consolidated economic relationship. However, I believe that the potential of trade exchanges can be much greater. Therefore, the economic relationship between our states will have to be further strengthened, and I emphasized this aspect of strengthening the economic relations between our countries during the bilateral meeting. Romania has demonstrated its attractiveness to foreign investors, registering a record of foreign direct investment last year, due to political stability, an attractive fiscal framework, and its being a factor of balance in the region. Therefore, through you, Mr. President Amir Ohana, I invite all Israeli businesspeople to invest in Romania, reassuring you they will be well received here. I would also like to praise our good cooperation at the level of international forums. In particular, I would like to note Israels openness to the process of enlargement of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and especially to supporting Romanias candidacy. Our countrys accession to the OECD is a priority of Romanias foreign policy, and in this respect, we continue to count on your support. Dear Speaker of the Knesset of the State of Israel, honorable members of the Romanian Parliament, Todays meeting is an appropriate occasion to mark both the past of our relations, but also to address new dimensions of our future cooperation. We want the solid, strategic partnership with the State of Israel to become ever closer, and the level of our political, economic, social, and cultural relations to increase. The message I want to convey on behalf of the Government of Romania is, therefore, one of openness for mutually beneficial cooperation, which we want to strengthen in the coming years. I invite you, therefore, to be part of this process which is beneficial for both Romania and the State of Israel. Thank you. 2023-05-17 12:27:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big___019_resize.jpgȘtiri din 17.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ciuca-s-meeting-with-the-ambassador-of-the-swiss-confederation-in-romania-h-e-arthur-mattliPRESS RELEASE Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă received, at the Victoria Palace, the Ambassador of the Swiss Confederation in Romania, H.E. Arthur Mattli, on the occasion of the end of the diplomatic mission. The two interlocutors appreciated the very good quality of bilateral relations, noting the upward trend in recent years both in terms of political dialogue and in the economic field and sectoral cooperation, by increasing the volume of commercial exchanges and investments. During the dialogue, the development potential of sectors such as railway transport, banking, insurance, research, and innovation, which complement the areas in which Romania and Switzerland already cooperate, has been assessed. Prime Minister Ciucă thanked Ambassador Mattli for his direct contribution to boosting the Romanian-Swiss bilateral relations and wished him success in his future activity. 2023-05-17 09:46:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big___003_resize.jpgȘtiri din 16.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-s-meeting-with-a-delegation-of-the-parliament-of-the-state-of-israel-led-by-amir-ohana-speaker-of-the-knessetPRESS RELEASE Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă's meeting with the Speaker of the Parliament of the State of Israel, Amir Ohana Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă met at the Victoria Palace with Amir Ohana, Speaker of the Knesset, Parliament of the State of Israel. On this occasion, they discussed issues related to the bilateral relationship, both sides appreciating the high level of cooperation in areas such as technology, the defense industry, or IT. Solutions for irrigation systems in drought-affected areas and the development of energy storage capacities, as well as the identification of new solutions for the gas supply of our region were among the areas of development of economic relations. Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă emphasized the importance given by Romania to the fight against anti-Semitism and the promotion of the role of the Jewish community in our history, stressing the relevance of the educational process of the young generation to avoid extremist drifts and preserve democratic values. At the same time, Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă thanked both for the Israeli investments in Romania and for the support received for OECD accession, which is a national objective assumed at the government level. The Speaker of the Knesset conveyed his thanks for the constant support given by our country at the international level to the State of Israel and the peace process in the Middle East. In turn, the senior official emphasized the relevance of the historical and cultural connections between the two peoples, an important part of the citizens of the State of Israel being born or having parents in Romania. 2023-05-16 18:06:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big___002_resize.jpgȘtiri din 16.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-attends-the-quot-better-connected-through-connecting-europe-facility-quot-conferenceOpening remarks by Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă at the Better Connected through Connecting Europe Facility conference [CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY] Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Polish Minister of Transport, Minister Sorin Grindeanu, ladies and gentlemen, Your Excellencies, dear guests, I welcome the initiative of organizing this event dedicated to connectivity. It is an important moment not just in the context of the relevance of a connected Europe in the current geopolitical configuration, but also from the perspective of the approaching Three Seas Initiative Summit and the Economic Forum that Romania will host this year, in September. The European Union's response to the illegal and illegitimate war of the Russian Federation in Ukraine further represents a major priority. It is a period in which the EU's interconnectivity and interdependence open both new opportunities and challenges. The intersection in Romania of two major transport routes, via the Danube and the Black Sea, gives the entire Union a considerable strategic edge. Both routes represent important nodes in the supply chains for Europe, as well as an essential point of contact in the connections with the south of Europe, as well as with the eastern neighborhood. In this context, Romania remains concretely engaged in EU initiatives to facilitate Ukrainian agricultural exports on international markets (through Solidarity Lanes), but also to supply Ukraine with essential products. I would like to remind you that more than half of the Ukrainian grains were exported through and with the support of Romania. In the current global situation where global logistics routes are being rearranged and redesigned and the resilience of regional and global connectivity is being put to the test, ensuring flexible and alternative transport routes must remain an EU priority. We support stepping up ties and interconnectivity with the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, both as key points in the development of the European transport network and as a way to support the two countries in their EU accession process. In this context, I would like to welcome the Republic of Moldovas recent decision to join the Connecting Europe Facility program. Its an important step for this countrys rapprochement to the internal market by anchoring it to the interconnected networks of the Union. The same objective of connectivity in support of prosperity and security is the cornerstone of the Three Seas Initiative. Romania is honored to host for the second time this year the high-level meeting of the Initiative. Our region faced multiple challenges, such as the Covid -19 pandemic and Russia's war against Ukraine. These challenges revealed our strong points and vulnerabilities. Considering the current strategic background, the Three Seas Initiative gains even greater importance for increasing our resilience. Romanias hosting of the Summit gives us the opportunity to strengthen the Initiatives instruments. The upcoming Bucharest Summit will focus on concrete deliverables. The purpose is to gain political support for the most feasible projects, which will have a significant impact on the entire region and will contribute to our development and security. Taking into account the geo-economic realities, strengthening critical infrastructure on a north-south axis, in Central and Eastern Europe is a prerequisite for unlocking the full economic potential of the region as well as ensuring military mobility on NATO's Eastern flank, from the Baltic to the Black Sea. I cannot but highlight in this context the key role of projects such as Via Carpathia and Rail-2-Sea. We want to deepen the objective to create synergies between Three Seas Initiative projects and the EU's long-term connectivity agenda. Here I will make a parenthesis - we had a discussion, it is a political decision, and we are talking about funds that we are correlating, those from the EU and those that will be secured through the investment fund created at the level of the Three Seas Initiative. At this moment, the decision to close the first session of securing funds, for participation in the investment fund, is to be taken, and we have analyzed at the level of the Government - Romania will increase its contribution to this fund, and the amount will be decided at the level of the coalition and secured through the Government of Romania. We will continue this approach, aiming to strengthen the transatlantic partnership and build a complementary instrument in supporting the EUs global role. I hope these elements contribute to your reflection on the European Connecting Facility and the key connectivity projects in our region. In closing, I would like to look at the two images on the screen and see, over time, in the future, how important their completion will be. The road and railway infrastructure is currently being developed and we will see that, practically, this system of communication which represents nothing more than the system of economic development, will be valued through our contribution, through the support of the EU, and in this way, we will manage to handle the grievances of our citizens regarding the road and rail infrastructure system. It is an ongoing process, one that requires a lot of funds, but at the same time will, foresight, and a level of ambition to see it through. Thank you and I wish you every success! 2023-05-16 11:16:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-16-01-16-47big_image22.jpegȘtiri din 16.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-16 10:10:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big___001_resize.jpgȘtiri din 15.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-15 19:52:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-15-09-37-09big_1.jpgȘtiri din 14.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-14 09:22:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-14-09-23-35big_sigla.jpegȘtiri din 12.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-s-participation-in-the-official-launch-of-the-first-power-energy-exploration-center-e2-center-in-romaniaSpeech by Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă at the official launch of the first Power Energy Exploration Center (E2 Center) in Romania [CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY] Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: Minister, Your Excellency Madam Ambassador, Mr. Rector, Your Holiness, dear Cabinet colleagues, vice-rectors, deans, vice-deans, dear students, presidential advisor, dear John Hopkins, and officials from Washington DC, welcome! I am very glad to attend this event as I know this pilot project, which puts Romania on the important map of everything that is to develop in the civil nuclear energy field, required lots of effort. We are in an important moment for Romania and the national nuclear industry. Through the installation of the first New Scale energy exploration center, we are the first country in the world that will implement the American technology of small-size nuclear reactors. The rapid steps our country is taking regarding advanced nuclear technology, safe, mature, and effective, is a success of the collaboration between Romania and the United States of America. It is also a success of the Government, Energy Ministry, and Nuclearelectrica, represented here by Mr. Cosmin Ghita, and surely, it is a success of Romanian diplomacy. I stated at the beginning that hard work has been done here. Here, on stage, there are some of those who made their contribution to this project, who had the power to believe in the project, who flew many times to Romania, from Romania to Washington, and between these flights, they managed to decide on selecting Romania for the small size modular reactor. The development of the New Scale command chamber simulator alike every project and investment we are preparing together, demonstrates once again the strong relations between the United States and Romania, consolidated through the Strategic Partnership, a partnership that celebrates its 26th anniversary this year. The United States' support for the inclusion in the national system of energy production, of small modular reactors, is substantially constant and provided at the opportune moment. I have seen it when I first found out about the project, I see it as a long - term and a very long-term one. The auspicious meeting of the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, with The United States' special presidential envoy for climate John Kerry, on the sidelines of the United Nations Conference on Climate Change COP 26, was shortly followed by the decision of the USA to finance with 14 million dollars, the preliminary stage of engineering and design studies for the development of small modular reactors in Romania. In the development and implementation of small modular reactors, based on American New Scale technology, Romania is the most suitable partner for the United States. And it is not me who is saying it, but those who chose Romania, the New Scale representatives said it. We have over 26 years of experience in safe operation and over 50 years of activity with the independent regulator National Commission for the Control of Nuclear Activities(CNCAN); we are the only country in the region that can assume this leading role at the European level. The activity of the New Scale Energy Exploration Center at the Polytechnic University of Bucharest will constitute yet another decisive stage that will contribute to the positioning of Romania in an area of international relevance for nuclear energy. There is increased international interest in investment in future energy projects. I was glad to note in the discussions with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Han Duck-soo, who ended his visit to Bucharest yesterday, that Korean companies are fully open to participating in the rehabilitation of nuclear power plants in Romania and the construction of new reactors. The Romanian Government encourages these investments. The use of the new type of SMR technology, together with the construction of reactors 3 and 4 from the Cernavodă Power Plant, strengthen Romanias energy profile in accordance with the European vision of environmental protection and the decarbonization targets, assumed by the government team that I am leading and in full accordance with the objectives set out at the level of the European Union. The adoption of the law approving the signing of the Support Agreement for the development of the Cernavoda NPP Units 3 and 4 demonstrates the firm commitment of the Romanian state to the completion of this project. The future is clean energy, accessible to our citizens and economies. In this future, which also belongs to SMR technology, we all benefit from unlimited energy in conditions of maximum safety and care for the environment. These projects, which I have just mentioned, as well as those developed by Nuclearelectrica, by the strategic energy companies Transgaz and Romgaz, fell under this objective and are firmly supported by the Government. Alongside the private investments, financed through the modernization fund, through REPower EU, the capitalization of natural gas exploitation projects in the Romanian area of the Black Sea, unlocked by the new Offshore Law, all these demarches will ensure stability and energy independence for Romanian citizens and the business environment. