Embassy of in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

No. 6/ 5th Year 1st – 15th of April 2012 Politics 1. Romania wants concerted, efficient response to remedy humanitarian situation in Syria 2. Romanian-German talks 3. Romanian ForMin welcomed in his Finish counterpart 4. Romanian-Turkish talks 5. European agenda items scheduled for -Alexander Stubb meeting 6. Over 1,650 troops to take part in BSRF-12 multinational exercise

Economics 1. Romanian PM launched the Consultative Council for business environment 2. is strategic interest for Romania 3. Romania's transport authority launches tenders for Corridor IV construction works 4. Romania, Jordan‟s economic gate to Europe 5. Romgaz could be next company listed on the stock market 6. Romania, part of the regional electricity market beginning with 2014 7. Gov't approves co-funding for Small Grants Program of Global Environment Facility 8. Romanian Energy Centre to open an office in Brusssels 9. Cernavoda nuke plant two-month power output at over 2.037 mln MWh 10. Romania has record industrial spaces transaction rate in 2011 11. TAROM introduces SkyPriority at Cluj, Timisoara, London and Amsterdam airports 12. Cruise ships start season in Danube Delta 13. Recas and Jidvei Wine Cellars gold medallist at Vinvest 2012 Wine Show 14. Pound trades at 5.29 lei Culture 1. Day of the Romanian Academy 2. Ambassador‟s Easter message 3. Romanian Easter Traditions at the Horniman Museum 4. Romania at London Book Fair 2012 5. The Ambassador of Romania visits the University of York 6. Spring celebration at the Romanian Orthodox Church in Glasgow 7. Devil in Paradise: Forest Fruit by Alexandru Tatos at the Romanian Cinematheque 8. Fairytale Images and Books 9. After the New Man: Photographic Exhibition by Dana Popa 10. Bucharest Calling! Ioana Paun presents new work in London 11. The Body Adorned: Folk Romanian Costume, Inspired by Queen Maria‟s Style 12. Europafest 2012 brings two times more good music – It‟s all about live quality music! 13. LEARN ROMANIAN IN ROMANIA 14. Romfilatelia launching EUROPA 2012 - Visit Romania stamps

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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

 Politics

Romania wants concerted, efficient response to remedy humanitarian situation in Syria

Bucharest, April 1st/ Agerpres/ Taking the floor at the international conference "The Friends of the Syrian People" held in Istanbul, Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu said that Romania supports the urgent overcoming of the current crisis in Syria by an immediate cessation of violence, informs a release of the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE).

The Romanian chief diplomat joined officials of 82 countries and international organizations at the international conference called "The Friends of the Syrian People," an event designed to move forward at an international level the identification of solutions for the critical situation in Syria.

In his speech to the event, the Foreign Minister underscored that Romania supports the urgent overcoming of the current crisis by the immediate cessation of violence and a concerted and efficient response to remedy the worrying humanitarian situation that affects the local population, pointing to the significant weight of the local Romanian community, the cited release also states.

Minister Cristian Diaconescu also mentioned the creation of premises for consolidating a comprehensive and representative political system that should integrate all the segments of the Syrian society.

Consultations also took place on the sidelines of the conference on Romania's participation, at Germany's invitation, in the "Working group on Syria's economic recovery and development' co- chaired by Germany and the United Arab Emirates, the MAE release also reports.

The major goals of the second conference "The Friends of the Syrian People" held in Istanbul was to assess the ways of action and the role the international community can play in solving the Syrian crisis, and identifying solutions to improve the difficult humanitarian situation of the civilian population against the backdrop of intensifying violence.

The conference took place in the context of Syrian President al-Assad announcing that he accepts the six-point plan proposed by the UN and Arab League special envoy Kofi Annan. The plan provides for putting an end to violence on both sides involved in the conflict, the supply of humanitarian aid to the areas affected by armed confrontations, and the release of abusively detained people.

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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

Romanian-German talks

Bucharest, April 2nd/ MFA – Press office/ Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu met on 2 April 2012 with the chairman of the Committee on European Affairs of the German Parliament (Bundestag), Gunther Krichbaum.

The talks pointed out the exceptional dynamic of the bilateral relations between Romania and the Federal Republic of Germany and focused on European themes of shared interest, such as the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, Romania‟s accession to Schengen, EU enlargement, developments in the Eastern neighbourhood.

The Romanian Foreign Minister reiterated his appreciation of Germany‟s constructive approach of Romania‟s accession to Schengen and underscored the commitment of the Romanian authorities to responsibly assume the role incumbent on them at the Union‟s Eastern border.

Furthermore, the two high officials insisted on the fact that the should offer stronger support to neighbouring countries with a view to consolidating democracy and the rule of laws, capitalizing on both the Eastern partnership and the European policies.

Romanian ForMin welcomed in Bucharest his Finish counterpart

Bucharest, April 3rd/ MFA – Press office/ Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu met today with Finland‟s Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade, Alexander Stubb, during the latter‟s visit to Romania at the invitation of the Romanian side.

In connection with the subjects approached, Romanian Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu said: “We had consistent talks oriented to identification of bilateral cooperation fields also at the level of the European Union. Politically, bilateral relations between Romania and Finland have reached a very good level. Trade is growing. As far as economic relations are concerned, we share the goal of boosting this high potential of the

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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______investment and trade relations. In this respect we have reiterated our interest in cooperation in the field of state-of-the-art technologies, IT, innovation, research and development.”

Turning to topical themes on the European agenda, Minister Diaconescu noted that “both countries emphasize growth stimulation and job creation, and also the measures to complete the European Union’s internal market. We wish to continue the dialogue on the future budget of the Union, considering the shared interests in resources apt to sustain the EU priorities.”

As far as Romania‟s accession to the Schengen Area is concerned, Minister Diaconescu conveyed to the authorities in Helsinki that Romania is prepared and insisted on the interest in collaborating closely with the Finnish side in border security operations, in the FRONTEX framework as well, given that Romania has the second longest external border of the EU, after the Russian-Finnish one. “We welcome Finland’s support in this process. I wish to extend personal thanks to Minister Stubb for his involvement and his principled approach in this issue,” stated the head of the Romanian diplomacy.

In his turn, the Finnish Minister for European Affairs and Foreign Trade, Alexander Stubb, reiterated Finland‟s direct support for Romania‟s accession to the Schengen Area in two stages.

Also approached during the talks was the theme of continuing the cooperation in implementing the European framework strategy for persons belonging to the Roma minority, the Romanian side presenting Romania‟s actions in this respect. The two sides agreed a Romanian expert would be sent to Helsinki to work together with the local authorities on social inclusion projects.

