Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______
No. 4/ 5th Year 1st – 15th of March 2012 Politics 1. Romanian signs Treaty on stability, coordination and governance in EMU 2. President Basescu delivers speech on domestic policy issues 3. PM Mihai – Razvan Ungureanu has met with European Council President, Herman Van Rompuy 4. First meeting of Romania and Rep. of Moldova Governments, concluded with signing of several bilateral agreements 5. Romania to adopt 'a little more active and strong' stance in the European Council 6. First round of Romanian-Polish strategic dialogue 7. Romania supports EU stance on Kyoto Protocol second commitment period Economics 1. Gas discovery gives Romania prospect of full energy independence 2. Gov't interested in drawing investments for exploiting Romania's energy resources 3. Ambassador’s meeting with Transelectrica 4. Fondul Proprietatea aims to sell EUR 0.5 bln worth of shares packages in Romanian energy companies 5. Romania GDP posts 6th-largest growth in EU in Q4 of 2011 6. Cernavoda NPP in nuclear plants top worldwide 7. Romania, included as a first in Top 10 worldwide in terms of wind energy country attractiveness 8. Investments in national economy grew by 9.2pct in 2011, up to 64.5 billion 9. Romanian banking system can finance major projects 10. Romgaz turnover up 11 pct, market share steady at 45 pct last year 11. Hidroelectrica and Nuclearelectrica initial public offerings to be finalised in October 2012 12. Romania, an interesting partner for foreign companies in the sector of environment protection 13. Oradea City wins Romania's 2012 Green Capital title 14. German holidaymakers prefer Romanian Riviera, tourist circuits, spa treatments 15. TAROM announces changes in flights operation, from March 25 to October 27, 2012 16. Pound trades at 5.24 lei Culture 1. March 1, Day of Martisor 2. The Ambassador of Romania visits the University of Manchester 3. Romania’s presence at the International Francophonie Day celebration in Trafalgar Square 4. Francophonie Night on March 20 at Romania's National Art Museum 5. Romania to participate in 2012 Cultural Olympiad in London 6. Online radio, launched for Romanians in Romania and Romanian communities everywhere 7. Communism, Humour and Urban Myths: A Screening of Tales from the Golden Age 8. Romanian Virtuosos in the Pianists of the World Series 9. “The ABBA of Classical Music” @ the Mill Hill Music Club 10. A Romanian Silent Classic at the Barbican 11. Ancestral Roots and Modern Vibes in One Jazzy Trumpet: Sebastian Burneci 12. The Glory and the Limits of the Body: Bio-art Exhibition by Christian Paraschiv 13. Bucharest Calling! Ioana Paun presents new work in London 14. The Body Adorned: Folk Romanian Costume, Inspired by Queen Maria’s Style, Exhibited in London 15. LEARN ROMANIAN IN ROMANIA
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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______
• Politics
Romanian signs Treaty on stability, coordination and governance in EMU
Bucharest, 2 March/ Agerpres/Romania's President Traian Basescu, together with leaders of other 24 European Union member states, gathered at the spring European Council meeting signed morning in Brussels the Treaty on stability, coordination and governance in the Economic and Monetary Union.
In the press conference held at the end of the European Council meeting, the Romanian Head of State said that being a part of the Treaty on stability, coordination and governance within the Economic and Monetary Union was a success for Romania, adding that in his opinion the Treaty should be ratified as soon as possible.
"We see Romania's being a part of this Treaty as a success, taking into account that we have been among the ones who have reacted in the toughest manner when it initially came forward only aiming at the non-euro member states and our target was that of being a part of this treaty for the simple reason that it is easy to observe its exigencies and the accession to the euro area will be much easier, we shall certainly be much more prepared. The ones at home, the politicians, are free to do what they will with this treaty, but I believe it should be ratified as soon as possible," President Traian Basescu said.
The President said that the 25 signing states would willingly share the national tax and budget control with the European Commission.
"It is obvious that, willingly, the 25 signing states share the national budget and tax control with the European Commission, which plays the gendarme role for the observance of the treaty's elements," President Traian Basescu said.
The Head of State said that, by signing this Treaty, Romania joined the common effort of increasing the competitiveness in the euro area, pointing out that the euro currency belonged to the entire EU.
As far as the Treaty is concerned, I would say it sets a new extremely important step concerning the integration of economic policies. This process will be accomplished in two ways, on the one hand following the increase in the level of policy harmonization in the EU and, on the other hand, maybe even more important, through a reinforced control of the European institutions
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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______
concerning the coordination of national policies, especially the tax-budget policies," President Basescu also said.
The Tax Governance Pact signed by 25 EU member states, Romania included, sets a 0.5 percent of the GDP cap for the structural deficit budget and a public debt under 60 percent of the GDP, in order to avoid the risks concerning the long-term public debt sustainability. The maximum cyclic budget deficit, the structural one included, stipulated in the Pact will keep within a maximum 3 percent of the GDP.