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank all those who made possible this far-reaching project to get off the ground, with benefits, as I said, in the long run for our country. The University Politehnica of Bucharest has played and will continue to play from now on a particularly important role, at the forefront of innovative promotion. On May 9, on Europe Day, we launched at this elite university, the activity of the Cyber Center, the first European agency that operates in Romania. Today, we start a new project that will be carried forward and developed by the generation of engineers now on the university benches. And I liked that there were students in the room, less so those from Constanța, but I think that, eventually, accustomed to navigation, they will find the azimuth for the auditorium of the University Politehnica of Bucharest. Today we start a new project that will be carried forward and developed by the generation of engineers now on the university benches. You, the young people, the students of today, represent the future in development, research, and innovation for our country. I would like to thank Rector Costoiu and the entire team, who contribute to the formation of a new generation of engineers, people who, through creativity, perseverance, and will, will carry forward our vision of development. Because I am at the Polytechnic University and the rector was happy to have the minister of energy, a graduate of the Polytechnic, with him here again, whenever it comes to nuclear energy, I remember the best student from my military high school class, Cristi Stegăroiu, who, at that time, was a national Olympian in physics - it happened in 1985 - was given permission not to attend the courses in a military educational institution and went directly to the Institute of Atomic Physics. Today, Cristi is a professor at Boston University. Thank you for your participation I was very happy to participate in this objective and I express my hope that it will be carried out like this, with the same pace, coherence, and the same ambition, as it was during the period when we tried to find the way to make it operational. Good luck! 2023-05-12 17:35:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_8n2a4330.jpgȘtiri din 12.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-12 14:52:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-12-03-12-19big_8n2a3887.jpgȘtiri din 12.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-12 14:35:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big___018_resize.jpgȘtiri din 11.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/speech-by-prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-at-the-reception-organized-by-the-british-embassy-in-bucharest-bucharest-king-coronation-party-on-the-occasion-of-the-recent-coronation-of-their-majesties-king-charles-iii-and-queen-camillaYour Excellencies, Dear guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, It is a distinct pleasure to participate today at the celebration of the coronation day of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla. Romania and Great Britain have an excellent relation, translated in our Strategic Partnership just renouvelated two month ago. We are like minded countries, not only allies, and our policies in security, defense and foreign affairs are practically the same. In this complicated period where Russia launched a full scale war on Ukraine, that friendship, cooperation and brotherhood in arms developed between our two countries is much more appreciated. Great Britain has always been a crucial partner for Romania especially in providing lessons learnt and good practices, and we had multiple occasions when our soldiers fought shoulder to shoulder in a number of theatre of operations of first importance for NATO and different coalitions of the willing of like-minded democratic countries. Education, research, training, expertise are other fields of cooperation of first importance for our citizens. More than one million Romanians choose to live in the British Kingdom, they have been well-received and have integrated in the British society. I would like to thank, Mr. Ambassador for your words of appreciation for the Romanian citizens, over one million Romanian citizens who are currently working and living in the United Kingdom. Allow me to congratulate you, the British people, for the recent coronation of Their Majesties King Charles III and Queen Camilla. I had the opportunity to meet His Majesty King Charles III during my tenure and I can only support the idea that he always behaved as a true Ambassador of Romania, deeply linked to our country and promoting tourism in Romania, but also numerous humanitarian works as well as research on important topics of shared interest. His Highness is one of the most important links between our two countries and I congratulate His Majesty King Charles III for the coronation and for assuming the difficult responsibility to reign as sovereign of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in these difficult times. Allow me, therefore, to convey also the best wishes to the British people with the occasion of the Coronation Day. I would like Mr. Ambassador to thank you for this opportunity, for everything you achieved for the UK- Romania relations in your two terms in Bucharest, and I assure you that as we have cooperated so far, with a roadmap recently signed for our Strategic Partnership, the relations between our countries will strengthen, and we will have joint objectives to fulfil. Thank you! God save the King Charles III! God save the British people! God save the Romanian people! 2023-05-11 19:42:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-11-09-25-43big_image3.jpegȘtiri din 11.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-11 12:23:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_whatsapp_image_2023-05-11_at_15.08.19.jpegȘtiri din 11.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-11 12:10:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-11-02-53-32big_image4.jpegȘtiri din 11.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-11 12:02:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_8n2a3679.jpgȘtiri din 11.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-11 10:11:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_8n2a2547.jpgȘtiri din 10.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-10 18:55:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_8n2a2349.jpgȘtiri din 10.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-10 16:53:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_govr2566.jpgȘtiri din 10.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-met-with-the-prime-minister-of-the-republic-of-korea-han-duck-sooPress statements by Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă and Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea Han Duck-soo [CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY] Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: Hello! Mr. Prime Minister, distinguished guests, ladies, and gentlemen, it is a great pleasure and honor to welcome the Prime Minister of the Republic of Korea, Mr. Han Duck-soo here. We meet again just a few months after I visited Seoul and Busan - in December 2022 - and I want to mention once again that it was a very good visit, which I paid together with the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Mr. Marcel Ciolacu, and a governmental team. At that time, our discussions focused on important aspects of the Strategic Partnership that our country had with the Republic of Korea for 15 years. This year, we are celebrating 15 years since the signing of the Strategic Partnership, the Republic of Korea being the first Asian country that we signed this partnership with. I am very glad that Mr Prime Minister honored the invitation to visit our country. Our meeting today was a very good one, with a rich agenda, built on a much-applied dialogue we had both at the level of prime ministers and ministers. I can also mention, as I reiterated during the bilateral meeting, based on the meeting in Seoul and the agreement on the areas of collaboration, we agreed that these can be considered as new elements of the road map for the continuation and development of the strategic partnership between Romania and the Republic of Korea. I agreed with my counterpart on the need for systematic consolidation of bilateral collaboration to give a new impetus to the implementation of our strategic partnership goals. We emphasized the need to restart and strengthen bilateral cooperation through new concrete projects in all areas of the partnership, both politically and economically. We agreed that the business component should represent the main element of the development of bilateral relations. I reiterated the particular significance of strengthening our bilateral relations for their valorization to the benefit of the citizens of Romania and the Republic of Korea, in the current global geopolitical and economic context, marked by challenges, a security context that can be regarded through what our countries can offer in terms of security guarantees, Romania, in the Black Sea area, and South Korea in the Pacific. I mentioned Romanias geo-strategic position and the fact that it is one of the most dynamic and competitive economies in the European Union, which offers wide resources and investment opportunities. I agreed with the prime minister on how the business sectors of the two countries should continue their dialogue and collaboration in such a way as to identify the potential and opportunities for doing business in the two countries. I welcomed the continuation of a trend of increased commercial exchanges, showing that since 2021 it has exceeded one billion dollars, with an 8% increase in 2022 compared to 2021. I emphasized that this trend should be further incentivized, and supported with new initiatives in innovative fields of high-added value. Therefore, I reiterated Romanias interest in organizing this year in Seoul the 10th meeting of the joint industrial co-operation committee at a ministerial level. We are also interested in organizing a bilateral business forum related to the ministerial event to ensure the coherence of cooperation efforts in the public and private sectors. I want to mention and thank the Prime Minister for the business delegation that visited Romania in February. We agreed these meetings and the establishment of economic relations to occur in December, and the first visit of a South Korean economic delegation happened in February, and we established very good relations with the representatives of the business sector in Romania, at Ministerial and sectorial levels. I reiterated my support for increasing South Korean greenfield investment projects. I want to express my hope that we will see new South Korean investment projects in Romania also as a result of high-level talks. We discussed the possibility of investing in green energy, digital technologies, food industry, and strengthening ties among SMEs. We expressed our openness to continuing and strengthening the Korean presence in the field of nuclear power, encouraging South Korean investment in Romanian projects in this particularly important sector in all of our efforts to strengthen energy security and independence. Mr. Prime Minister has already agreed on collaboration for the opening of the new reactors 3 and 4 at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant, as well as the involvement of South Korean companies in the development of small modular reactors. In the same spirit of collaboration between strategic partners, we invited the business community of the Republic of Korea to join the Business Forum of the Three Seas Initiative, in the context of the Summit that the President of Romania will in Bucharest, this year, on September 7. In this context, I welcome with satisfaction the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the authorities of the ports of Constanţa and Busan, an objective set during the dialogue held in Seoul. Mr. Prime Minister then offered the opportunity to the entire Romanian delegation to visit the port of Busan and, here, today this Memorandum of collaboration between the two ports is signed; in our discussion, we revealed the strategic importance that the Black Sea and the Port of Constanța have, not only for the Black Sea region but for the whole of Europe. Our discussions also covered other important areas for the intensification of cooperation between the two countries, such as defence, including the defence industry, cyber-security, education, culture, and technical and scientific cooperation. We also had an exchange of views on regional security issues relevant to Romania and the Republic of Korea. We discussed the illegal war waged by Russia against Ukraine and its consequences. We addressed together the major concerns regarding the security developments on the Korean Peninsula, reiterating our country's support for all the Republic of Korea's demarches in the process of denuclearization and peacekeeping on the Korean Peninsula. I expressed Romanias solidarity in this respect, with an emphasis on the need to observe the UN resolutions on the matter. Romania welcomes the adoption by the Republic of Korea of its new Indo-Pacific Strategy, which presents opportunities in synergy with the EU Strategy for cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, in the implementation of which our country will remain an active actor. Finally, I want to congratulate President Yoons Administration on the celebration of one year in office today. I also had the opportunity to congratulate Mr. Prime Minister at one year in office anniversary; he took office on May 10, last year, and I take this opportunity to wish him further success in attaining the objectives of the government agenda. Thank you again for your presence in Bucharest and the openness you have shown us since our first meeting, to strengthen bilateral cooperation relations and the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the Republic of Korea. Thank you! 2023-05-10 10:36:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_8n2a1348.jpgȘtiri din 10.