Romanian-Turkish talks

Bucharest, April 4th/ MFA – Press office/ Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu met on 4 April 2012 with Turkey‟s Minister for European Affairs and chief negotiator with the EU, Egemen Bağış.

On the occasion, the two sides hailed the excellent level of the bilateral relations and expressed their shared interest in consolidating them by implementing the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the Republic of Turkey.

The meeting provided the opportunity for an in-depth exchange of views on Turkey‟s European perspective, the Romanian side reiterating Romania‟s support to the process of Turkey‟s accession to the EU.

The two officials approached topical themes of the regional and international agenda. The two ministers reconfirmed the need to further support the European perspective of the Western

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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

Balkan states for consolidating stability and security in the area. Moreover, they discussed recent developments in North Africa and the Middle East.

European agenda items scheduled for Leonard Orban-Alexander Stubb meeting

Bucharest, April 3rd/ Agerpres/ Minister of European Affairs Leonard Orban highlighted Romania's interest in maintaining major allocations for the cohesion policy and the common agricultural policy in the future EU budget, during the meeting he had with Finnish Minister for European Affairs Alexander Stubb.

A release issued by the Ministry of European Affairs read that, during the meeting, Minister Stubb stressed the fact that the Finns focus on the competitive nature of the European policies, as well as on a strong common agricultural policy.

The talks between the two officials centred on items on the European agenda, such as the multiannual financial framework of the European Union 2014-2020, the economic governance, Romania's joining the Schengen Area, the Mechanism of Cooperation and Verification.

On this particular occasion, Romania's interest in taking part in consolidating the economic governance in Europe was highlighted.

Leonard Orban said that Romania signed on March 2 the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union and added that the draft law to ratify the treaty has already been adopted by the Government and is going to be discussed by the Parliament.

The talks highlighted the similar view of the two states on the higher European integration, on maintaining some strong European institutions observing the institutional balance and by using the community decision-making method.

The Romanian minister mentioned the progress made in the MCV in the field of justice reform and fighting corruption as well as its prospects. He also mentioned the unfair use of the Mechanism in correlation with other fields, such as joining the Schengen Area.

As for Minister Stubb, he reasserted Finland's help for Romania joining the Schengen Area in two stages.

Arundel House, 4 Palace Green London W8 4QD UK Phone: 0044 (0)20 7937 9666 Fax: 0044 (0)20 7937 8069 e-mail: [email protected] web site: www.london.mae.ro

Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

The Finnish Minister of European Affairs and International Trade said that he is still optimistic about Romania's accession to free movement area during his talk to Minister of Foreign Affairs Cristian Diaconescu also.

Alexander Stubb said that Finland cannot be placed in the same category as regards the opposition to Romania joining Schengen.

He explained that Finland's opposition was due to the effects of the economic crisis.

'Do not place the Netherlands and Finland on the same stage, we are not like that anymore. We try to solve together some issues as partners and Finland accepted the compromise of a two- staged approach. You must know that Finland is a society which is heavily guided by rules and I believe that it was a phenomenon of the effects of the crisis being included in the debates on the Schengen Area. I know it should not have happened so, but it was a mental connection between the fact that we have a comprehensive set of rules regarding euro and there are a lot of states that do not observe them. Then the people got afraid that something similar is going to happen to the Schengen Area. Therefore it was a reasoning based on rules, not a political reasoning. ... One of the major issues in Europe now is that its two fundamental values are being attacked, the first being the euro currency and the other the Schengen Area. These things are Europe basically and we must find solutions,' said the Finnish official after his meeting with Cristian Diaconescu.

Over 1,650 troops to take part in BSRF-12 multinational exercise

Nearly 650 foreign troops from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Macedonia and the US will be taking part, April 2 - September 1 in the Rotational Force 12 (BSRF-12) multinational exercise to be staged in Romania.

The Romanian Defence Ministry reports that the Romanian armed forces will be attending with more than 1,000 troops and military hardware of all the three army branches.

BSRF-12 is conducted by the US Marine Forces Europe on the territory of various countries in the Black Sea, the Balkans and the Caucasus in an attempt to boost inter-operability through joint training in peacekeeping operations.

The training programme has several modules, including preparations before deployment to theatres of operations, taking part in peace-keeping missions, first aid on the battlefield, parachuting, professional training for NCOs and seminars.

In 2011, Romania hosted Black Sea Rotational Force 11, April 27 - September 15, attended by nearly 800 troops from Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Bosnia, Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, Greece, , Romania, the US and Ukraine.(ActMedia, April 2, 2012)

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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

 Economics

Romanian PM launched the Consultative Council for business environment

Bucharest, April 3rd/ – Press office/ PM Mihai –Razvan Ungureanu has launched the Consultative Council for business environment, structure set up on the PM initiative as first forum to notice the impact of government economic policies on business environment for the benefit of national economy and to debate economic initiatives.

“Our objective is to consolidate the bridges between government economic policies and the economic environment on its both dimensions, added value creator on the one hand and taxes generator, ensuring the necessary incomes for state functioning on the other hand. By this council, we aim to connect government economic policies to the most complex and improved technology of know-how economic, expertise and expertise in a field so important, provided by economic operators, those who create value added in Romania‟s economy”, the Head of the Executive has stated.

The business environment – by its representatives in this Council – may send suggestions for ensuring the appropriate framework from the part of government policies, both regarding cooperation among companies with domestic capital, and those with foreign capital from Romania, with a view to creating an environment of co-habitation and cooperation to the benefit of the Romanian economy and also to ensure the appropriate framework to carry out the economic objectives of the Government.

Also, the Executive aims at finding together with the business environment of some solutions regarding combating tax evasion and drawing European funds.

The composition of the Consultative Council does not aim at satisfying a representation criterion. “It is a council for the business environment, not of the business environment”, set up as a signal for the private economic sphere, but at the same time as a proposal for partnership and a request of civic involvement, PM Mihai –Razvan Ungureanu has outlined. It is an informal structure and the members of the council are invited to participate personally.

The Council does not benefit of public funds for its operation and bets on the voluntary participation of those present.

Arundel House, 4 Palace Green London W8 4QD UK Phone: 0044 (0)20 7937 9666 Fax: 0044 (0)20 7937 8069 e-mail: [email protected] web site: www.london.mae.ro

Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

The coordinator of this Consultative Council will be Razvan Radu, and Ionel Blanculescu was designated as Secretary of the Council. The Council includes: Horia Ciorcilă, Sergiu Manea, Gabriel Biriș, Andrei Caramitru, Cristian Colteanu, Gabriel Comănescu, Mariana Gheorghe, Constantin Stroe, Marius Marin, Mihai Rohan, Dragoș Pavăl, Dan Șucu, Raul Ciurtin, Radu Timiș, Nicușor Șerban, Felix Tudor Lucutar, Sorin Mândruțescu, Dragoș Damian, Mihai Marcu, Dragoș Anastasiu, Florin Talpeș, Silviu Hotăran, Florin Pogonaru, Alexandrina Gătej și Radu Merică.