According to the document, if any deviations from these caps should occur, a correction mechanism will automatically be triggered, which must be introduced in the national legislation of each signing country as a "golden rule" on limiting the structural deficit. If a member state does not transpose these two provisions in the national legislation, the European Union's Court of Justice can be notified. The non-compliance with this court's decision can lead to a financial sanction accounting for maximum 0.1 percent of the GDP of the country in question.
The Fiscal Council is an independent authority, created based on the Fiscal Responsibility Law, and has the purpose of supporting the Government and Parliament in working out and implementing the fiscal policy and of promoting the public finance's transparency and sustainability.
President Basescu delivers speech on domestic policy issues
Bucharest, 7 March/ Agerpres/ President Traian Basescu addressed a joint sitting of Parliament delivering a message on domestic policy issues. President Basescu thanked the ruling politicians for having speeded up the state's reform process and he also reiterated the importance of the health reform, switching to one- chamber Parliament and the administrative- territorial reorganization.
The Romanian President said that he regrets the fact that the opposition is not present at the message he sends to the plenum of the Parliament, pointing out that undermining the most important institution of the state, the Legislature, is not the best of solutions.
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As regards the reason for which he decided to deliver the speech, President Basescu said that a meeting of the President with Parliament "was required", given that events of major interest have lately occurred, including the replacement of the Government, the adoption and signing in Brussels of the Fiscal Treaty and a communication crisis between the ruling coalition and the Opposition.
He thanked the ruling coalition for having adopted the austerity measures, so necessary amid the economic crisis period, for having adopted the Education Law, the Law on Social Assistance, for the judicial reform. The head of state underscored the need of the health reform, but also of the administrative-territorial reorganization and of switching to a single-chamber Parliament and reducing the number of MPs to 300.
President Traian Basescu also spoked about the possibility of raising the public wages to the 2010 levels, starting from June 1. "At the beginning of 2011 parts of the sums deducted from the public servants' salaries were given back. I think it is my and your duty to find solutions for us to make the public servants' salaries complete again some time about June 1, even if in January we had a surplus of the revenues that were planned for the budget, in February we had two times less than the surplus in January and probably in March too we shall have less revenues to the state budget. But it is circumstantially due to the weather conditions in February," President Basescu told the plenum of Parliament.
The president reviewed this years' priorities, the most important targeting the creation of new jobs. In the context, President Basescu appealed both to parliamentarians and the members of the Government to open up mining again.
President Traian Basescu said the Romanian justice system has become increasingly efficient in the fight against graft, once the judicial reform has begun and he pointed out nobody feels sheltered, be they a mayor, a minister or a lawmaker from the ruling parties or from the opposition.
The head of state referred to the possibility for Romania to become energetically independent.
The topics also included opinions regarding the Euro Zone crisis or the EU Fiscal Stability Treaty Romania has recently signed in Brussels. He asked the Parliament to ratify the Treaty as soon as possible, for this thing 'will be a signal of the political will for Romania to become a performing state."
The meeting of the joint plenary session was attended by ruling MPs, Prime Minister Mihai- Razvan Ungureanu, ministers of his Cabinet such as Interior Minister Berca, Health Minister Ritli Ladislau, Minister of Education Catalin Baba, Minister of Culture Kelemen Hunor, presidential advisors Bogdan Manoiu and Iulian Chifu, diplomatic personnel.
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PM Mihai – Razvan Ungureanu has met with European Council President, Herman Van Rompuy
Bucharest, March 15/ Government of Romania – Press Office/ The Prime Minister has thanked President Herman Van Rompuy for the sustained political step for Member States to assume some conclusions of the European Council (held on 1-2 March), which refer to setting a clear timeframe for the adoption of a decision regarding the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area, respectively September 2012
Prime Minister Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu has met today, in Brussels, with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy. Discussions have focused on current issues on the European agenda.
The Prime Minister has thanked President Herman Van Rompuy for the sustained political step for Member States to assume some conclusions of the European Council (held on 1-2 March), which refer to setting a clear timeframe for the adoption of a decision regarding the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area, respectively September 2012.
At the proposal of the Romanian Prime Minister, President van Rompuy considered that it is necessary to organize a debate regarding a broad set of political challenges, including about the discriminatory attitudes towards European citizens, within the European Union. Such a debate would lead to strengthening the attachment to the idea of a United Europe.
President Van Rompuy will examine the agenda and the ways to hold the debate at the European Council level.
During the meeting, President Van Rompuy has showed interest in an official visit to Bucharest this year.
Cristian Diaconescu, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Leonard Orban, European Affairs Minister have also taken part in the discussions.
First meeting of Romania and Rep. of Moldova Governments, concluded with signing of several bilateral agreements
Bucharest, 3 March/ Agerpres/ The first joint meeting of the Governments of Romania and the Republic of Moldova, held on Saturday, in Iasi (Eastern Romania), concluded with the signing of several bilateral
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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______agreements in various fields, and what was accomplished at this meeting is an assessment of what the former Romanian Cabinet managed to build and add some more building, Romanian Prime Minister Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu said at the end of the joint governmental meeting.