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-10 10:02:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-10-09-59-18big_sigla_guvern.pngȘtiri din 09.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ciuca-attended-the-event-organized-by-the-representative-office-of-the-european-commission-in-romania-on-europe-day-may-9Speech by Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă on Europe Day Distinguished representatives of the European Parliament and European Commission, Members of Parliament and Government, Presidential Advisor Your Excellencies, Ambassadors Dear guests Ladies and gentlemen, Today, we celebrate the founding moment of the European project, May 9, 1950, when the Schuman Declaration was adopted, a proposal that prefigured the complex process of European integration. We also celebrate 146 years since the proclamation of Romanias state independence, paying tribute to the previous generations without the efforts of whom modern Romania, and subsequently, its European course, would not have been possible. Romanias membership of the European Union has brought indisputable benefits to our country, and our citizens: from increasing the quality of life, strengthening our economic and commercial ties with other member states, and boosting investments in our country, to developing cooperation projects with European partners, integration into a space of common values and principles, which define Romania and todays Romanian society. Romanias development goals converge with European ones. The Romania we believe in and in whose interest we are acting, is developing harmoniously within the European Union, and participates, through its citizens and their efforts, in a European project that is equally a community and national one. The most recent example in this regard is the implementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), whose substantial impact on economic development and increased competitiveness locally, is directly felt by citizens. Speaking of competitiveness, I would like to point out that it cannot be achieved without citizens' participation. That is why 2023 was declared the European Year of Skills, precisely to highlight the necessity and importance of cultivating the skills and abilities of European citizens so that they can enjoy the opportunities offered by new technologies and be able to adapt to the changes that the society and economy of the future will generate. That is why we are also investing intensely to significantly increase the attractiveness of the digital domain. Thus, Romania and Romanians will be able to be more competitive in Europe, contributing to the development of digital technology - based economy in our country as well. Ladies and gentlemen, At a turning point for our continent which was at that time devastated following the WWII atrocities, Robert Schuman stated that - Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity. These words are so actual and relevant now when we feel - in the aftermath of the pandemic, and the context of the war against Ukraine - how important unity and solidarity are in action, in practice, and the daily life of every European citizen. We are going through unprecedented times, and we are all aware that the Russian Federations military aggression against Ukraine endangers not only the rules-based global order but also our shared values, which are based on democratic legitimacy and fundamental human rights observance. In such moments, the strength of our European action lies precisely in solidarity and unity. Romania continued, throughout last year, to make its distinct contribution to the security of the European Union and its citizens. We have thus consolidated our profile as a pole of stability and security in the region. European solidarity must, at this moment, also move towards acknowledging this contribution. Romania is part of the solution to the security challenges facing the EU and it is high time now that our country occupies, without delay, its seat in the Schengen area, as a full member. All European institutions and all Member States should take responsibility, observe the Treaties and create the framework for a favorable decision in this regard. Ladies and gentlemen, Citizens trust in the EU and their perception of the efficiency and fairness of European policies and institutions are also essential factors in ensuring direct contribution to European democratic processes, such as elections. Equally important is maintaining proximity between European institutions and bodies and citizens. In this respect, I would like to reiterate my appreciation for the event making the start of the activity in Bucharest of the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECCC), the first European structure hosted by Romania. As I mentioned in this mornings inaugural ceremony of the Center, its presence in Bucharest conveys a clear message that the European Union is also physically close to its citizens. All the tangible results, all the confirmations that the EU and the Member States are looking together for the best solutions to the crises, are also relevant to the European democratic processes. Lets not forget that we are preparing for the year 2024, which will be marked by elections for the European Parliament and which will open a new EU institutional cycle. Our citizens want a robust European democracy, with a strong economy, a pragmatic, inclusive, fair, and especially resilient Europe in the face of global challenges. By its very existence, the European Union is tangible proof that only together, united by common values, can we face the great global challenges. Happy Anniversary, European Union! Happy Anniversary to all Romanians! Happy Anniversary to Romania within the European Union! 2023-05-09 14:57:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_1683654015big_8n2a0774.jpgȘtiri din 09.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/speech-by-h-e-nicolae-ciuca-prime-minister-of-romania-at-the-event-making-the-start-of-the-activity-in-bucharest-of-the-european-cybersecurity-industrial-technology-and-research-competence-centrePresidential Advisor, Ministers, Ambassadors, Distinguished representatives of the European Commission, Mr. Director, Ladies and gentlemen, Dear guests, I am particularly glad to be with you today at the headquarters of the Bucharest Polytechnic, in a building built with European funds. It could not have been a better place and time to launch an EU institution present for the first time in Romania. It is highly relevant that we inaugurate this centre today on Europe Day. We opted to hold the inaugural ceremony for the start of the activity in Bucharest of the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre (ECC) on May 9 precisely because of its special emblematic value as the first European agency based in Romania. As of today, the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre is temporarily headquartered in the building we are now, thus allowing its new employees to work in Bucharest, in offices that are intended for their exclusive use. Soon, this location will host the permanent headquarters of this Centre. It is just a matter of time until all works and procedures are completed and then, this Centre will become fully operational. We chose this temporary headquarters as only some components will operate here as of today. In addition to the importance that the Cybersecurity Competence Centre carries out its mandate from Bucharest, designated as its headquarters' host city, I would like to point out another symbolic aspect. Launching its activity in Bucharest is a clear signal that the European Union is present institutionally in Romania, reconfirming, 16 years since the EU accession, our country's maturity as a Member State and its direct and relevant contribution to strengthening European construction. Furthermore, ECCC's presence in Bucharest conveys a clear message that the European Union is getting closer to its citizens, irrespective of how near or far the Member State is geographically situated from Brussels. The added value of the European policies is better felt through citizens' direct exposure to the activity of the EU's institutions and bodies. I want to particularly emphasize the relevance of these ties, today, on Europe Day, when we celebrate the European Union, its values, and significant contribution to our continent's development, prosperity, and stability. The activity of the Center is also developing against the background of the multiplication of hybrid attacks, of the challenges to Europe's cyber security which have progressively accelerated, thus significantly growing since the end of 2021 and in 2022, not only in terms of number, but also in complexity and preparation. Lets not forget, in context, that Russias unjustified and unprovoked war in Ukraine defined a new era in terms of major risks, role, and impact of cyber warfare in crises. Precisely for this reason, the presence in this part of Europe of an essential component for strengthening the EU's cyber resilience reconfirms the attention extended to our joint efforts to protect the economy, citizens, and public institutions. Last but not least, I would like to remind you that the decision to designate Bucharest as the host city of ECCC also took into account the very attractive ecosystem existing here in terms of knowledge, skills, innovation, and Romanian talent in the area of cyber security. I reiterate once more the importance emphasized by Mr. Rector in his speech, namely where we could have a Competence Centre other than in the Bucharest Polytechnic building. We, therefore, have all the ingredients in Bucharest for the Competence Centre to develop and effectively implement its mandate. We rely as much as our European partners on the Competence Centre's capacity to accelerate investments in cyber security research, technology, and industrial development. These joint efforts will be essential in harnessing the potential of several actors - industry, public sector, academic and research communities - to improve and strengthen cybersecurity technological and industrial capacities while strengthening the European Union's strategic resilience. Before wishing every success to the Competence Centre, based now in Bucharest, I would like to convey some thanks. To establish this centre in Bucharest, to identify solutions for its best location, and to prepare this temporary seat, but also the permanent one, the Romanian administration, and its partners have worked closely with the European Commission. The designation of Bucharest as a host city for this Centre is a whole of a country's success. It represents the efforts of the entire administration, supported by H.E. Klaus Iohannis, President of Romania and it benefited from a political consensus that we expect to be reflected in the Parliament's approval of the agreement on the ECCC headquarters, between the Romanian Government and the Competence Centre. And because Mr. Alexandru Nazare is here, I remember that when he participated in the selection process, we met to discuss the lessons learned from the negotiation process and the approval to establish the Centre in Bucharest after the vote was cast. We remember with pleasure this moment. We enjoy the presence here of dignitaries who initiated these demarches, the members of the team that prepared Romania's application to host the ECCC, and also the teams working to make this Centre fully operational in Bucharest. Madam Ambassador Luminita Odobescu, you are working closely with the EU countries' ambassadors, I also thank the Foreign Minister for these efforts as it was also a success of the Romanian diplomacy. I would like to convey, in this context, appreciation for the perseverance of the team of my Chancellery and of its Head, Mr Rector also highlighted their efforts to identify the best location, to discuss and collaborate with representatives of the Commission, for us to inaugurate this Centre today, on Europe Day. I also thank the European Commission, the Executive Interim Director of the Centre for the close partnership and good cooperation. I am also aware that the first members of the Cybersecurity Competence Centre's staff are with us today. I thank them for having decided to work in Romania. We very much count on their professionalism and efforts to build together the most effective and dynamic EU agency! I wish you every success further on! Happy anniversary, European Union! Happy Anniversary, Romania within the European Union! 2023-05-09 13:09:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_image0.jpgȘtiri din 09.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-09 10:49:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_8n2a0368.jpgȘtiri din 08.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-08 18:48:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_govr0168.jpgȘtiri din 08.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-08 17:08:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-08-05-08-53big_sigla_guv_coroana_albastru.pngȘtiri din 08.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-08 14:34:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-08-02-35-26big_sigla_guv_coroana_albastru.pngȘtiri din 07.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-07 11:52:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-07-11-53-44big_23-04-05-05-35-15d_sigla_guvern.pngȘtiri din 05.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-05 13:19:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_image38.jpegȘtiri din 05.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-05 09:45:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-05-09-47-10big_sigla_guvern.pngȘtiri din 04.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-04 16:11:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big___006_resize.jpgȘtiri din 04.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-04 14:43:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-04-02-52-18big_sigla_guv_coroana_albastru.pngȘtiri din 04.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-04 12:59:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_8n2a9419.jpgȘtiri din 04.