China is strategic interest for Romania

Expanding trade relations with China is a strategic interest not only for Romania but for Europe as a whole, therefore, alongside the other Member States, we have an increasing interest that the strategic relationship gains global relevance, said Premier Mihai- Razvan Ungureanu on April 4 opening the conference entitled 'EEC and China: Bridges for Investments and Business Opportunities,' organised by CFA Romania, the professional association of chartered financial analysts.

“With respect to investment, we promote and remain open to the materialization of a number of large projects that meet the needs of national economy and complexity and level of technological performance showed by Chinese companies today”.

“These are priority projects for Romania, presented to partners from China, be it transport infrastructure, nuclear and hydropower sector. Globally, as part of the effort to reform international financial institutions, I argued, in my own name or as a member of EU, increase in decision- making influence of big emerging economies, with particular emphasis on China, given China's status of world second economy and the world's main exporter, of course, in harmony with the economic realities of the moment”. (Government of Romania – Press office, ActMedia, April 4, 2012)

Romania's transport authority launches tenders for Corridor IV construction works

Romania's National Roads and Motorways Corporation (CNADNR) has launched tenders for the award of construction design and execution works on four portions of Transport Corridor IV, measuring 97.52 km in length, CNADNR reports.

The estimated value of the design and actual construction works on three portions of the Lugoj- Deva (71.9 km) motorway is over RON 3.137 billion, while the costs of the 25.62-km portion of the Timisoara-Lugoj motorway is nearly RON 66.88 million, VAT excluded. (1 euro = RON 4.379) The contracts are carried out on non-repayable European funds and public allocations. The design works are expected to take six months, at the longest, while the construction works should take two years, at the longest. The works will have a four-year warranty. The deadline

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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

for the submission of bids is June 11, 2012, 16:00hrs, local. The bids will be opened on June 12, for the Lugoj-Deva motorway, and June 13, for the Timisoara-Lugoj motorway. (ActMedia, April 3, 2012)

Romania, Jordan’s economic gate to Europe

Bucharest, April 10th/ MFA – Press office/ State Secretary received on 10 April 2012 the Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan to Bucharest, Munther Said Qabba‟ah, to submit copies of his credentials.

The themes discussed referred to Romania‟s relations with Jordan, as well as to recent developments in the Arab world, with an emphasis on the importance of ensuring stability and security in that part of the world.

The State Secretary underscored Romania‟s firm interest in deepening the cooperation with the Hashemite Kingdom, in view of the positive, decades-long experience of collaboration with Jordan.

Both sides highlighted the very good level of the Romanian-Jordanian bilateral relations, as well as their development prospects, both at a political level and economically.

Ambassador Munther Said Qabba‟ah voiced Jordan‟s wish that Romania should act as a gate for his country‟s access to Europe from an economic point of view. Both diplomats evoked the strong ties between the two societies in the educational and human fields, the thousands of Jordanians having studied at Romanian universities and the Romanian citizens that settled in Jordan, as well as the Jordanian businessmen and citizens living in Romania forming a genuine bridge between the two countries.

The State Secretary wished the Ambassador of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan full success in fulfilling his mandate and assured him of the full support of the MFA in this respect.

Romania seeks to strengthen economic dimension of relations with Algeria

Bucharest, April 11th/ MFA – Press office/ Secretary of State with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) Anton Niculescu participated in the opening of the artistic events celebrating 50 years of bilateral relations between Romania and Algeria, an occasion for highlighting the excellent stage of bilateral relations between the two countries, but also the need to find out new business opportunities.

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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

According to an MAE press release, in his speech Anton Niculescu stressed the excellent stage of the cooperation between the two countries, both bilaterally and in the international bodies, as well as the desire to exploit the tradition of a dynamic political dialogue in order to enhance the economic, cultural and human relations between Romania and Algeria.

"The Secretary of State noted that Algeria occupied one of the top spots among the commercial partners of Romania in Africa and pointed out the need to find new ways of cooperation between the two countries, especially for the identification of new business opportunities," the release reads.

The event, attended by representatives of the Diplomatic Corps accredited to Bucharest, of the governmental institutions and business community, was organized by the Algerian Embassy in Bucharest, with support from MAE and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.

The Algerian dance performance, given at the Constantin Tanase Theatre, marks the beginning of a series of cultural events to be organized throughout 2012 by the Algerian Embassy in Bucharest and the Romanian Embassy in Algiers, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two states.

On the occasion of the anniversary there was also an exchange of messages between Romania's President Traian Basescu and President of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

The diplomatic relations at Embassy level between Romania and Algeria were established on April 14, 1962.

The Romanian-Algerian diplomatic anniversary coincides with the 50th anniversary of Algeria gaining its independence.

Romgaz could be next company listed on the stock market

The next company having its minority share package listed on the stock market could be Romgaz, but this depends on the brokers' opinion, Economy, Trade and Business Environment Minister said in a press conference organized by Barlad Bearing Plant (URB) (eastern Romania).

According to the Minister, the authorities together with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) representatives are going to review the list of energy companies scheduled for share selling. 'The next companies having their shares listed are Romgaz, Transgaz, Hidroelectrica. But the

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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

order depends on the brokers' position. They analyze and recommend the appropriate time for listing. We follow their suggestions,' Lucian Bode said.

Moreover, the Economy Minister pointed out that depending on the appropriate time for listing the share packages of the energy companies on the stock market, the authorities would discuss with the IMF.

'We shall review with the IMF the list of companies that are going to have their shares listed,' Bode said.

The Initial Public Offering for the sale of the 15 percent share package of Romgaz will be intermediated by the Brokerage Syndicate made up by Erste Group Bank AG, the Romanian Commercial Bank, Goldman Sachs International and Raiffeisen Capital & Investment.