Prime Minister Ungureanu underscored that this meeting of the two national governments is the first foreign policy action of the Romanian Government, which was installed some two weeks ago.
"What we succeeded today could be placed under two main chapters: an assessment of what the former Executive managed to build and, at the same time, of what we can further build, on the basis of a specific timetable, initiatives to justify what interests us as strategic, both for Romania and the Republic of Moldova", Premier Ungureanu said after the signing of the bilateral documents.
The Romanian head of government said Moldova's rapprochement to the European Union, closeness between Romania and Moldova and wide-range energy projects are all included under the cupola of the interests acknowledged by both countries.
In turn, Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova Vlad Filat said that expectations were justified from the two executives meeting. "This platform provided by this meeting proved to be useful. We had the opportunity that, face to face, the ministers in charge with the respective areas could talk about accomplishments, about challenges, about outstanding issues, but more importantly was to identify and talk about future large-spanning projects. Our approach was one needed now, was a pragmatic one that addressed to the solving of issues people are facing. Therefore, the economic projects, aimed at infrastructure, development of economic relations, offering of investment opportunities dominated the two governments meeting agenda", said Filat.
Several bilateral documents were signed in Iasi, at the end of the joint meeting of the Governments of Romania and the Republic of Moldova, by the two prime ministers and by the members of the Cabinets in Bucharest and Chisinau.
Romanian Prime Minister Ungureanu and his Moldovan counterpart Vlad Filat signed the Action Plan to implement the Joint Declaration on the setting of a Strategic Partnership for the Republic of Moldova's European integration.
Areas of cooperation under the Action Plan are European integration, political and institutional cooperation, economic cooperation, as well as cooperation in cultural, educational, youth and sports fields. The Action Plan signed by the Romanian and Moldovan Prime Ministers provides a framework for bilateral cooperation in line with Romania's commitment to support the key strategic objective of the Republic of Moldova - the European Union membership.
In the presence of two officials, the Romanian Minister of National Defence, Gabriel Oprea, and his Moldovan counterpart Vitalie Marinuta it was signed the Inter-governmental agreement on the legal regime of the Romanian war graves in the Republic of Moldova, and Minister of Administration and Interior Gabriel Berca and his Moldovan counterpart Alexei Roibu have signed the Agreement between the Government of Romania and the Government of the
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Republic of Moldova on cooperation and mutual assistance in case of disasters, this document stipulating the principles and technical procedures governing the conduct of activities of forecasting, prevention, preparedness, protection and intervention, in the aim to locate, limit and remove the effects of natural disasters, industrial accidents and / or other disasters, in a harmonized manner with requirements and recommendations on the international cooperation in this matter.
A protocol of cooperation between the Ministries of Labour of the two countries was signed by the Romanian Minister Claudia Boghicevici and her Moldovan counterpart Valentina Buliga.
The Romanian Minister of Education, Catalin Baba, and Moldovan Minister of Youth and Sports Ion Cebanu signed an Agreement on cooperation in youth and sports.
Likewise, a Cooperation agreement was signed between the Ministry of Regional Development and Tourism of Romania and the Ministry of Construction and Regional Development of the Republic of Moldova, by the ministers Cristian Petrescu and Anatolie Zolotcov.
A joint statement between the Ministry of Regional Development and Tourism of Romania, the Ministry of Environment and Forests of Romania and the Ministry of Construction and Regional Development and the Ministry of Environment of the Republic of Moldova was signed by the Romanian ministers Laszlo Borbely and Cristian Petrescu and, on behalf of the Moldovan side, by Minister Gheorghe Salaru and Deputy Minister Anatolie Zolotcov.
Romania to adopt 'a little more active and strong' stance in the European Council
Bucharest, 7 March/ Agerpres/ Romania will adopt "a little more active and strong" stance in the European Council, when "other interests not connected to the decision might affect us", Romanian Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu said on March 7 in Brussels.
The top Romanian diplomat met with European Commission Secretary General Catherine Day lat the headquarters of the EU Executive.
When asked by the journalists at the end of the talks whether Romania changes it attitude within the European Council, Minister Cristian Diaconescu said it is not precisely about "a change of attitude", but adopting "a stance a little more active and strong."
Minister Diaconescu voiced optimism over the possible lifting of the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM), under which Romania's progress with judiciary reform is monitored, saying there are enough arguments to back up the idea that this summer's report on the CVM will be the last.
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"I have enough information to believe that this summer's report will be the last under the CVM. (...) As an overall evaluation process, I agreed that the CVM had a positive impact on the functioning of the judiciary, the legal implementation framework and a certain culture at the level of the judiciary that secured the functioning of the state of law under normal, European circumstances in Romania," Minister Diaconescu said.
The Romanian minister said the European Commission should keep in mind that Romania is a "European and predictable country with sure elements regarding the institutional operation of the judiciary and more" that can benefit from more trust in its own capabilities to assess itself and identify the vulnerabilities in its judiciary and take the necessary political, legislative or professional measures to mitigate them.