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-s-meeting-with-a-delegation-led-by-the-jordanian-senate-president-faisal-el-fayez PRESS RELEASE Prime Minister Nicolae -Ionel Ciucă's meeting with Jordanian Senate President Faisal El-Fayez Prime Minister Nicolae -Ionel Ciucă welcomed Jordanian Senate President Faisal El-Fayez at the Victoria Palace. On this occasion, opportunities for developing bilateral relationships in areas such as economy, trade, agriculture, education, and defense have been discussed. The senior officials underlined the importance of the role played by both countries in the region. The consequences of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine were analyzed during the dialogue, both from the security perspective and in terms of supply chain disruption. The Romanian prime minister detailed securing the transit of grains from Ukraine and Romanias involvement in ensuring the food security of countries for whom Ukrainian agricultural production is essential. At the same time, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă conveyed Romanias interest in creating a hub for Romanian agricultural products in the port of Aqaba and our countrys availability to use more agricultural fertilizers produced in Jordan. The Romanian Prime Minister presented the opportunities that Romania can offer to Jordanian investors also from the perspective of the relationship with the European Union. Underlining the need for stability in the Middle East and North Africa, the prime minister appreciated the role played by Jordan, showing that Romania encourages dialogue in the region also from the perspective of Romanias good relations with both Israel and Palestine. Prime Minister Nicolae -Ionel Ciucă thanked the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan for its support for the repatriation of Romanian nationals from Sudan. 2023-05-04 12:14:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_8n2a8865.jpgȘtiri din 03.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-attended-the-quot-romania-in-the-oecd-towards-the-club-of-international-economic-good-practices-quot-conferenceSpeech by Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă at the Romania in the OECD: towards the Club of International Economic Good Practices conference [Check against delivery] Nicolae - Ionel Ciucă: Governor of the National Bank, presidential advisor, director Pereira, dear colleagues, Ministers, Ambassadors, Your Excellencies, dear guests, not long ago, I concluded an activity at the government seat, in which Mr. Professor, I underlined once again the importance of our accession to OECD, considering it a national goal at the level of the government. We are not discussing only the technical handling of the accession procession, but a political commitment in which indeed, the state institutions from the Romanian president to the government, civil society, mass media, and academic milieu are part of this process. We are not talking here about a roadmap for OECD accession but about our average and long-term goal, to succeed in developing Romania coherently and consistently for a long period. Therefore, after accession to the EU and NATO, I considered OECD accession as a national goal and I thank all institutions and stakeholders involved in this process, for the willingness, dedication, and responsibility with which they engaged in this process and support the governmental step. I thank you, Mr. Governor as in 2017, you had the outlook to underline the need to start such a process and I thank you that you host this event at the BNR seat. It gives me a special pleasure to greet you once again, on the occasion of your presence at this event dedicated to Romania's accession to OECD. Surely, we are also talking about the benefits deriving from this status. I also greet the presence in virtual presence to this event of senior officials from the OECD Secretariat and I asked Mr. Pereira to convey our message of thanks to the OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann. We will probably see him in virtual format at this event as well, and basically, he was the person who presented us not only with the opportunities, but we understood what the steps for us are and how much involvement is required when, once we have received the roadmap, we need to be coherent for everything that means OECD. A little earlier, at the government, I emphasized two very important aspects, namely, the coordination, the complementarity between the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, and the accession to the OECD. We are talking about reforms that practically lead us to meet certain standards, standards that we want to adhere to of our own free will and that we undertake and which make us become members of this club, a club that ensures our economic development, but at the same time I think it will also change our vision and political attitude towards what we have to do for the country. As you know, accession to the OECD, as I mentioned, is a high-profile issue on the agenda of the Government and the public administration, and I am glad to have the opportunity to acknowledge the responsiveness and interest of Government institutions, also expressed by you, all those who are present here today or those who are not present here, but were directly and are directly involved in the process, and I would like to emphasize something else - the interest of public opinion in this course. Thus, from the very beginning, I wish to welcome the initiative of holding this debate given that, beyond the inter-institutional effort implied by this process, I want to use this opportunity to assure you that it is exceptional, of great importance and which I am convinced will also gain popularity as this topic is understood. I am glad, therefore, that less than two months after I organized at the government level the OECD event dedicated to the business environment, I find myself again in front of an audience interested in what the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development means for Romania and what we have to do to attain this important goal for the country and to emphasize in particular the responsibility of each of us for this path. As you know, last year, Romania was invited to start the OECD accession process, along with five other candidate states: Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Peru. The OECD is the strongest economic cooperation organization worldwide, having under its umbrella states that represent over 70% of world trade and approximately 80% of the value of capital investments. Currently, the OECD is focusing its efforts on the development of policies in defining areas for the economy of the future, such as digital transformation, green transition, artificial intelligence or data protection, areas that are of great interest also for Romanian companies and, of course, for companies that want to invest in our country. Carrying out the accession process involves an intense and sustained effort, which the government and public authorities will be able to achieve with the constant support, as I mentioned before, of all partners, the business environment, and civil society. The road to the final objective, joining the organization, will open a new chapter in the modernization process of the Romanian state, constituting a clear opportunity for the deep transformation of the administration, institutions, and society as a whole. The transformations and reforms that will be adopted will bring significant benefits to the business environment, companies and entrepreneurs present on the local market. In the field of financial markets, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development promotes efficient, open, stable, and sound financial systems, market-oriented, based on transparency, trust, and integrity. We have the chance to learn from the best to place the national approach in the field on long-term structural policy issues, taking into account current trends and developments. In the complicated global context and the regional problems generated by the war of aggression launched by Russia against Ukraine, Romanias response, focused on multiple levels, focuses on the accentuated modernization of the state and the inclusion of the country among the developed economies. As you know, in the year 2022, Romanias Gross Domestic Product increased by approximately 50 billion euros compared to the previous year, i.e. 4.7%, a significant increase. The Eurostat statistics for the year 2022 show that the purchasing power parity of Romania concerning the other member states of the European Union has increased, and the indicator for Romania rose to 77% last year so that our country has reached the same level as Portugal, for example. And I mentioned Portugal because Mr. Director is from Portugal. It is not about competition but about two friend countries that have very good bilateral relations at all levels. We want to continue this growth to which you also contributed - I am addressing here the business sector - and the OECD accession is a natural step in these conditions. In this context, I assure you of our full determination in having a consistent, coherent, and more rapid roadmap in attaining this goal. I welcome the openness of the National Bank of Romania, the Financial Supervisory Authority, and the Finance Ministry in implementing the OECD standards in their areas of activity, as well as the active participation of the institution's representatives in the works of the committees and working groups within the organization. The OECD accession process represents joining the advanced economies club, with clear rules and well-defined norms that ensure a high level of transparency, and predictability of the local economy, indispensable elements for the development of a dynamic and prosperous business sector. Membership is a strong indicator of trustworthiness for internal and international investors, with a positive impact on attracting direct investment and in relation to international markets' confidence in economic stability and exchange rate, an aspect mirrored by the country's rating. Foreign direct investment last year reached the figure of nearly 11 billion euros. The National Bank, Mr. Governor, thank you very much for the way you managed to maintain the exchange rate at a level that secured financial stability and I think as you mentioned, it is important to acknowledge in all this process, from 2021 onwards, that there is a coordination and very good collaboration between the Romanian Government and the National Bank of Romania. I thank you for that. Upgrading macroeconomic indicators, and financial discipline as well as transforming the current economic model by promoting highly technical activities with medium to high added value are some of the benefits associated with the OECD accession process. Financial education improvement is an area of great interest, this time from the citizens' perspective. We are talking about increasing the financial literacy of citizens to help them manage risks associated with easier access to more diverse financial services including by strengthening their financial perspective and situation, and the intent to adopt a national strategy for financial education represents a useful project which can benefit from contacts with OECD throughout the accession process. 2022 when Romania was granted the OECD candidate status, recorded the highest level of foreign investments and this materialized in the recent assessment of the country rating, where, at some institutions, we kept the country rating, whereas, at others, this grew which is a very good signal for the economy of our country. We mentioned again the foreign investments as they play a central role in the accession negotiations involving additional guarantees for the capital movements liberalization, provision of an open and transparent regime for the access of foreign direct investments to the local market, or the implementation of the guiding principles of responsible business conduct. The implementation of OECD standards in the field of corporate governance will help improve the management of state-owned companies and ensure a fair competitive environment for all economic operators, public and private. At the same time, the membership status will facilitate the development of trade and the balancing of the trade balance, by facilitating the access of local companies to new markets, as well as the inclusion of these companies within integrated and complex production chains, protected from the negative impact of regional or international geopolitical crises. I conclude by emphasizing that the accession process will allow closer contact between Romanian companies and representatives of the business environment in OECD countries, the latter having, as a rule, an important contribution to the analysis and review of the standards applied by the organization. I would like to take this opportunity to encourage you, the representatives of the business environment in Romania, to actively relate with the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD - BIAC, a body that brings together business associations from member states and associated states and which represents the dialogue and cross-border support platform for the business environment in relation to government authorities. Surely, its a meeting where we highlight the advantages of joining this organization, but at the same time, let me emphasize that its not an easy path at all, it will require a lot of effort and a lot of flexibility and adaptability both of the executive institutions, but especially of the structures, of the political institutions. Earlier I emphasized that, at the level of the Romanian Parliament, a parliamentary group was established, a group that participated in the first activity with the parliamentary representatives of the OECD countries and will continue to participate, hoping that they will understand the need for political involvement in all that it means this reform process, which will have to be legislated. Of course, it is a whole series of advantages and objectives that our country has fulfilled, some to a greater extent, others partially. But we will see every time, as we saw from the first report presented here, in Bucharest, in January 2022, by the OECD Secretary-General, that some indicators and standards require very, very much effort and the will to reform. I think we have to be realistic. I would rephrase: we need to look with hope at what OECD membership means and with realism at what we have to do to attain this goal. Thank you. 2023-05-03 12:50:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big___009_resize.jpgȘtiri din 03.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-03 11:04:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_8n2a8472.jpgȘtiri din 02.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-02 17:24:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-02-05-25-26big_sigla_guvern.pngȘtiri din 02.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-02 16:17:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-05-02-04-18-27big_sigla_guvern.pngȘtiri din 02.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-s-meeting-with-ichiro-aisawa-chairman-of-romania-japan-friendship-parliamentary-association-and-a-member-of-the-house-of-representatives-in-the-japanese-dietPRESS RELEASE Prime Minister Nicolae Ionel-Ciucă met with the Chairman of the Japan - Romania Friendship League in the National Diet of Japan, Ichiro Aisawa Prime Minister Nicolae Ionel-Ciucă met, at the Victoria Palace, with the Chairman of the Japan - Romania Friendship League in the National Diet, Ichiro Aisawa. The main topics of discussion concerned the importance of the signing of the Strategic Partnership between Romania and Japan by the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, and the Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, as well as the concrete ways of bilateral collaboration in fields such as energy, infrastructure, research, and development. The Romanian Prime Minister showed the economic importance of Romania - Japan relations given that Japan is the most important Asian investor in our country, and economic ties can be further strengthened. During the dialogue, there have been analyzed the effects of Russian military aggression against Ukraine and the need to manage the security situation in the region, without affecting developments in the economy. Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă presented the support granted to Ukraine, alongside the international community, especially to Ukrainian refugees, and for the transit of products exported by Ukraine. Romania is coordinating its efforts in this context, both within the European Union and NATO, but especially with the strategic partners. One of the main topics addressed also concerned the unfolding of Japanese projects, including from the perspective of completing the bridge in Brăila which has particular relevance for connectivity in the region, but also for strengthening cooperation between Japan and the European Union in future projects. The field of nuclear energy, infrastructure, and research is among the fields of interest for Romanian-Japanese collaboration. Japans involvement in supporting the Three Seas Initiative is among the opportunities for cooperation, especially in the context in which Romania is going to host the Initiative Forum in Bucharest, this autumn. In turn, Ichiro Aisawa expressed his appreciation for the aid provided by Romania to Ukrainian refugees, both in terms of childrens education and the jobs offered to them. The Japanese guest emphasized the trust and friendship with which Romania is regarded and thanked for the unfolding of projects with Japan, including the construction of the M6 subway line, Bucharest-Otopeni. At the same time, the interest in collaboration in managing the projects of small modular nuclear reactors, for the production of energy, was conveyed. Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă underlined the importance of the collaboration between the Institute of Nuclear Physics in Bucharest and scientists from Japan, which will bring significant progress in the research and development of the laser industry, having a strategic relevance. A new opportunity for cooperation will be the organization of the first Romanian-Japanese innovation forum, in Cluj-Napoca, in June, which will be an occasion to promote projects in the field of robotics, digitalization, and artificial intelligence. In terms of cultural relations, Romania's decision to establish a Romanian Cultural Institute in Tokyo was mentioned, which will contribute to the development of bilateral relations and a better knowledge of our country in Japan. Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă thanked Japan for its support for Romania to be invited to join the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development and to receive the roadmap from the most powerful global economic organization. 2023-05-02 14:21:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_8n2a7717.jpgȘtiri din 02.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-05-02 10:43:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_50658204-0245-41f5-8b3c-90dc3ba6db37.jpgȘtiri din 01.05.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/more-than-80-national-and-european-officials-responsible-for-the-fight-against-anti-semitism-representatives-of-jewish-communities-and-international-organizations-are-coming-to-bucharestBucharest will host between May 2 and 4, 2023, the works of the 4th Meeting of the Working Group for the implementation of the European Union Strategy on combating anti-Semitism and promoting Jewish life. Organized by the Government of Romania with the support of the European Commission, the event will enjoy the participation of special representatives, coordinators, and managers in the field of combating anti-Semitism from the EU member states, Ukraine, and the Republic of Moldova, as well as national, European and international organizations of the Jewish communities, of the relevant international organizations and experts. The opening of the event takes place on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, at the Victoria Palace, with the participation of Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă and the Vice-President of the European Commission for the promotion of the European way of life, Margaritis Schinas (online). During the three days, topics of major interest for the fight against anti-Semitism will be addressed, such as the development and implementation of national strategies in the field, the progress made in the implementation of the EU Strategy on the fight against anti-Semitism and the promotion of Jewish life, the dangers posed by anti-Semitism, the distortion and denial of the Holocaust for democratic societies, the importance of preserving the memory of the Holocaust, including the situation in Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. The organization, in Bucharest, of the 4th Meeting of the Working Group for the implementation of the EU Strategy for combating anti-Semitism and promoting Jewish life represents a good opportunity to highlight the progress that Romania has made in the field of combating anti-Semitism and promoting Jewish life, but also in recognition of the valuable contribution that the Jewish community in our country brought to the development and modernization of Romanian society. Additional Information: On October 5, 2021, the European Union adopted the first Strategy for combating anti-Semitism and promoting Jewish life, establishing the framework of European policy in this area for 2021-2030. The EU strategy has three important pillars: preventing and combating all forms of anti-Semitism; the protection and promotion of Jewish life; education, research, and Holocaust memory. For the implementation of this Strategy, a Working Group was established as a permanent structure with the role of supporting the process of attaining the Strategys targets. The Government of Romania was among the first 7 member states to adopt, in May 2021, the first National Strategy for the prevention and combating of anti-Semitism, xenophobia, radicalization, and hate speech, related to the period 2021-2023 and the related Action Plan. This Strategy aims to prevent the replication in Romania of the negative developments recorded on this level in other countries and to ensure the necessary instruments for sanctioning the facts associated with anti-Semitism, xenophobia, radicalization, and hate speech. 2023-05-01 10:46:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_23-01-13-12-15-30m_sigla_guvern.pngȘtiri din 29.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-04-29 09:21:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_ab539653-bb3c-42ff-b4f5-c287148dfbc7.jpgȘtiri din 28.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-04-28 12:06:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_9d361a90-acb7-4cd5-aebb-f8736ef48619.jpgȘtiri din 26.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-s-participation-in-the-gift-wrapping-activity-for-war-veteransStatements by Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă at the gift-wrapping activity for war veterans [Check against delivery] Reporter: What lesson can we learn from these veterans, as this general who greeted you earlier? Nicolae - Ionel Ciucă: It is the lesson they lived and continue to live by when it comes to the values they observed while defending their country and sacrificing for it. I think it is very important to understand that what they achieved, they did it through unity, solidarity, and as long as we keep the unity, and determination to do what it should be done for the country, we do our minimal duty as Romanian citizens. Reporter: Are these considered values today? Nicolae - Ionel Ciucă: They are. I found them each time I talked to young people. Maybe here, in all this whirlwind of activities, we dont talk about these values, but in moments when there is some respite, the need to talk about patriotic values again is brought up a lot. And its not a big word, because being a patriot is not something different from how we behave every day. Reporter: Would you like to see one of the veterans, the recipient of one of these packages? Did you have a particular veteran in mind? Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: I was, from the moment I started this demarche, in collaboration with the people from RePatriot, I did it, it happened in the year of the Centennial and I was there almost every year. After that, when the pandemic struck, we limited our actions. Reporter: What about this year? Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: And this year, if I have the opportunity to visit one of them, I will do it. I will definitely do that. Reporter: Where would you go, and to whom? Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: I have not thought of a certain person. I would go to any of the veterans that the organizers of this event choose. Unfortunately, the ones I visited in the past, are not anymore, and its good to let the event organizers handle these actions. Reporter: What do you convey to the veterans, the people who sacrificed for our country? Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: Respect, appreciation, and may God give them good health, and may they stay among us as long as possible. Reporter: Thank you. Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: Thank you. Statements by Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă before participating in the - Gratitude to war veterans campaign organized by the National Defence Ministry on the occasion of War Veterans Day on April 29 Reporter: We would like you to clarify the information regarding the possibility of introducing the progressive tax. There is an analysis from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, including from the IMF on all income categories, public and private sector incomes. Does this option exist, and when could it be put into practice? What does the analysis consist of? Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: The variant itself does not exist at the moment. We decided in the coalition meeting that this analysis should be carried out at the level of the Ministry of Finance and, when all the aggregated data is available and all effects and consequences of such a measure are presented, we discuss it in the coalition, and we approve it. Reporter: The progressive tax, we are talking about it, right? Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: There is no discussion about progressive tax. Reporter: But what is being discussed, because the information was that a tax between 15 and 20% was discussed, including for the private sector... Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: It is about a tax that, at this moment, has been clarified as well as possible from the perspective of the public sector wages exceeding that of the president. Reporter: So such a tax applies only to the public sector? Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: At the moment, as we discussed, only the public sector. Reporter: And how does it pass the unconstitutionality part, because it clearly says that it cannot be applied only to a category of employees and any tax must apply to all categories of employees. Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: Any measure we will take must also have legal support, which is why those put forward such an approach must come with all the elements of clarification. Reporter: The percentage of 16% was discussed, could this be over-taxation? Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: The percentage of 16% was discussed, because this is the one that currently operates as actual tax under the finance law. Reporter: But the impact is too small compared to the budget revenues. That is, a 16% reduction of the amount that exceeds 25,000 lei is far too small. Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: Mr. Marcu, I propose that we see what the elements of analysis, are, as I said, the effects, and, depending on this, we make the decisions. Reporter: Is it nailed? Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: Nothing is nailed. That was a proposal. Were going to see, lets see what the data is, and based on the data, we make decisions. Reporter: Regarding the state hiring freeze, at the moment, why is there that exception for the field of education and health? Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: Because they are essential areas for citizens. And there are not only exceptions there, it is also about unique vacancies because it is normal that where there is a vacancy, for example as an ambulance driver, there is immediate employment. Reporter: And then what is the impact of this measure, how many positions are frozen in this case? Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: This is to be determined. /.../ Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: I specified as clearly as possible. For several days now, including today, at the beginning of the government meeting, we have taken this decision to analyze, precisely from the responsibility to ensure the balance of the state budget, and to make sure that we continue to be concerned with securing jobs and the appropriate remuneration of every citizen. There was never any question of reducing wages. Never. Reporter: Did we end up in this situation because budget revenues were overestimated and expenses were underestimated? Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: There was also this discussion on the fact that, at the time when the draft budget was drawn up, these revenues might have been overestimated. It was very clear from the explanations of the finance minister that they were not overestimated. What has resulted at this point is that, over three months, approximately 4.5 billion of the amounts that should have been collected have not been collected. Thats why I think it is absolutely important that, beyond these measures, we act in such a way that the mechanisms by which the state institutions ensure the collection of money to the budget, are operational. Thank you! Reporter: Is there a possibility that this measure be extended to 2024? Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: If we remember, we took the same measure in 2022, and it worked. Where it was necessary, I ensured, by memorandum, the unblocking of positions. Reporter: So it remains in force? Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: Yes, it remains in force, only that it is a kind of prolongation. 2023-04-26 15:50:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-04-26-05-18-33big_image_002_resize.jpgȘtiri din 26.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-04-26 14:52:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-04-26-04-14-10big_image_008_resize.jpgȘtiri din 26.