The Government committed to the IMF to sell on the stock exchange 15 percent share packages of the social capital of the companies Romgaz, Transelectrica and Transgaz, 10 percent share packages of Hidroelectrica and Nuclearelectrica, an approximate 10 percent share package of Petrom, a 20 percent package of CFR Marfa, and a 20 percent package of Tarom. (ActMedia, April 5, 2012)

Romania, part of the regional electricity market beginning with 2014

Romania will take part of the regional market of electrical power starting with 2014, advanced talks being held with Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic, said general director within the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Business Milieu (MECMA) Alexandru Sandulescu at the conference 'Legislative challenges in the field of energy' organised by the 'Finantistii' newspaper. 'We reached an advanced stage of discussions with Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic for merging the power markets in the region. There will be a single regional power market integrated by the merger between the electrical power stock markets of these European countries. There are voices supporting the division of the markets but the requested they should be integrated,' Alexandru Sandulescu said. (ActMedia, April 5, 2012)

Gov't approves 500,000 dollars co-funding for Small Grants Program of Global Environment Facility

Romania's Government approved the Co-funding Agreement worth 500,000 dollars between the Minister of Environment and Forestry (MMP) and the U.N. Development Program (UNDP), to co-fund the Small Grants Program of the Global Environment Facility (SGP GEF) over 2012- 2014, the MMP says in a press release.

According to the quoted source, the normative act establishes a total contribution of 500,000 dollars out of the budgetary provisions approved by the MMP for the SGP co-funding. The sum will be paid in three tranches, as following: 200,000 dollars (for 2012), 150,000 dollars (for 2013)

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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______and 150,000 dollars (for 2014). For the period 2012-2014, the GEF gives a grant budget of 600,000 dollars, provided the insurance of a national co-funding of 500,000 dollars.

The financial aid is directly granted to non-governmental organizations (NGO) or community organizations (CO) for projects aimed at preserving and protecting the environment, at the same time contributing to the increase of communities' living conditions.

At present, the NGOs and the COs have in their portfolio project drafts targeting all five domains the MMP voices interest in: the biodiversity preservation, reducing climate change, the protection of international waters, the sustainable management of lands and the management of dangerous chemical substances.

The Small Grants Program of the Global Environment Facility Romania, founded in 2004, has so far supported over 80 projects having the same goals of the GEF and the MMP.

SGP GEF is carried out over operation stages of four years, over 2004-2010, these being funded by GEF and RAF (Resource Allocation Framework) funds exceeding 2.5 million dollars.

The program is implemented through the UNDP. (ActMedia, April 12, 2012)

Romanian Energy Centre to open an office in Brusssels

The professional association Romanian Energy Centre (CRE) which started its activity on September 2011 will have an office in Brussels beginning with April 25, its aim being to influence the European energy policy so as to promote and support investments in the national integrated energy system both regionally and in Europe, according to a press release.

Opening the office in Brussels will be followed on April 26 by a round table on the theme 'Financial solutions and options for future energy projects,' hosted by Leopold Hotel in Brussels.

CRE, whose chairman is Stelian Gal Dr Eng, represents a professional organisation for the Romanian energy companies. It is led and funded by its member companies, mainly those in the field of electrical power, and operates to provide the best conditions for competition, so as to provide the development, economic growth and a good standard of living in Romania. CRE will facilitate the development and consolidation of relations between the representatives of Romanian energy and the European institutions in Brussels.

CRE will be lobbying at the European institutions in Brussels for the benefit and interest of the Romanian energy sector, that of the CRE members included, to represent their interest in relation to the European institutions and other international organisations and associations in this relevant area in Brussels, and to promote the participation of institutions, Romanian state- owned and private energy companies in the decisional process of the European institutions.

The members of this Romanian professional association in the field of energy are the state- owned companies Electrica Company, Hidroelectrica Company, Nuclearelectrica Company, Termoelectrica Company, Transelectrica Company, OPCOM, together with the private companies active in the field of energy Emon Electric Company, Energobit, Eximprod Company,

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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

IMA-Partners, Retrasib-Sibiu, Monsson Invest Group Company, Tractebel Engineering, the Romanian Merchandise Stock Exchange. (ActMedia, April 12, 2012)

Cernavoda nuke plant two-month power output at over 2.037 mln MWh

The two units of the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant produced in the first two months of 2012 some 2.037 million MWh of electricity, out of which 1.896 million MWh were delivered to the National Energy System, reveal figures released by company Nuclearelectrica on its website.

Thus, Unit 1 produced 1.024 million MWh in the first two months of the year and fed 945.670 million MWh into the power grid, recording an average capacity factor of 101.41 percent.

Unit 2 produced 1.013 million MWh and supplied 940.215 million MWh into the national power grid, with an average capacity factor of 100.27 percent. Since their commissioning till end-Feb 2012 the two units of the Cernavoda nuclear power plant produced 109.821 million MWh and delivered 101.309 million MWh into the system. (ActMedia, April 12, 2012)

Romania has record industrial spaces transaction rate in 2011

Romania in 2011 registered a record rate of the trade in industrial spaces, with the industrial part of the real estate market having expanded nearly 100 percent by total rented area, according to Cushman & Wakefield company, which released data regarding the record development of the industrial space market in Central and Eastern Europe. Director of the Industrial Department, Cushman & Wakefield Romania, Gabriel Sfetcu said one could, at end-2011, talk of a traded area of close to 150,000 square metres as compared to 75,000 sqm at the end of 2010.

'We had an upward trend of the occupation rate in 2011. There was more demand from the light processing industry and, at the same time, we got requests from the new logistic operators in the market, resulted from mergers and separations of other operators already existing in the Romanian market', Sfetcu stressed.

As for 2012, he says it can end in the same levels as 2011 or even a rise of 15-20 percent, provided the 2011 upward trend maintains. According to the Cushman & Wakefield, the largest share of the demand this year will be held by light manufacturing, since there are Romanian manufacturers who seek to expand as well as multinational manufacturers. Cushman & Wakefield global reports reveal that even though the state of the economy has yet to overcome the critical point, the occupation rate of the modern industrial spaces has been on the rise, with 2011 posting the steepest growth in the last decade. (ActMedia, April 3, 2012)

TAROM introduces SkyPriority at Cluj, Timisoara, London and Amsterdam airports

TAROM national airline introduces SkyPriority at the airports of Cluj, Timisoara, London (Heathrow) and Amsterdam (Schiphol) after mid-May, which is a package especially created to bring benefits to First/Business Class passengers and to SkyTeam Elite Plus members.

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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

According to a press release, SkyPriority package targets the Flying Blue Gold and Platinum members.

The package will include the following advantages: a priority at check-in, at luggage giving, ticketing and transfer, on boarding and luggage delivery as well as assigning distinct routes in certain airports, i.e. a fast-track for the security and immigration areas.

The eligible SkyPriority passengers - the First/Business Class clients and SkyTeam Elite Plus members - will have to mark the indicator SkyPriority on their boarding cards. The airports worldwide, which participate in the project, will have delimitated and signalled areas for each of the services offered in this project.