"I believe Romania should categorically advance from a monitored country at the judiciary level to a partner status that, the same as the European Commission, has an interest in improving the judiciary to the best interests of the Romanian citizens," said Minister Cristian Diaconescu.
In relation to what will happen if the current monitoring mechanism will be exhausted by decision, given that this summer a comprehensive 5-year evaluation since the introduction of the CVM will be made, Minister Diaconescu mentioned that "a solution that fits today's Romania should be found because there are obvious improvements in the functioning of the Romanian judiciary".
The Romanian foreign minister reiterated the position of Romania according to which the CVM requirements should not be linked to other files, such as Romania's accession to the border-free Schengen Area. "Some member states are taking over elements from the CVM reports and use them for making decisions in different fields. This is not fair judicially and not honest politically; the decision we have to take in the period immediately ahead will have to be as clear as possible from this point of view," said Minister Diaconescu.
Minister Cristian Diaconescu paid a two-day working visit on March 7-8 to Brussels to meet with EU and NATO senior officials.
First round of Romanian-Polish strategic dialogue
Bucharest, 2 March/ Agerpres/ The stage of implementing the action plan of the bilateral strategic partnership declaration, which was agreed upon in 2009, and Romania's and Poland's priorities with a view to the NATO summit due in Chicago in May were on the agenda of the talks held in Warsaw between the delegations of Romania and Poland.
Secretary of State Bogdan Aurescu, together with Secretary of State Viorel Oancea of the Ministry of National Defence (MApN), headed the Romanian
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delegation made up of representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) and MApN, which attended the first round of the Romanian-Polish dialogue that was held under the aegis of the strategic partnership between Romania and Poland in Warsaw, on March 1-2, reads an MAE press release.
The two sides had a substantial exchange of opinions on the questions of the EU Common Security and Defence Policy. They also approached regional questions, interesting subjects on the global security agenda as well as the question of the Black Sea security.
Secretary of State Bogdan Aurescu said that this round of the strategic dialogue was a telling confirmation of the special efficiency of the bilateral strategic partnership with Poland, which is particularly important on a European, regional and security plane, the Bucharest-Warsaw relation having a pivotal role in achieving the political and strategic aims of the two countries, which are the same in their overwhelming majority.
According to the above-mentioned source, Romania and Poland voiced support for the aim of declaring, during the NATO summit in Chicago, the NATO's interim capability to give antimissile defence. The talks also revealed the interest taken by the two states in continuing the NATO involvement in Afghanistan after the 2014 end of the process of the Afghan security forces taking over the responsibility for ensuring security.
Secretary of State Bogdan Aurescu pointed to the NATO interest in having a pragmatic and substantial cooperation with the Russian Federation in the spirit of the decisions made by the Lisbon summit of the Alliance in the context of the cooperation within the NATO-Russia Council.
The two delegations appreciated that the Smart Defence initiative of the NATO Secretary General had the merit of offering creative and efficient solutions to spending the limited resources the allies allocate to defence under the circumstances of the financial crisis. Smart Defense, said State Secretary Bogdan Aurescu, is not only a package of multinational missiles, it is an extremely advanced expression of the allied solidarity, and the regional approach is the natural solution by the cooperation of the states that do not only have in common their geography, but also share common challenges and interests.
In the context of the talks the two delegations assessed the stage of implementing the action plan of the Romanian-Polish strategic partnership and revealed the fact that this privileged format of bilateral cooperation significantly contributed to the coordination of Romania's and Poland's positions on topical foreign policy and security subjects.
An item on the agenda of the talks was also security in the wider Black Sea region, the Romanian side pointing out its relevance for the security of the entire Alliance and the need to preserve a stable security area on the eastern border of NATO and the EU. The two sides also reiterated their support for the processes meant to negotiate for the prolonged conflicts in the region, with special emphasis on Transnistria and the separatist regions of Georgia, with the observance of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Republic of Moldova and Georgia. They also voiced their joint support for continuing the mandate and for the consolidation of the EU Monitoring Mission in Georgia.
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During the talks the two sides explored opportunities of concrete cooperation between the two countries, including the military field and the national contingents in the theatres of operations in which the Romanian and Polish armed forces take joint action.
The two sides agreed on the meetings of the strategic dialogue to be held twice a year, the next meeting being scheduled for the second part of the year in Bucharest.
Presidents of Romania and the Republic of Poland Traian Basescu and Lech Kaczynski signed the joint declaration on the Romanian-Polish strategic partnership on October 7, 2009.
The setting up of the strategic partnership was decided on as a consequence of the common interests of the two states on a bilateral, European and international plane. They also considered the fact that the two states ensured much of the outer border of the European Union and the NATO in Eastern Europe. Here are some of the most important common interests: the development of bilateral exchanges, the Common Agricultural Policy in the European Union, ensuring energy diversity, eastern neighbourhood, ensuring national, regional and international security, also reads the release.