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/statements-by-prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-at-the-beginning-of-the-cabinet-meeting1682520698[Check against delivery] Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: Good afternoon. I paid a working visit yesterday to Iasi, and during the press conference, a series of questions have been asked in view of clarifying the natural aspects related to those discussions regarding public expenses. With all the responsibility, as we did last year when we had to manage a very difficult year, this year we are doing nothing but taking those measures to ensure budgetary stability and to make sure we have the necessary funds to meet the objectives according to the programme for government. Speaking of yesterday's visit, I attended there the inauguration of an investment that made us confident that through what we have done, we created that framework for large - scale projects such as the one in Iasi, Palas Campus. There we talked to Romanian workers in several Romanian and foreign companies who voiced their dissatisfaction with working standards, and life quality, therefore, we still have things to improve here. We also discussed with Romanians who returned to the country to work in such institutions and are determined to bring their families back. There are examples of good practices that further encourage us to take measures to ensure budgetary stability and investment. As such, I believe it is necessary and responsible to communicate to all citizens that through these measures we do nothing but cut down and postpone those expenses that are not necessary. We made the necessary specifications related to the field, namely: goods and services, cars, furniture, and other expenses that must be very well managed, without affecting medical services, education, and employees incomes, and I want this to be as clearly understood as possible by everyone. We need this balance in 2023 too because, as we have mentioned the figures we have today on the table related to 2022 prove to us that there were measures that ensured economic growth, and stability, we have made Romania the most stable country in the region and it offers us the prospects to be confident that we can further count on economic growth and ensure the fulfillment of the objectives of the government program. On todays agenda, we will have a very important point, namely the approval of an emergency ordinance through which we finance the regeneration of public spaces in the Unirii area, here in Bucharest. It is about the consolidation and rehabilitation works of the Dambovița river cover in Piața Unirii. More time ago, I had a discussion with Minister Cseke, in which we analyzed the technical data of the floor infrastructure in Piata Unirii and I considered that there is a need for a governmental commitment. We cannot afford to procrastinate on a decision and at some point regret that we did not do the right thing. As such, through the Anghel Saligny National Program, which we will supplement with the sum of 750 million lei, we ensure the implementation of this project and I will ask the Minister to present some details of the step we are making today. Another very important point on the agenda of todays meeting is the memorandum by which Romania assumes at the highest level the accession to the anti-bribery convention and, through this, we also assume the responsibility of active participation in all the activities of the working group. We are responding to the invitation from the Secretary General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Mathias Cormann, and we are thus joining a solid approach regarding the development and implementation of effective policies in the fight against corruption. Practically, obtaining the status of an associated member state and joining the Anti-Bribery Convention will have favorable effects on Romanian companies that will be more visible, will have wider connections in foreign markets, and, from the perspective of our analysis, it will result in a much more stable framework with greater opportunities for collaboration with foreign investors. It is an approach that will produce effects in the medium and long term, effects that we consider to be favorable; this approach leads us to adopt and observe the highest standards of best practices in the field of the Anti-Bribery Convention. It is an approach that brings benefits both for Romanian companies and investors, as well as for those from other countries that are interested in investing in our country. Therefore, I can assure you that the Government will continue all measures to implement the standards, in line with the OECD accession roadmap and I am sure that, as I discuss with the person responsible for this field, Mr. Ambassador Luca Niculescu, and with your team, if we continue at this pace, we will maintain the dialogue and acquire all the recommendations and clarifications from the OECD Technical Secretariat, simultaneously with the implementation of the PNRR reforms, we have every chance that, under the specific OECD procedures and deadlines, we obtain membership to this structure. Thank you and have a very nice day! 2023-04-26 13:03:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-04-26-02-16-29big_image_026_resize.jpgȘtiri din 25.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-04-25 17:50:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_cisc_2.jpgȘtiri din 25.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ciuca-s-visit-to-iasi-countyPrime Minister Nicolae Ciucă visited the Sfanta Maria Childrens Emergency Hospital in Iasi Speech by Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă at the inauguration of the Palas Campus in Iasi [Check against delivery] Nicolae Ciucă: Good morning! Christ is risen! Ministers, Your Excellency, Ambassador, dear local authorities, dear guests, dear representatives of companies present here that will carry out their activity in this building and who invested trust in this project, dear Iasi residents, allow me to thank you for the opportunity to participate in the inauguration of this project. Mr. Dascalu presented everything that happened in full correlation with the business sector's outlook, and the support of local authorities and central authorities. It is a project that in my opinion, is very well correlated with what we introduced in the list of priorities of the programme for government. Here, you have been talking about Iasi's history, indeed Iasi has a history, made history for Romania, it has a present, and most importantly, it has a future as such investment goes beyond a short deadline. It is a long - term investment that will bring together Iasi's energies, and certainly, the will, desire, and potential of the entire area of Moldova. A not long time ago, Commissioner Ferreira was present at Iasi to launch the operational programs within the next multiannual framework on European funds. I chose Moldova to convey a very clear message that our efforts are oriented towards bridging the gaps both locally and regionally. It is very important that the model, the example that Iasi gives today multiplies and makes that contribution awaited by citizens, that evolution in which, we, at the central level, invest lots of confidence and we assume the responsibility of supporting such projects and ensuring - as it is about bridging gaps- equal opportunities for development and prosperity. A little while ago we were discussing how the different county-seat municipalities in Romania developed and evolved, and how they got along with regional development it is no secret, we were talking about what is happening in Cluj, Bihor, Alba Iulia, and what is happening, today, in Iași, because it comes on a model of correlation, of aggregation between what we have to do onwards in such a way that by using the potential and, because we are talking about potential, Iași and Moldova, in general, the entire eastern region, as well as the southern region, are areas with great potential, which allow business opportunities. I once again invite business people to look at these opportunities, to see the projects and programs, which are part of different financing lines with both European and national funds. I am sure that by the presence, here today, of the Minister of Education, Minister of Research and Development, we are in a center where this potential will be developed on IT and NC, on artificial intelligence. It will be a hub where the future digitalization projects of everything that means public services for citizens, local administration, the connection with the central administration, the connection, here, of the business environment of Iași with 70 other countries will develop because we understood that there are 70 countries from four continents. It is remarkable what we can do, when we are thinking of the future, and when we use what we can have most valuable - human resources, creativity, innovation and, last but not least, the will to do something, to do something for the local community, for the country and the will to stand out in the whole international community, as a pole of stability, as a pole of economic development. The Minister of Education is here because, through the new education laws, we very much want to strengthen this connection between educational institutions, including university education, with a preponderance of university education, and the demands of the business environment, and the demands of companies. We were talking about models, this is happening in Cluj, this is happening in Alba County, this is happening in Bucharest, where companies are in direct contact with universities and ensure their education curriculum, so that it corresponds to the subsequent need for the field of activity. These, I believe, are the main ideas, which can ensure the achievement of our governmental objectives. Allow me to thank all those who have been involved in this project. I dont want to mention the whole list of companies, madam presented earlier, but I still want to mention Amazon and Microsoft, which came here and are confident in what the Romanian specialists in the field, the young graduates, can do. And I especially want to thank them for the fact that they managed to develop this project, they managed to make young people in Romania choose to remain in the country and I am convinced that they make many Romanians and young people, who are today working in other countries, desire to return home. Here, the local authorities and we at the central level have the responsibility to do this in such a way beyond the working conditions they can benefit from, here, they are the most modern. The managers of this project said earlier that those in Seattle are a bit envious of the working conditions here, which is a remarkable thing, but beyond the working conditions, I was saying, our responsibility, of all of us, is to raise the quality of life and persuade Romanians abroad to take a final decision to return home, and, of course, to offer them the availability and openness for others from other countries to come and work in Romania, because, indeed, it is worth it. Once again, thank you, I wish you success in the development of the project and as many projects as possible, Romania has potential, Romania has human and natural resources, and we must value them wisely and patiently, to ensure the development of the projects in the medium and long term. Thank you and I wish you a very good day! 2023-04-25 12:09:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_cd312943-a428-4fb7-8649-d65e60bf4f35.jpgȘtiri din 24.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-attended-the-meeting-of-the-tripartite-national-council-for-social-dialogue1682412881PRESS RELEASE Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă attended the meeting of the Tripartite National Council for Social Dialogue at Victoria Palace. The meeting also attended by Finance Minister Adrian Caciu, Labor and Social Solidarity Minister Marius Budai, representatives of the Government, trade unions, and employers confederations took place in the context of amendments to Law 367/2022 on social dialogue and Law 53/2003 - Labor Code and the Order on establishing the nominal value of meal tickets. The trade unions' proposals to amend Law 367/2022 on Social Dialogue have been debated during the meeting. At the end of the discussions, the Prime Minister ordered the Social Dialogue Council of the Ministry of Labor and Social Solidarity to approve by May 15 the final formula for the future regulatory framework. Concerning the change in the nominal value of meal tickets, the Finance Minister tabled the proposal to increase it to 35 RON or 40 RON. Both proposals will be examined within the statutory forums of the employers organizations, and the new nominal value is planned to come into effect starting July 1. 2023-04-24 12:45:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_8n2a6785.jpgȘtiri din 23.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/message-from-prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-on-the-romanian-land-forces-dayToday, we celebrate a vital component of the countrys defense system, the Romanian Land Forces, at the same time with the Christian feast of the Holy Great Martyr George, the Victory-Bearer, the patron saint of this category of forces of the Romanian Army. Through the level of their professional skills, dedication, and, last but not least, patriotism, the military of the Land Forces and civilian employees alike contribute substantially to Romanias defense capacity and represent us with honor in joint missions with international strategic partners. The difficult security context in the region and the world that we have been facing since the start of the Russian military aggression against Ukraine is making the mission of the land forces even more complex in the face of the multiple challenges of a strategic, logistical, and informational nature that constantly require efficiency, vigilance, and new approaches. The professionalism of the Romanian Land Forces, which I got to know from the inside during my military career, makes me confident that Romania's defense is in good hands. Relying equally on all the structures of the Romanian armed forces and the support of our allies and strategic partners at the Euro-Atlantic level, the stake is to offer the Romanians the certainty that they are defended in their own country, and for Romania to continue playing its part as a security provider in the region. The government is fully committed to ensuring operational capabilities under programs to endow the armed forces and train the military in line with the interoperability requirements with other NATO military. May their achievements inspire new generations of young people and cultivate their love of country! I wish the entire Romanian Land Forces good health and success in all their missions. Happy Anniversary Romanian Land Forces! Happy Anniversary to all Romanians who are celebrating today their name day! 2023-04-23 10:48:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-04-23-10-50-16big_sigla_guvern.pngȘtiri din 21.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-04-21 17:42:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-04-21-05-55-20big_image7.jpegȘtiri din 20.