SkyPriority project was launched on March 1, 2012 at certain airports of SkyTeam network and will continue to develop during 2012 to reach some 1,000 airports by early 2013. SkyTeam Elite Plus passengers will receive personalised information about SkyPriority by the mail sent by each separate SkyTeam client-faithfulness programme, namely Flying Blue in the case of TAROM airline passengers.

SkyPriority is a SkyTeam product and it represents the biggest collective project of the alliance so far, particularly created to offer priority airport services to the top clients. Romanian National Air Transport Company TAROM was set up in 1954. TAROM conducts its activity under the authority of the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure and it has been a SkyTeam Alliance member since June 25, 2010, thus offering its passengers access to several destinations and connections. TAROM is a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) since 1993 and of the Association of European Airlines (AEA) since 2000. (ActMedia, April 10, 2012)

Cruise ships start season in Danube Delta

The Danube Star cruiser opened tourism season in the Danube Delta (the second largest river delta in Europe, the best preserved on the continent, Biosphre Rerserve under UNESCO programme, listed in the World Heritage Sites) with 77 Romanian passengers aboard, informed the master's office of the Tulcea Danube Delta harbour.

The cruise boat belonging to the river navigation master's office (CNF) of Giurgiu harbour (located on the Romanian Danube River bank) anchored in Tulcea, and tourists were sailed either through the Danube Delta's channels or down town said spokesman of Tulcea harbour's master's office Petrica Rade.

Almost 100 Japanese holidaymakers arrived in Romania by a sea cruiser, last week, and visited the Danube Delta by ours cruise boats, Europolis Company's chairman told Agerpres. Tulcea County expect about 200 river cruise ships, and Europolis Company's vessels will supply services to the tourists on 181 of them.

The first cruise ships sailed to the Danube Delta over 2000-2001, and the cruise tourism really boosted in 2004. Most (177) cruise ships sailed to the Danube Delta, in 2007, and their number increased to 136, in the following year, and reached 150, in 2009. (ActMedia, April 10, 2012)

Arundel House, 4 Palace Green London W8 4QD UK Phone: 0044 (0)20 7937 9666 Fax: 0044 (0)20 7937 8069 e-mail: [email protected] web site: www.london.mae.ro

Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

Recas and Jidvei Wine Cellars gold medallist at Vinvest 2012 Wine Show

The Recas and the Jidvei Wine cellars won gold at the 9th edition of the Vinvest International Wine Trade Show, taking place in Timisoarea (western Romania), on April 7, when the jury of the Romanian Association of Certified Wine Tasters (ADAR) selected the gold medallists from over 130 wine samples.

The Grand Gold Medal went to Castel Huniade red wine, a Cabernet Sauvignon 2011 made at the Recas Wine Cellars, and the Romantine white semi-dry sparkling wine made at the Jidvei Cellars, both winning the same number of points.

Grand Gold Medal winners were also the Murfatlar Research Station for the Pinot Gris made in 1987 and Vincon Vrancea and the Jade wine brandy, made in 1978.

Twenty-two winemakers sent 132 samples of all wine categories, namely white dry, aromatic, semi-dry, de semi-sweet, sweet, rosé, red dry, semi-dry, semi-sweet, sparkling wines or alcoholic drinks to vie in the 6th edition of the National Wine and Alcoholic Drinks Contest. According to the regulations of the event, 30 percent, to the utmost, of the vying samples were allowed to win medals.

More nine medals went to white wines, and other seven to red wines. A rosé wine and a brandy made in 1997 were awarded gold medals as well.

The quality of the Romanian wine has been ever higher, lately, and this also thanks to the re- equipment of the Romanian viticulture, including new and valuable sorts of grapes, along with investments in the production capacity, ADAR vice-president Petre Badea said.Winemakers from Spain, Bulgaria, Hungry, Serbia, Italy, France, Germany, Australia and Romania were exhibiting in the 9th edition of the Vinvest International Wine Trade Show. (ActMedia, April 10, 2012)

Pound trades at 5.29 lei

The exchange rate of the national leu currency resulting from the quotations announced on April 13, 2012, by the banks authorized to operate on the currency market is as follows: CURRENCY SYMBOL RON 1 British pound GBP 5.2971 1 euro EUR 4.3733 1 US dollar USD 3.3249 1 Swiss franc CHF 3.6394

Arundel House, 4 Palace Green London W8 4QD UK Phone: 0044 (0)20 7937 9666 Fax: 0044 (0)20 7937 8069 e-mail: [email protected] web site: www.london.mae.ro

Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

 Culture and Education

Day of Romanian Academy is marked by presence of Premier Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu Bucharest, April 4th/ Agerpres/ The Romanian Academy marked its 146th anniversary through a number of events meant to reveal the status of this high forum in the Romanian society and culture.

The anniversary events began in the Assembly Hall with the solemn general meeting devoted to the Day of the Romanian Academy, which, besides the members of this forum, was attended by Prime Minister Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu and important personalities of the cultural world.

President of the Romanian Academy Ionel Haiduc in his speech revealed the role of the prestigious institution meant to make the Romanians assert themselves scientifically and culturally.

Speaking of the dialogue between natural sciences and the social and humanistic sciences, Haiduc mentioned the great victories of the institution he has been running, which published some treatises on grammar, history and science of national importance.

Haiduc also mentioned the role of the Academy in outlining the national strategy as well as in debating some economic subjects or the decision of the prestigious forum to adopt the National Culture Day on the very day when the national poet Mihai Eminescu was born.

The relation between sciences and arts, between science and culture in general, the dialogue between cultural personalities and researchers, the necessity for the latter ones to climb down from their "ivory tower" to amphitheatres, in the middle of a large audience, in order to impart the results of their research were as many subjects that were dealt with.

Academician Razvan Theodorescu gave a lecture on the recent publication of two volumes of a work devoted to the treasure of the Romanian Academy, written by Dorina Rusu, a "subtle connoisseur of the history of the Academy."

The first volume is devoted to the donors and the second one, to the architectural monuments owned by the Academy. Both these books have been printed in a exquisite manner.

Arundel House, 4 Palace Green London W8 4QD UK Phone: 0044 (0)20 7937 9666 Fax: 0044 (0)20 7937 8069 e-mail: [email protected] web site: www.london.mae.ro

Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

"The Romanian Academy, the most important institution in Romania, is not wealthy, but it is rich due to these things that give it the status of a genuine church of the Romanian spirit," also said Academician Razvan Theodorescu.

Actor Dorel Visan, who was awarded the prize of the Romanian Academy himself, gave a recital of Eminescu's poems.

Premier Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu in his speech emphasized the fact that "Romanian politics deeply needs intellectuals," ... "those free minds that acquired education" being "fully entitled to go into politics."