Romania supports EU stance on Kyoto Protocol second commitment period
Romania supports the stance of the European Union on a new eight-year commitment period under the Kyoto Protocol (between 2013 and 2020), announced Minister of Environment and Forestry Laszlo Borbely, who attended the Environment Council meeting in Brussels last weekend.
According to a release of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (MMP) Romania also supports the submission by the parties of the quantified emission limitation and reduction objective (QELRO) until May 1, 2012, in the form of a single commitment of the EU and the Member States to reduce emissions by 20 pct until 2020 compared to 1990.
However, Minister Laszlo Borbely cautioned that the submission of this provisional single commitment must be followed by an analysis that should clarify the contribution of each Member State.
'At the same time, we consider that explicit mention must be made that the QELRO calculation takes into account the different base years specified in the Kyoto Protocol. For Romania, keeping 1989 as the base year provided for in the Protocol Kyoto is important for a more advantageous assessment of our country's effort to reduce emissions,' said Minister Borbely.
As a result of the concerted positions of Central and Eastern European states, the text of the draft conclusions initially proposed by the Danish Presidency of the EU Council was amended for the final text to reflect Romania's requests.
On the other hand, Romania pushed through an important compromise on another particularly sensitive issue in the text of the conclusions of the Environment Council, namely the possibility to carry over (bank) beyond 2012 the surplus of assigned amount units (AAU) from 2008 - 2012 emission cuts. (ActMedia, March 13, 2012)
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• Economics
Gas discovery gives Romania prospect of full energy independence
Romanian President Traian Basescu stated that Romania could become energetically-independent and could even start exporting gas to other countries in Europe, in the next few years. An offshore gas-drilling ship in the Romanian territory of the Black Sea found a gas field in the Neptun block of about one hundred billion cubic meters in late February 2012.Preliminary estimates place newly-found natural gas deposit at 42 to 84 billion cubic meters, or three to six times the annual gas consumption in Romania.
“Romania has the potential of total energy independence. If the remaining five fields of the Neptune area that will be prospected indicate a similar amount, Romania could become a source of gas not only for itself but for other European countries, too,” President Băsescu said, after visiting the Deepwater Champion drilling ship belonging to energy company ExxonMobil.
ExxonMobil and OMV unit Petrom were the ones that detected natural gas as they were drilling about 1,000 m deep in the Romanian part of the Black Sea. The Deepwater Champion ship has the capacity to drill as deep as 3,000 meters with equipment described by President Băsescu as “something out of the Star Trek movie”. The exploitation of the newly-found gas resource will start around 2015, after more examinations, such as seismic data have been carried out. “From that moment on, probably, Romania will be fully energy- independent,” President Băsescu said.
The Domino-1 well started drilling at the end of 2011 and it is the first deep-sea well installed in the Romanian perimeter of the Black Sea, in waters 930 m deep. This first field of gas was discovered 170 km offshore, on a sea land that was fiercely disputed just three ago between Romania and Ukraine. This prompted energy companies Total, Royal Dutch Shell, BP and OMV to announce their intention to put up a bid for drilling in the sea area within days.
Petrom said it was too early in the evaluation and exploration process to determine whether the Neptun block will prove to be commercially viable or not. “If subsequent operations will confirm the technical feasibility and the commercial gas production from the block Neptune, the cumulative value needed for investment in the exploration and development phases could be several billion U.S. dollars and the first production can be obtained in about 10 years at the earliest,” Mariana Gheorghe, executive chairman of Petrom said in a statement. (Source: EurActiv.com )
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Gov't interested in drawing investments for exploiting Romania's energy resources
Bucharest, 9 March/ Agerpres/ The Government is interested in drawing in investments for exploiting Romania's energy resources, Prime Minister Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu told ExxonMobil and OMV Petrom representatives at a meeting on Friday.
The Prime Minister Ungureanu on Friday welcomed at the Victoria Government House ExxonMobil Romania Exploration and Production Director General Ian Fischer and OMV Petrom Executive Chairwoman Mariana Gheorghe.
According to a government release, the main topic was natural gas exploration on the Neptun Block in the Black Sea, as the two companies confirmed on February 22 having made a potentially significant natural gas discovery in the Romanian perimeter of the Black Sea.
"ExxonMobil and OMV Petrom officials appreciated their excellent cooperation with the Romanian authorities along the entire process. Prime Minister Ungureanu mentioned that the Romanian Government is interested in attracting investments for exploiting Romania's energy resources," reads the press release issued by the Romanian Government.
Operated by Exxon Mobil Corp, the Domino-1 well is the first deep water exploration well offshore Romania. It is located in the Neptun Block, 170 kilometres offshore in water approximately 930 meters deep.
It was drilled by Deepwater Champion, the world's top modern drill ship, which currently operates in the Black Sea for companies ExxonMonil and Petrom, the cited source mentioned.