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-s-meeting-with-andy-marsh-ceo-of-plug-power-and-president-of-the-fuel-cell-and-hydrogen-energy-association-fcheaPRESS RELEASE Prime Minister Nicolae - Ionel Ciucă met, at the Victoria Palace, with the representatives of the Plug Power company, one of the largest companies globally active in the field of green hydrogen production. The chair of the Committee for Industry in the European Parliament, MEP Cristian Busoi, also attended the meeting which aimed at the opportunities offered by Romania for the development of green hydrogen production capacities, in the context of the commitments assumed at the European level regarding the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions of carbon and strengthening the economy, under conditions of environmental protection and using green technologies. Romanias energy potential offers a broad development perspective for companies that want to invest in one of the most dynamic economies in Central and Eastern Europe. The development of local production capacities contributes to the Governments vision to capitalize on resources by producing high-added value. The Strategic Partnership with the United States of America provides our country with the opportunity to strengthen itself economically and safely. The Government encourages American investors to implement solid business plans, benefiting from the high level of training of specialists from our country, who activate in the area of research and development, having the ability to manage and design cutting-edge technologies stated Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă. The Plug Power company CEO, Andy Marsh, conveyed his interest in the opportunity to carry out large-scale investment projects in Romania in the next period. The American company has developed significant investments in Europe in recent years, having more than 4,000 employees globally. 2023-04-20 19:58:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_govr4834.jpgȘtiri din 20.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-04-20 16:59:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_govr4589.jpgȘtiri din 20.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-04-20 14:19:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_govr4539.jpgȘtiri din 20.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-04-20 11:47:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_govr4223.jpgȘtiri din 18.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/romania-received-today-the-oecd-invitation-to-join-the-organization-s-working-group-on-bribery-and-anti-bribery-conventionRomania received today an invitation from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to join the Working Group on Bribery and the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention (Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions). The invitation, in the form of a letter from OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann to Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, acknowledges the efforts made by Romania, and in particular by the Ministry of Justice, to join this endeavor, while also being our country's solid commitment to drawing up and implementing effective policies for the fight against corruption. For more than three decades, the Working Group on Bribery which acts as a driving force globally has been promoting the fight against the bribery of foreign public officials in international business transactions. Thus, by taking part in this working group, Romania will be able to participate in the development and implementation of effective policies and practices in combatting corruption, including raising awareness among business operators over the risks and consequences of bribery. OECD Anti-Bribery Convention is one of the most important anti-corruption multilateral instruments. On the one hand, joining the Convention will contribute to strengthening anti-corruption policies and practices, and on the other hand, to boosting the country's visibility by promoting Romania's experience in this field. - Romanias accession to the Anti-Bribery Convention will increase the reputation of Romanian companies, contributing to their inclusion in global supply chains, and facilitating the winning of public procurement contracts abroad. The consolidation of the trust enjoyed by Romania at the international level will thus become a reality also by attracting new responsible foreign investors, as accession to the Convention sends a very strong signal internationally regarding Romanias compliance with anti-corruption standards and good practices. The Government will continue at a sustained pace the process of Romania's accession to the OECD, the most powerful global economic organization that brings together countries in which 90 percent of foreign direct investments originate, stated Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă. The invitation received today from OECD Secretary-General confirms the confidence of the OECD in Romanias ability to contribute to joint efforts to promote the organization's values to ensure prosperity and equality for all citizens. This invitation represents the acknowledgment of Romania's efforts in recent years to improve the fight against corruption, and implicitly to strengthen the judicial system. At the same time, the OECD Council's invitation represents a clear signal that Romania has the potential to support the efforts of combating the bribery of foreign public officials in international business transactions. The Executive will contribute to the completion as soon as possible of the accession process to the Convention so that the Working Group starts monitoring how Romania implements its provisions, an important milestone in the OECD accession process. 2023-04-18 15:35:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-04-18-03-43-06big_sigla_guvern.pngȘtiri din 15.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-04-15 17:18:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-04-15-05-19-31big_stema.pngȘtiri din 12.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-04-12 16:34:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_8n2a5592.jpgȘtiri din 12.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-04-12 16:00:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_8n2a5372.jpgȘtiri din 12.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-s-meeting-with-the-european-commissioner-for-internal-market-thierry-bretonPress statements by Prime Minister Nicolae - Ionel Ciucă and the European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton [Check against delivery] Dan Cărbunaru, Government Spokesperson: Good morning. We will start the press statements following the meeting Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă had with the European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton. Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă: Good morning. Commissioner Breton, welcome to Bucharest and allow me to express once again my appreciation for the attention that the European Commission extends to Romania, particularly, given your role as Commissioner for Internal Market, for our discussions, and the relevance you consider our country has, in the overall measures that have been taken and will be taken at the level of the Commission, to attain our joint objectives. I am glad to have the opportunity of a very good dialogue, a very constructive dialogue regarding reinforcing our country and the EU's defense capacity, because, as we discussed, it is about finding together ways through which every member state can make its contribution to the effort of strengthening the EU's defense capacity. We discussed aspects regarding competitiveness and the EU's level of ambition in terms of the green transition. We had on the discussion agenda all details about the EU Cybersecurity Competence Centre which will be open very soon in Bucharest, on May 9. I take this opportunity to thank you once again the Commissioner for your support in making this center operational. It is a particularly important presence of a European institution on Romanian territory. We also addressed topics on how we continue to support Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova and last but not least, the Schengen issue which is very important not only for our country but also for the entire set of measures that are taken at the European level. Once we acquire this status, there is an entire set of aspects facilitating all demarches at the EU level regarding the fulfillment of support objectives of all Eastern flank countries, as well as of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. I am sure that Commissioner Breton will touch on these subjects in his statement. During the discussions, I reiterated Romanias support for strengthening the European defense capacity, I discussed the fact that Romania has fulfilled its objectives of allocating 2% of the Gross Domestic Product to the defense budget. This year we are discussing assuming to raise this percentage to 2.5, which means that we have a larger spectrum for the approaches that were and are on the work agenda of both the European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance. Of course, it is a commitment of the European Union to strengthen our defense capabilities, to relaunch the defense industry in the context of the war against Ukraine, but at the same time, it is a perspective that I have discussed with the Commissioner in terms of our capacity to prepare and strengthen our resilience and capabilities to face not only current challenges but future challenges as well. The Commissioner is going to visit some of our facilities in the defense industry, he will certainly visit the Cybersecurity Competence Centre in Bucharest, and he will also have meetings with officials from our country, with members of the Government, with members of the defense industry and I am positive that once this visit is completed, he will have a real perspective on the capability of our country in terms of the defense industry and of course the potential, because here we are discussing a potential and opportunities that must be used and aligned with EU, according to the specifics of each member state. I have shown that the various crises that Europe has faced in recent years, of course, culminating in the war against Ukraine, have brought not only challenges but also a series of aspects, and opportunities that we must think about and that we must capitalize on, in full consensus. One such benefit is the clear awareness of the need to strengthen the internal resilience of the European Union, including by managing strategic dependencies and promoting the full potential of the Single Market. In this context, I gave assurances regarding Romanias support for initiatives that will strengthen the internal market, especially by removing obstacles that affect fundamental freedoms. The recent proposals presented by the European Commission, such as the Green Deal industrial plan, the Net-Zero Industry Act, the European critical raw materials act, and the communication on the long-term competitiveness of the European Union come - as I told the Commissioner - at a moment and they must be addressed in such a way as to fulfill these objectives that are assumed at the political level and they must be translated into practice. We have insisted that the initiatives to support the European Unions green and digitalization objectives must remain neutral about decarbonization technologies. And I also take this opportunity to publicly thank the Commissioner for the support he has granted to our country in the development of our projects for reactors 3 and 4 of the Cernavoda nuclear power plant. And, of course, we presented the elements related to Romanias projects in terms of developing the capabilities of small modular reactors, which will also constitute an important perspective in energy production at the European level. I expressed Romanias interest in supporting the involvement of Romanian companies in important projects of common European interest, such as IPCEI, and here I am referring to the fields of semiconductors, lithium-ion batteries and, of course, we discussed the fact that Romania is a country that has resources minerals that can be used for this purpose and, at the same time, Romania has a level of ambition so that these resources are processed and used in the industrialization process in our country, thus being able to achieve a greater added value of everything which means the potential of our country. I also want to talk about the aspect that I explained to the Commissioner concerning the relevance that our country would acquire when it would become a Schengen member. There is no doubt that this is not only about the freedom of movement of citizens, here we are discussing the freedom of movement of businesses and services, an aspect that will indeed greatly facilitate the efforts being made at the level of the European Union to support both Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. And because we referred to the two countries, we also agreed to make our contribution to everything that means the accession process of Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova to the European Union. Commissioner, thank you once again for your visit and I hope that at our next meeting, we can discuss the steps we will take together in even more detail. Thierry Breton: I would like to thank the Prime Minister for his welcome today, for my visit here, in Romania. I am visiting a few countries these days which have a strong capacity in the defense industry. There have been a lot of topics, and we had a lot to discuss with the Prime Minister, you mentioned it, and I do not want to repeat it...I would like to tell you a few words on defense, cyber, industry, and energy. First, on defense. We discussed that extensively with the Prime Minister. Of course, everybody knows that there is a war on our continent, and like any war, it is always uncertain. But this is a war that has, of course, a huge significance for us. We decided together - 27 Member States, to do everything we can to support the requests of the Ukrainian Government and the Ukrainian Minister of Defense. In that capacity, from the beginning of the war, we are always present, at the request of Ukraine. We know that now, what is extremely important is to supply, at the demand of Ukraine, in terms of equipment and ammunition. We have a lot of capacity in Europe for our defense industry to build what is needed, but we need to do it together. That is why now, together with Borrell, we need to do what we can to increase the capacity of our defence coalition, including by the way, while necessary, putting in some money, to create a new line of the coalition, making sure we can work on bottlenecks, using skills to increase drastically our defense capacity. And we will do it. But of course, we have to do this on the ground, discussing with you, Prime Minister, with your Defense Minister, visiting facilities on - site, this is what we are going to do today. There is a request that needed our commitment and what is happening on the front has a strong impact on us, the European continent. This, being said, I would like to congratulate Mr. Prime Minister...; We say sometimes that we are in an economy of war, it is for the defense industry, but being in an economy of war means making choices, to do what you have to do for the security of European citizens. In that perspective, you decided to increase your budget for defense from 2 percent yesterday, and 2 percent, I just remind you that 2 percent is a mandatory requirement. 2 percent for defense is not 1.9 or 1.4, it is 2 percent, you allocated 2 percent, you decided to move to 2. 