"Let the intellectuals go into politics! Let them criticize!" said the Prime Minister voicing conviction that Romanian politics needed the best representatives to get involved.

Under the same anniversary circumstances, in the Theodor Pallady Room of the Library of the Academy, they will open an exhibition of representative pieces of the inestimable fund of historical documents of the Library of the Romanian Academy, which were recovered from Romania's National Archives after 34 years.

Titled "From the Treasure of Romanian Princely Chancelleries," the exhibition includes documents coming from the courts of Princes Alexander the Good, Stephen the Great or Grigore Ghica and Constantin Mavrocordat.

The highest national forum meant to make the Romanians assert themselves scientifically and culturally, the successor and only heir to the Romanian literary society, which was set up in 1866 through a princely lieutenancy, gathers outstanding personalities of sciences, letters and the arts. The Romanian Academy is an institution of public and national interest, meant to conduct research into the fundamental fields of science, which has a legal personality and is independent in its work of any kind.

The Romanian Academy also has as its precursor the Romanian Academic Society, which was set up in 1867 and, after the statutes were adopted, was subsidized by the state and had the right to receive legates and donations.

Through Decree No 749 signed by Prince Carol I in 1879, the Romanian Academic Society is declared a National Institute under the name of the Romanian Academy, whose 'aim is the cultivation of the national language and history, of the letters, of sciences and the beautiful arts."

Over 1918-48 the Romanian Academy lives in a favourable climate of genuine effervescence of the academic life, which was fully connected to the similar European institutions. The Romanian Academy at that time included remarkable representatives of all the fields of sciences (philology, history, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, geonomy, agriculture, forestry, medicine, etc), of literature and art, representatives of the religious denominations, of the army and political life.

Arundel House, 4 Palace Green London W8 4QD UK Phone: 0044 (0)20 7937 9666 Fax: 0044 (0)20 7937 8069 e-mail: [email protected] web site: www.london.mae.ro

Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

Concurrently with the establishment of communism in 1948 the Academy has to face the rigours of dictatorship and in one way or another was changed into an instrument of the Stalin propaganda. One by one the members of the Romanian Academy are sent to prison or marginalized, a number of customary laws disappear, from the academic gown, which was adopted again starting this anniversary year, to the confiscation and nationalization of its assets or to the removal of academic speeches.But starting in 1990, the Romanian Academy revives and comes to recoup most of its assets, to finish, to modernize the new and old building of the Library of the Academy, thus winning back the prestige it had in the interwar years.

Ambassador’s Easter message The holly Easter marks one of the most important annual feasts, the fundamental event of Christianity, celebrating the resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It is at the same time a festival of spring, of nature's rebirth, a moment which brings peace, humanity and joy in each and every soul.

The Easter celebration is met by us, Romanians, yearly with a deep spiritual joy. This feeling is even stronger when we are away from home, scattered around the world in the search for better living, but with our hearts still at home; where the longing takes our thoughts and where the roots are calling for us. This year, together with my family I will take part at the Resurrection Sermon held by Father Silviu Pufulete at the Orthodox Church Sfantul Gheorghe in London. As always I will be delighted to be surrounded by my Romanian, in such a moment of profound significance for the Romanian community.

May the light of our Lord Jesus Christ's Resurrection protect you and bring you and your beloved good health, spiritual tranquility and the hope for the better.

Romanian Easter Traditions at the Horniman Museum

02/04 - 30/06/2012 @ Horniman Museum and Gardens, 100 London Road, Forest Hill, London, SE23 3PQ

We herald the coming of Easter in London through some of the most beautiful objects of Romanian traditional world. The Horniman Museum, in association with the Romanian Cultural Institute in London and the Bucovina Museum in Suceava will display over 60 uniquely decorated Easter eggs, as part of the museum's Object in Focus series. If you want to learn how these wonderful objects are made, join the Romanian Painted Eggs masterclasses offered by two authentic craftswomen from Northern Moldova.

Arundel House, 4 Palace Green London W8 4QD UK Phone: 0044 (0)20 7937 9666 Fax: 0044 (0)20 7937 8069 e-mail: [email protected] web site: www.london.mae.ro

Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

Easter is one of the most important religious festivities in Romania. Some of the traditions derive from pagan rituals, relating to symbols of new life in the spring. These have merged with Christian meanings. The practice of dyeing eggs red relates to the story that when the Virgin Mary came to see her son at the Crucifixion she was carrying a basket of eggs. She laid the basket at the foot of the cross while she prayed. His holy blood dripped onto the eggs and made them red, so the Lord said: „From now on you should dye eggs red to remember my crucifixion.‟

Nowadays many colours and patterns are used, some designs carrying religious meanings.

The exhibition presents a colourful selection from the Museum‟s collections and is accompanied by film showing how to pattern the eggs, used by Romanian craftspeople.

Also at the Horniman Museum, one of the attractions of the The Body Adorned: Dressing London Exhibition is a superb Romanian traditional costume, with a lavish pattern favoured by the rich peasant families at the beginning of the 20thcentury. The Horniman Museum has an outstandingly rich collection of about 800 Romanian costumes, objects and archive photos, which will form the basis of another exhibition in 2014. When: 2 April 2012-30 June 2012 Where: Exhibition: Balcony Gallery, Horniman Museum. Free entry. Daily from 10.30am - 5.30pm Workshops: Gardens Pavilion, Horniman Museum. Tickets cost £5. Places must be booked in advance, using the form below. Call 020 8291 8686 for additional information.

Romania at London Book Fair 2012

Embassy of Romania – London/ On April 17, 2012, the Ambassador of Romania, Dr Ion Jinga, visited the Romanian stall at the London Book Fair 2012, organised by the Romanian Cultural Institute's National Book Centre with the support of ICR London. Romania has been a constant presence at this prestigious event dedicated to books and culture, during the last few years. At the Romanian stall, laid out in the shape of the Tree of knowledge, the branches of the tree including “book” leaves, those present could enjoy the launch of a new Romanian literary series and readings celebrating the Romanian literature at one of the world‟s biggest publishing events.

The Ambassador of Romania attended the Dialogue of two British writers who have explored Romania “in mirror”. Anthony Daniels, writer and journalist, and Alex Drace-Francis, cultural historian, exchanged views on Romania as a subject of literary interest, in a dialogue moderated by Florin Bican, the Romanian Cultural Institute, Bucharest. The two British authors have explored Romania in formal and informal, honest and vivacious ways, and they are now telling the many-sided stories of a sometimes tormented, sometimes cheerful Wonderland.