Ambassador’s meeting with Transelectrica
Embassy of Romania – London/ On March, 7, 2012, HE Dr. Ion Jinga, Ambassador of Romania to London has met with the representatives of the Romanian company Transelectrica discussing aspects of the public offer of 15% of shares and agreed to continue to support Transelectrica’s efforts in attracting British investors interested in buying the shares. At the meeting has been participating also the representative of the
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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______
trade section within the Embassy, Mrs. Cecilia Deaconescu.
Romanian state, through the Office for State Ownership and Privatization in Industry (OPSPI), as the major shareholder of Transelectrica, has pledged to sell 15% of the company’ shares through a secondary public offering by transacted them at the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB).
This offer has been promoted in the period of 5-7th of March in London in front of the investments bankers and fund managers by a delegation comprising the representatives of the Transelectrica, head of OPSPI, the president of BVB and the brokers syndicate.
This offer is the first step in a comprehensive privatization program of public offerings of the important Romanian companies in the energy sector, which it aim is to modernize and streamline their financial resources by attracting private capital trough the capital markets.
Transelectrica, the main transport and operator of the Romanian energy system is a valuable company, which operates in a strategic area of national interests, on a rapidly growing and liberalized energy market.
Transelectrica offer’ success is very important both for the timing of the privatization calendar and BVB, which must have a strong influx of issuers to attract powerful investors.
We want that Transelectrica to benefit from this opportunity taking into consideration that it has already a history at the BVB, Transelectrica being listed at the BVB at the first quote of the regulated market since 2006 and being also considered for a long time a very attractive company due to the standards of transparency, accountability and rigor required for the communication with investors.
Fondul Proprietatea aims to sell EUR 0.5 bln worth of shares packages in Romanian energy companies
Romania’s investment fund Fondul Proprietatea wants to sell its stakes in several energy companies in Romania, where it controls minority packages. The total value of these holdings is EUR 527 million, or 15 percent of the fund’s net asset value.The fund has mandated Citigroup as intermediary for the possible transactions. Fondul Proprietatea, managed by the US group Franklin Templeton and floating on the Bucharest Stock Exchange since 2011, aims to sell its share packages in several companies, where its shareholding varies between 12 and 24 percent: E.ON Moldova Distributie, E.ON Gaz Distributie, E.ON Energie Romania, Enel Distributie Muntenia, Enel Energie Muntenia, Enel Distributie Banat, Enel Distributie Dobrogea, Enel Energie, GDF Suez Energy Romania, Electrica Distributie Muntenia Nord, Electrica Distributie Transilvania Nord, Electrica Distributie Transilvania Sud, Electrica Furnizare.
All these companies are not listed on any stock markets, and the sale’s objective is to reduce the share of the unlisted part of Fondul Proprietatea’s portfolio, according to fund manager Greg Konieczny. “Through this action we hope to create additional value for our shareholders,” he goes on.
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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______
This decision comes soon after a Fondul Proprietatea shareholder, Elliott Associates, the largest investor in the fund, asked the fund managers to start selling stakes in some Romanian companies in the next three years, in exchange of a higher fee.
The shareholder proposed mid-February a higher fee should the fund management’s company allot special dividends to shareholders – meaning shared profits between 2012 and 2014 resulting from the sale of assets.Manchester Securities Corporation, owned by American hedging fund Elliott, says the Fondul Proprietatea Fund shareholders cannot make more money on their investments as long as the fund managers are paid with a 0.47 percent commission of the fund’s market capitalization. This fee structure determines Franklin Templeton to run the fund so as to keep the price of shares up, and re-invest the profit, rather than distribute it to shareholders. Manchester Securities Corporation is proposing a 1.5 percent fee of the supplementary dividends resulting from the sale of assets, should Franklin Templeton do this by 2013, and a 1 percent fee in 2014. The proposal, submitted to the Bucharest Stock Exchange, has been included on the agenda for the Fondul Proprietatea shareholders’ meeting in April this year.
The fund was created to compensate the owners of properties confiscated during the communist period, when the compensation was no longer possible in kind. The only individual who owns a larger share in the fund is Georgia Palade van Dusen, with 6.13 percent. The City of London also owns 7.21 percent in the fund.
The fund’s portfolio is focused on the electrical energy sector, oil and natural gas – around 88 percent of its net assets. The biggest unlisted company in its portfolio of shares is Hidroelectrica, while the biggest listed company where Fondul Proprietatea owns shares is OMV Petrom. (ActMedia, March 12, 2012)
Romania GDP posts 6th-largest growth in EU in Q4 of 2011
Bucharest, 6 March/ Agerpres/Romania's GDP posted the 6th-largest growth in the European Union in the fourth quarter of 2011 as compared to the same period in the prior year, while when compared to the previous quarter it shrank 0.2 percent, thus placing Romania 12th in the EU, shows an analysis made by Prime Minister's state advisor Andreea Paul.
According to the National Institute of Statistics, the GDP in the fourth quarter of 2011 dropped 0.2 percent from the prior quarter (seasonally adjusted series) and grew 1.9 percent from the same period in 2010 (gross series).