5 percent this year. This is what I call understanding what it means to be in an economy of war. And at the same time, you decreased your deficit because yes, being in such a situation means making choices, we, all, the 27 took up the same crises, all took up with the energy crisis, hyperinflation crisis, the war now, it impacted all the member states, all in the same way. But you committed to moving from a 5 percent deficit last year, to 4 percent this year and 3 percent next year. This means making choices in this ...and I remind you that it is everything that a member state should do to continue to solidify and protect our Union. For this, I would like to congratulate you, you are an example for many and what is important these days is to lead by example. This being said, I am confident that Romania will be able to play an even more important role in the defense industry, and when a country is spending 2 percent of GDP, that's the difference: you are protecting your country, and I also remember that you are protecting Europe, and for this, I have to thank you. Cyber security is another very important issue. We will build the cyber shield, but in order to do this, we need to have competitiveness, we need to have skills. This is why the Competence Cyber Centre is so important, that you will inaugurate on May 9, I will visit it by the way, with the Prime Minister because it is extremely important for us in Europe to have a strong competence center not only to harmonize our skills but also to enhance our skills. Thank you very much for all your efforts to do this, of course, with the support of the Commission, but also everything you are doing is very important to protect all of us. The last point of topics, you mentioned energy. We are in a crisis of energy. And of course, member states are free to decide what they have to do. This is in the treaty. Some decided to get rid totally of nuclear energy, including today, and some decided that nuclear energy can play an important role to achieve our 2050 goals, of being totally decarbonized. And then, nuclear energy is important. You belong to this category. By the way, it is extremely important to remind all that by 2050, to make sure that we deliver what is extremely important for climate, we need at least 20 percent nuclear energy by 2050...; I would like to thank you for the role you played here, with other countries, sharing the same view, which is important also for the general interest of Europe, not only for your country. I also understand that in this area, we need to believe that progress will help us achieve more ambitious goals, like the SNRs, you mentioned. I am interested that you are ready to play a more important role in this field of nuclear reactors. I do not want to be too long, but again, thank you very much for all your efforts, for everything you did at the beginning of the war, welcoming refugees, taking a very important role at the border and of course, you can count on me as European Commissioner on Internal Market to continue on this very important effort for Romania, for Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. Thank you. Dan Cărbunaru: Thank you very much for your presence. Nicolae - Ionel Ciucă: Thank you. 2023-04-12 10:02:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_8n2a4793.jpgȘtiri din 11.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-04-11 21:51:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-04-11-09-52-36big_1.jpgȘtiri din 11.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/2023-04-11 12:17:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-04-11-12-16-33big_sigla_guvern.pngȘtiri din 10.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-attended-the-opening-ceremony-of-the-international-conference-quot-smart-diaspora-2023-diaspora-in-higher-education-science-innovation-and-entrepreneurship-quotSpeech by Prime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă at the opening ceremony of the International Conference Smart Diaspora 2023. Diaspora in higher education, science, innovation, and entrepreneurship [Check against delivery] Nicolae - Ionel Ciucă: Good evening. Presidential Advisor, President Constantinescu, Ministers, Your Eminence Metropolitan of Banat, distinguished representatives of local authorities, dear representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited to Bucharest, dear teaching staff and researchers from Romania, Republic of Moldova, and diaspora, dear guests, dear Timisoara residents, allow me, although I arrived not long ago in Timisoara, to welcome those who arrived here to attend this special event that we proudly call - Smart Diaspora. Thank you, dear compatriots, for taking part in this important event for our country. Thank you for the honor of being with you and despite the short period of time at your disposal since the Smart Diaspora conference was announced, you honored the invitation to an event aimed at building bridges of communication between you and the teams of researchers your colleagues here in Romania represent. I welcome researchers from the other side of the Prut, Education, and Research Minister from the Republic of Moldova, Mr. Anatolie Topala. Minister, welcome! I am glad that the Romanian Government decided to open funding lines specifically for cooperation with the Republic of Moldova, as an important step for the Republic of Moldova's Europa integration. My colleagues from the Ministry of Research, Innovation, and Digitalization are with me to detail for you all the funding instruments for the programs devoted to cooperation with the Republic of Moldova, and I invite you to take this opportunity to identify new partners for the projects you are going to submit as part of these competitions. I confess that as Prime Minister, I cannot have a greater joy than seeing them together, seeing all Romanians home. I would like to clarify what this - home means. I share with you that I have not missed any opportunity when attending bilateral activities in any European countries or elsewhere, to meet Romanians living abroad, regardless of whether there is a large number or just a few, and to listen to what they can share regarding their living far from home, and how we can bring them closer to our country. For many of you, home, physically, is not Romania anymore. I call on the entire political class in Romania to make Romania your intellectual and professional home. I hope it will be a first step towards Romania becoming your physical home, alongside your collaborators from abroad who can find here, in Romania, a land of opportunities for personal and professional development. And Im not saying this by chance. I wanted to insert this explanation about what home means because, when I saw the young people who have been away from Romania for a long time and when I asked them if they would return home, there was not one who did not bring in discussion their ties to the country, family, and birthplaces. Not a few were those who said: Thats where our family is, thats where our grandparents are, thats where we grew up. When were given the opportunity, well return home. Soon the results will be published and 120 grants of over 1 million EUR will be contracted for researchers from the diaspora, Romanians, and foreigners. Together with the researchers from Romania, more and more, I want to ask you to create a critical mass of excellence, a critical mass necessary for a paradigm shift, a critical mass necessary for a translation of the Romanian economy from simple production, based on external know-how, to a production based on domestic research, development and innovation that will lead us to where we, Romanians, deserve. As Prime Minister, I am duty-bound to make things become reality and talk less. This evening, therefore, I want to make two announcements: First, I call on Minister Burduja to set up an Inter-ministerial working group to come up with a set of legislative proposals to debureaucratize the way research grants are managed. It is not acceptable that a German researcher can purchase a re-agent in 5 hours, and a Romanian researcher in 5 months. Until the signing of the reintegration grants, estimated in August-September, I ask you to have the debureaucratization legislation adopted and operational. Researchers must stay in the laboratory, to take care of the content of the research activities, the dissemination of the results, their realization, and exploitation through startups or spin-offs, not to waste time with papers and sink into the bureaucracy. The second announcement - and here Rector Pirtea also made a mention, but he did not say concretely what we should do after this conference. As such, I ask that following the proceedings of the Smart Diaspora conference, listening to Romanias elite researchers, you propose five priority fields in the sciences, fields that we approve in the government, and finance as a matter of priority. Why do we want this? I think its very simple if we do an exercise of imagination and think about where we would be today if,10-15 years ago, we had financed, as was discussed then, artificial intelligence and electric vehicles. I believe that it is time, with the revival here, in Timișoara, the place where research and innovation in our country will revive was chosen here, then here, in Timișoara, we must do it in such a way that we do not miss this opportunity and use everything that means the potential of our country, the human potential and the other potential that we have, in the field of resources - which, unfortunately, we have sold as raw material, never processed, in a way to turn us into new exporters of know-how and technology. Today, looking at this wonderful hall, as presented by my predecessors, which harmoniously houses the Romanian Opera in Timișoara, and the three national theaters in Timișoara - Romanian, Hungarian, and German - and seeing how full it is, I am glad that almost six months ago I responded favorably to the initiative of the University Timișoara Alliance and the executive unit for financing higher education, research, development, and innovation, namely the invitation to organize this event. I thank everyone for their involvement and I appreciate that nothing stood in their way and all the actors involved understood that this event is not simply a conference, but the moment from which we can create a new beginning. I would not like to refer to the introductory word. Indeed, we can be born again like the phoenix bird. So be it, but I think we can do it realistically, balanced, as we have done every time and as once again I reiterate, I dont think anyone would forgive us if we lost this opportunity by which, to be able to revive innovation and research in our country from here, from Timișoara. As such, in conclusion, I want to thank Timisoara. Thank you all for coming to add the elite research component to Timisoaras celebration of European culture. Finally, I also want to take this opportunity to wish you peaceful holidays, it is the beginning of Holy Week for researchers from abroad and Romania when we put together everything that unites us - intelligence, perspective, desire to do something good for our country. Happy Easter! 2023-04-10 19:36:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/23-04-10-07-48-25big_image_010_resize.jpgȘtiri din 10.04.2023https://gov.ro/en/stiri/prime-minister-nicolae-ionel-ciuca-attended-the-celebration-of-the-140th-anniversary-of-the-establishment-of-the-282nd-mechanized-brigade-quot-union-of-the-principalities-quotPrime Minister Nicolae-Ionel Ciucăs speech at the celebration of the 140th anniversary of the 282nd Mechanized Brigade Union of the Principalities [Check against delivery] /.../ As of 1968, the 282nd Mechanized Brigade Union of the Principalities was the legal successor of the 6th Infantry Division. Focșani is the most appropriate location and now is the right time to commemorate our heroes from the Balkan wars, the First World War, Mărăști, Oituz battles, and the Second World War. After 1989 when freedom was regained, the 282nd Mechanized Brigade Union of the Principalities was deployed in peacekeeping missions in Angola, in Kosovo, carried out missions in the theaters of operations in Afghanistan and Iraq, and is always ready to defend the country or participate in missions alongside our allies. Todays Romanian soldiers are well-trained and determined to risk their lives wherever necessary for attaining Romanias military and political objectives. Ladies and gentlemen, Self - sacrifice for your country is a virtue, which must be honored and whose true value must be praised. We benefit from this sacrifice of our forefathers, but also from the engagement of those who now embrace the military career. Today, we must convey to them our gratitude, respect, and trust. We live in troubled times. We live in an unstable world, where war has returned to the fore as an instrument for revising the borders of a sovereign state. Unjust war is always doomed to fail. Although it took various forms in history, evil has never definitively prevailed. As a member state of the EU and NATO, we are on the good side of history and it depends only on us to maintain our countrys military, political, economic, and social stability. Only this stability can strengthen and protect us from any attempt to destabilize Romanias European path. To maintain this stability and this European path, we need to show, more than ever, wisdom and determination in our actions, but also citizens trust in state institutions. A war of attrition, a long war, a challenge to the free world, democracy, and a rules-based world, is unfolding in the vicinity. We will always rely on the Romanian Army, on our military who, together with our allies, will ensure the defense of Romania and NATOs Eastern Flank. Ladies and gentlemen, Romania decided to allocate a budget of 2.5% of GDP to defense as of this year. We want to endow the Romanian Army with all the modern capabilities necessary to defend the country. We want to strengthen the attractiveness of the military profession and assure all those who will take the military oath that their dignity and sacrifice are respected. At the same time, we are investing in military education, research, and the new technologies required for the proper operation of the entire military complex. I guarantee you that the investments in the development of military capabilities will continue in the future as well. Only a strong army is guarantee that a state and society are protected and citizens can enjoy their rights and freedoms in peace. Ladies and gentlemen, History of the 282nd Mechanized Brigade Union of the Principalities, of the former 6th Division, the glorious history of 140 years built with determination by the unit here, based in Focșani, is living proof of tradition and positive memory, of the major role, played in history and the future of this mission under the flag - a difficult, but honorable and uplifting job. I want to thank all those present today, here in front of you, and those who carry out their activity and fulfill their missions anywhere on Romanian territory or beyond, under the national flag, for how they understood to fulfill their mission and the professionalism they showed each time when the country asked them to. Glory to the Romanian Army! Glory to the Romanian military! Thank you. Happy anniversary! 2023-04-10 13:56:00https://gov.ro/fisiere/stiri/big_8n2a3259-2.jpg