Arundel House, 4 Palace Green London W8 4QD UK Phone: 0044 (0)20 7937 9666 Fax: 0044 (0)20 7937 8069 e-mail: [email protected] web site: www.london.mae.ro

Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

The Ambassador of Romania visits the University of York Embassy of Romania – London/ On 28th April 2012, HE Dr Ion Jinga, Ambassador of Romania to the Court of Saint James‟s, will visit the University of York, at the invitation of the Romanian Students‟ Society.

The Ambassador will meet with Mr David Duncan, Registrar and Secretary, and with Ms Hilary Layton, Director for Internationalization, will take part as special guest at the conference “Students or Immigrants?” and will speak about the importance of free movement of people in the EU. On this occasion, the Forum of Romanian Student Societies in the UK will be launched.

After the conference, the Ambassador will meet with members of the Romanian Community of York and the surrounding areas.

Spring celebration at the Romanian Orthodox Church in Glasgow

Embassy of Romania – London/ On 29 April 2012, HE Dr Ion Jinga, Ambassador of Romania to the Court of Saint James‟s, will attend a spring celebration, organized by the Romanian Orthodox Church Foundation in Glasgow and the Consular Office of Romania in Edinburgh.

The event "Spring Flowers" will take place at the Romanian Orthodox Parish of the Presentation of our Lord in Glasgow, and will include a religious ceremony officiated in the presence of His Eminence Joseph, Metropolitan of Western and Southern Europe, followed by an artistic performance presented by Romanian youngsters from Scotland. Subsequently, the Ambassador of Romania will discuss with representatives of the local Diaspora topics of their interest.

Over 200 persons confirmed their presence at this celebration that promotes the Romanian cultural and spiritual values in Scotland.

Devil in Paradise: Forest Fruit by Alexandru Tatos at the Romanian Cinematheque

26/04/2012@The Romanian Cultural Institute London,1 Belgrave Square, SW1X 8PH

We invite you to the screening of Alexandru Tatos‟ realist film Forest Fruit (1983), which tells a story of deceit and betrayal set up against a background of arcadic beauty.

The 17-year-old Amalia (Manuela Boboc), the daughter of a widower lumberjack with many children, falls in love with a soldier. An irresponsible young man, the soldier refuses to admit that he is the father of the child to be born, as Amalia was just a fling in his eyes. Amalia decides to raise the kid all by herself, but she soon changes her mind… Tender and ironic, lyrical and sarcastic, offering a poignant vision of real life, the uniqueness of

Arundel House, 4 Palace Green London W8 4QD UK Phone: 0044 (0)20 7937 9666 Fax: 0044 (0)20 7937 8069 e-mail: [email protected] web site: www.london.mae.ro

Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

Forest Fruit stands in the portrayal of a micro-world in which the sublime exists alongside the sordid, in which purity is matched by decadence and innocence by cynicism.

After his debut as director in 1974 with August in flames, Alexandru Tatos had an ascending career, directing a dozen films. Some of his best works are Red apples (1976), Astray (1978) and Gathering Clouds (1985).

Romania | 1983 | 90min | director: Alexandru Tatos | cast: Ion Besoiu, Manuela Boboc, Tudorel Filimon, Ion Fiscuteanu, Cornel Mihalache, Mariana Mihut. In Romanian with English subtitles.

The Romanian Cinematheque project is realized in partnership with the National Centre for Cinematography in Romania (CNC).

When: 26 April, 7 pm. Where: Romanian Cultural Institute London Admission is free but seats are limited. Early booking is well recommended. Please reserve your seats at T: 020 7752 0134, E: [email protected]. Latecomers will be able to go to their seats in the interval.

Fairytale Images and Books

18/04 - 18/05/2012@The Romanian Cultural Institute London, 1 Belgrave Square

Join us for celebrating Romania‟s presence at the London Book Fair, with a special exhibition of book illustrations created by the Romanian Illustrators’ Club, which reaches its 7-year anniversary since they started to concoct “images that tell stories” – as was the title of their first exhibition in Bucharest in 2005.

“The Club has over 50 members, but it is not an institution; at the heart of the Club there are artists that enjoy talking, drinking tea and working together” – says Stela Lie, the coordinator of the Club.

At the beginning, the Club‟s exhibitions presented mainly works of art, most of them by professionals prepared to become, occasionally, illustrators. After various collaborations with ICR, CreArt, AER- Bookfest, ARCUB and books printed and edited by themselves, like fanzines, they launched Bookataria de texte şi imagini – a book for which the artists invited 39 well-known authors to write new texts that they illustrated with an exuberant creativity.

The exhibition Fairytale Images and Books, conceived by Stela Lie and Irina Dobrescu, presents for the first time almost everything the Club has created in seven years, each artist with his/her own books, plus Bookataria 1: fantastic landscapes, out- of-this-world animals,

Arundel House, 4 Palace Green London W8 4QD UK Phone: 0044 (0)20 7937 9666 Fax: 0044 (0)20 7937 8069 e-mail: [email protected] web site: www.london.mae.ro

Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______medieval and digital fairytales characters, sumptuous ballrooms, crinolines and harlequins, delicious sweets from grandmother‟s cupboard. An impressive harvest of fresh texts and images that you must not miss! The exhibition continues until 18 May, Mon - Fri 10am - 5pm. Free entrance.

After the New Man: Photographic Exhibition by Dana Popa

26/04 - 26/05/2012@Foto8, 1-5 Honduras Street, London EC1Y 0TH

Opening: Thursday 26 April 6.30pm

Fascinated with her homeland, photographer Dana Popa returns to Romania and looks at the generation born here just before or after the fall of the Communist regime. After the New Man is an intimate portrayal of a society that is slowly healing, of youth and fleeting memories of a bygone era that still permeates the selves and the landscapes. The exhibition is organised in association with Foto8 Gallery.

Traces of Popa‟s own childhood pervade not only through the blocks of flats and through the cars from another era, but in the mindsets of old and young. This legacy of the recent past and the ubiquitous Western-inspired ideals of lifestyle and consumerism construct a portrait of a displaced generation, struggling to reconcile their place in history.

The exhibition brings together Popa‟s own socially engaged work with her old family photographs and remnants from the past.

Dana Popa (b. 1977) studied a Masters degree in Documentary Photography at the London College of Communication. Her work focuses on contemporary social issues with a particular emphasis on human rights. „Not Natasha‟ was Popa‟s first major body of work, which looked at the effects of sex trafficking on girls and families in The Republic of Moldova who had firsthand experience of it. The project has been exhibited around the UK, Europe and US and was published as a book (Autograph ABP, 2009). Popa is based in London.