The Romanian GDP totalled 184 billion lei, in current prices in the fourth quarter of last year. Over Oct.-Dec. 2011, the GDP growth was mostly backed by the building sector, which
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expanded 5.7 percent, by agriculture, forestry and fisheries (3.1 percent) and industry (2 percent).
The steepest increase, in the overall economy, was recorded by the activities of shows, cultural and recreational; repair of home appliances and other services (11.1 percent).
Such positive developments countered the negative effect that the evolution of the net export had on the GDP as a result of a deeper rise in imports (5.4 percent) as compared to exports (4 percent).
The domestic demand grew 2.5 percent in the fourth quarter of 2011 from the same quarter in 2010. Overall end-consumption increased 1.4 percent based on a 2.8 percent rise in the people's spending that offset the 3.9 percent cut in the expenditure of the public administrations.
The Romanian GDP last year totalled roughly 578.6 billion lei in current prices, up 2.5 percent on 2010, with such increase being significantly determined by agriculture, forestry and fisheries (11.3 percent), industry (5 percent) and the activities of shows, cultural and recreational. Also contributing to such a development were the repair of home appliances and other services (4.8 percent). Slighter growth was recorded in construction (2.7 percent), as well as in wholesale and retail trade, cars and motorbikes repair; transport and warehousing, hotels and restaurants (1.2 percent).
The 3.5 percent cut in the end-consumption of the public administrations was offset by the 1.4 percent rise in the population's end-consumption spending, so that the total end-consumption kept almost steady over 2011 as compared to the prior year.
Gross fixed capital formation grew 6.3 percentage points.
The data communicated by Eurostat on Tuesday reveals Romania, having had a 2.1 percent growth of the GDP in the fourth quarter of 2011 from the same period in the prior year, ranked 6th in the EU-24 (for which there are available data). The European average was of 0.9 percent.
The Romanian GDP shrank 0.2 percent as compared to the prior quarter, thus placing the country 12th in the EU-23, for which Eurostat had data available. The European average was also negative, at 0.3 percent.
Cernavoda NPP in nuclear plants top worldwide
Unit 1 - Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) ranks 3rd in the top of the global nuclear facilities, with an installed capacity utilization factor averaged over three years (2009-2011) of 96.27 percent, according to WANO and international statistics assessment at the level of January 2012, made on the basis of Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant results.
According to a release of Cernavoda NPP , Unit 1 of the plant achieved a capacity factor of 90 percent by the end of January, for the entire period of its commercial operation (1996-2011), 10 percent above the value stipulated in the project.
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Amid the top nuclear facilities in Europe, Unit 1 is ranked 1st and Unit 2 on the 9th position. Unit 2 of Cernavoda NPP closely follows the performance of Unit 1, which proves that the Cernavoda NPP can achieve sustained long-term results, the statement reads.
This edition of the publication contains a review of 2011 performance in terms of the capacity factor of CANDU plants. Cernavoda NPP Unit 1 continues to be in the 1st position in Europe, with a capacity factor of 99.7 percent, said the president of CANDU Owners Group in his message in the monthly publication no. 17/ February 2012.
In addition, in 2009, a year without scheduled stops, Unit 1 was also placed on the 1st position among all CANDU units with a capacity factor of 100.1 percent.
From the start of its commercial operation by the end of January 2012, Cernavoda NPP with two units in operation has delivered a quantity of about 108,837 MWh to the National Power Grid, thus providing approximately 20 percent of the national electricity consumption.
These results were obtained in conditions of security for the population, environment and plant personnel, without any event of discharge of hazardous substances into the environment and the collective dose recorded at Cernavoda NPP fell significantly below the multi-annual average values recorded globally for plants of the same type. (ActMedia, March 8, 2012)
Romania, included as a first in Top 10 worldwide in terms of wind energy country attractiveness
As a first, Romania has nudged up the rankings of Top 10 most attractive countries in the world for investments in wind power, according to the latest Country Attractiveness Indices report released by Ernst & Young.
The Index calculated by Ernst & Young places Romania alongside Poland and Ireland in terms of the attractiveness of wind energy market and very close to countries like Sweden, France and Italy.
This progress reflects the newest investments in wind projects in Romania, of which the most important is that of Monsson Group, which began construction of a wind farm with an output of 150 MW. Total investment of the private developer in Constanta County park amounts to 245 million Euros, the report of Ernst & Young informs.
The General index, which includes scores for all categories of renewable energy - wind, solar, geothermal and biomass - further places Romania in the 13th position globally as regards the local market attractiveness for the development of energy projects in all these fields.
Ernst & Young Quarterly Index analyzes 40 most attractive countries in the world in terms of domestic market for renewable energy, infrastructure and compatibility with individual technologies.