Related Events Artist‟s talk with Dana Popa - Tuesday 1 May, 6.30pm. The exhibition continues until 26 May 2012. Opening hours: Mon - Fri 10am - 6pm; Sat 11am - 4pm.

Arundel House, 4 Palace Green London W8 4QD UK Phone: 0044 (0)20 7937 9666 Fax: 0044 (0)20 7937 8069 e-mail: [email protected] web site: www.london.mae.ro

Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

Bucharest Calling! Ioana Paun presents new work in London 05/03 - 06/07/2012@Theatre Royal Stratford East

Our former artist-in-residence, theatre director and performance artist Ioana Păun, will work across all areas within the Theatre Royal Stratford East, being inspired by the theatre's life, its artists and its community. She will create new work to be presented in June 2012.

Ioana Păun, born in 1984, is a theatre director and performance artist based in Bucharest and a member of the réaltympanica site-specific collective and Romanian based tangaProject theatre group. She graduated from the MA programme at Goldsmiths College in London and UNATC in Bucharest. Ioana's latest work is revolving around public space and social dynamics that she explores and represents using everyday culture resources: trenSformers (creative interventions in Romanian trains, documenting regional perceptions), X Street (a headphone live art piece where the audience, driven in a minibus through the London 2012 Olympics neighbourhood, penetrate private places through sound) or L-V:8-16 (a show based on the collective experiences of her generation from the „90s onward). She is also interested in teenage culture in Romania and is currently devising two high school projects with other Romanian young artists. She is also working with réaltympanica on a video live streaming project, creating site specific reconstructions of different European realities in a foreign country. The project has a pilot phase in Pécs, Hungary, during Europe Mania Festival.

The Body Adorned: Folk Romanian Costume, Inspired by Queen Maria’s Style

24/03/2012 - 06/01/2013@Horniman Museum and Gardens, 100 London Road SE23 3PQ

One of the attractions of the The Body Adorned: Dressing London Exhibition at the Horniman Museum is a superb Romanian traditional costume, with a lavish pattern favoured by the rich peasant families at the beginning of the 20th century. The Queen Maria of Romania herself used to wear similar costumes at some public events, as a sign of her attachment to her adopted country. The Horniman Museum has an outstandingly rich collection of about 800 Romanian costumes, objects and archive photos, which will form the basis of another exhibition in 2014.

The Body Adorned: Dressing London exhibition reveals how a diverse population clothe and adorn their bodies to find their place in the metropolis. Over time, saris, tattoo parlours, nail

Arundel House, 4 Palace Green London W8 4QD UK Phone: 0044 (0)20 7937 9666 Fax: 0044 (0)20 7937 8069 e-mail: [email protected] web site: www.london.mae.ro

Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______bars, distended ears and scarification have become a visible, everyday part of the London cityscape. But how did cultural adornments become integrated into urban London life? The exhibition considers how the movement of people, objects and ideas influenced London dress in the past and explores body adornment in today‟s world city of London.

In April 2012, the Horniman Museum will launch a display of Easter Decorated Eggs in the Balcony Gallery, part of the Object in Focus Series. The special temporary display will be accompanied by two sessions of craftswoman-led workshops on Painted Eggs.

When: 24 March 2012-06 January 2013 Where: Temporary Exhibition Space, Horniman Museum. Free entry.

Europafest 2012 brings two times more good music – It’s all about live quality music!

The only festival in Europe gathering 4 music genres jazz, blues, pop and classical is held every year in Bucharest bringing a positive image for Romania. Under the slogan It’s all about live quality music!, the International Festival Europafest is an event lasting 16 days. It begins on May 4 with a concert devoted to Europa Day, organized in partnership with the European Commission Office in Romania and will end on May 19 with Europafest Gala, when winners will be announced to the public.

Besides the two events marking the beginning and end of the festival, Bucharesters will participate in ten other events among which jazz, blues, pop concerts, the 6th Bucharest edition of International Jazz Competition with 138 participants of 38 countries and Caffe Festival, concerts in unconventional areas.

Over 300 guests from 45 countries are expected at the event ‚ Armenia, australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Colombia, South Korea, Croatia, Equator, Switzerland, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Great Britain, Norway, Holland, Poland, Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, USA, Sweden, Taiwan, Turkey, Ukraine, Hungary.

Since 2005 the festival has been held under the High Patronage of their Royal Highnesses Princess Margareta and Prince Radu. (ActMedia, March 30, 2012)

Arundel House, 4 Palace Green London W8 4QD UK Phone: 0044 (0)20 7937 9666 Fax: 0044 (0)20 7937 8069 e-mail: [email protected] web site: www.london.mae.ro

Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

LEARN ROMANIAN IN ROMANIA Romanian Language, Culture and Civilization Braşov, Romania 18th edition, July 3rd – 28th, 2012

Program Coordinator:

Ana Borca: [email protected] (4) 0317 100 672; Fax: (4) 021.230.13.73 Director of the Domestic Programmes Department Oana-Valentina Suciu E-mail: [email protected] Phone: + 40 31 71 00616, Fax: + 40 31 71 00606 THE ROMANIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE Domestic Programs Department 38, Aleea Alexandru 011824, Sector 1 – Bucharest http://www.icr.ro/cursuri_brasov

Romfilatelia launching EUROPA 2012 - Visit Romania stamps

Bucharest, April 6th/ Agerpres/ Romfilatelia, on April 6, launched the EUROPA 2012 - Visit Romania issue including two stamps whose face value is 1.40 lei and 8.10 lei respectively, a 'first day' envelop and a philatelic sheet, informs Company's release to Agerpres.

PostEurop, UN body is to launch this year, under the logo EUROPE 2012 - Visit..... an invitation to know Europe's sightseeing places, through stamps.

The Europa 2012 Visit Romania stamps will travel throughout the world and will show that Romania deserves to be visited thanks to its unique beauties and numerous traditions it has preserved, along centuries.

Europe, where the international tourism is born in the 19th century, is the most visited continent, nowadays, and it proudly holds the most tourism countries and sightseeing places of the world.

Romania of today began taking shape early in the first millennium, in the south-eastern area of Central Europe. With The Carpathian Mountains arch in its middle and the Danube River bordering it south, and the Black Sea shore southeast, Romania benefits from almost all forms of relief, and natural beauties like rivers, thermal springs, natural parks, caves, salines, the release says. You can buy the EUROPA 2012 - Visit Romania stamps in all the Romfiatelia shops throughout Romania, as of Friday April 6.

Arundel House, 4 Palace Green London W8 4QD UK Phone: 0044 (0)20 7937 9666 Fax: 0044 (0)20 7937 8069 e-mail: [email protected] web site: www.london.mae.ro