Ernst & Young is one of the largest professional services firms worldwide, with 152,000 employees in 700 offices, in 140 countries, and revenues of approximately 22.9 billion dollars in
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2011. In Romania, Ernst & Young is one of the leaders on the market of professional services ever since its setting up, in 1992. The company has over 450 employees in Romania and in the Republic of Moldova. (ActMedia, March 1, 2012)
Investments in national economy grew by 9.2pct in 2011, up to 64.5 billion
The investments in the national economy grew by 9.2 percent, last year, compared to 2010, reaching over 64.529 billion lei, in the fourth quarter they totalling 24.878 billion lei, 22.1 percent higher as against the similar period of 2010, according to preliminary data published on Friday by the National Institute of Statistics (INS).
Investments materialized in new construction works, in 2011, totalled 31.913 billion lei, representing 49.5 percent of the total, compared with 51.2 percent in 2010. Investments in machinery and transport equipment totalled 26.305 billion lei, representing 40.8 percent of the total, as against 38.4 percent in 2010. Branches which saw a larger volume of investments are: industry and trade / services (wholesale and retail trade, repair of motor vehicles).
In the fourth quarter 2011, compared with the last three months of 2010, net investment in national economy grew by 22.1 percent, recorded by all structural elements: equipment (including transportation means) by 35.4 percent, to new construction works by 14.5 percent and other expenses by 12.6 percent.
Investment in new construction works totalled 11.594 billion lei, while that in machinery - 10.627 billion lei. Compared with fourth quarter 2010, there is a decrease in the total new construction works investments per total, by 1.8 percentage points and, for other costs by one percentage point. Share of investment in equipment (including transportation means) increased by 2.8 percentage points. (ActMedia, March 1, 2012)
Romanian banking system can finance major projects
The Romanian banking system is solid and can finance various projects, including in the public- private partnership sector, appreciated the president of the Romanian Banking Association and of the CEC Bank, Radu Gratian Ghetea.
'Despite the global economic crisis and many questions about future developments, the Romanian banking system is able to finance both simple projects at SMEs level and major projects. In this respect, the banks eagerly look forward to the launch of major investments in Public Private Partnerships. Also, the two areas that overlaps, agriculture and EU funds, will represent in 2012 the banks vested interest. These could be elements which could define the evolution of the bank lending throughout this year. In other activities, such as for instance the consumer credit, I do not estimate an increase in banks' interest, but, on the contrary, I appreciate it is going to remain dormant ', Ghetea told
In his opinion, the financial institution he is heading will continue to mainly finance the SMEs sector.
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'As for CEC, the bank will primarily seek to fund SMEs, agriculture and local public administrations, as well as to support its clients to access European funds', said CEC Bank president.
Ghetea believes that EU funds are a viable alternative that can meet market demand for financing.
'With regard to EU funding, we remind that CEC Bank is one of the first commercial banks which have introduced in their offer products destined to beneficiaries of EU funds. These products are not intended for a specific economic field, but are addressed to specific customers: beneficiaries of European funds, either local authorities, SMEs or authorized individuals. Moreover, CEC Bank has personnel trained in this segment, who can respond to the information needs of European funding potential beneficiaries. As such, we attempt to offer financial advice and to support our customers to include their project ideas into one of the financing fields approved by the EC. To this end, CEC Bank launched 'The offices of the European funds', opened in mid-2010 throughout the country', Radu Gratian Ghetea highlighted. (ActMedia, March 5, 2012)
Romgaz turnover up 11 pct, market share steady at 45 pct last year
Gas company Romgaz Medias reported last year an 11 pct growth in turnover to about 930 million Euros (RON 4.05 billion), while the company's market share stood around 45 pct, Romgaz Medias interim managing director Dumitru Chisalita told a specialist conference.
'Romgaz currently operates eight perimeters in Romania, investing annually 60 million Euros therein. The minimum operation programs require a total amount of 500 million Euros. In the past three years we maintained our market share around 45 pct. Romgaz holds around 2,760 million cubic meters of gas in company-operated storage facilities in Romania. In the past three years we have followed a continuously upward trend thanks to research and the development in gas trading,' said Chisalita. The head of Romgaz Medias added that the company's list of strategic goals includes, among others, discovering new deposits in Romania and outside country boundaries.
'As far as our strategic objectives are concerned, they are aimed at maximizing the company's value. Romgaz can represent more in terms of value if new gas deposits are struck in Romania and outside country borders. Then this is about increasing sales of natural gas and enhancing the storage capacity, underground facilities included. Romgaz deposits successfully coped with the bad weather in the past 30 days,' said the Romgaz head. (ActMedia, March 1, 2012)
Hidroelectrica and Nuclearelectrica initial public offerings to be finalised in October 2012
The initial public offerings of 10-percent stakes in Hidroelectrica and Nuclearelectrica will be finalised in October 2012, Chairman of the Government's Industrial Holdings and Privatisation Florin Laurentiu Vladana told a business seminar.
'The deadline for the submission of bids for the 10-percent stake in Hidroelectrica is March 1, 2012. In the case of Nuclearelectrica, the technical requirements are to be completed first and
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very soon the announcement for electing the arranger will be out. The deadline for the finalisation of the sale of shares in Hidroelectrica and Nuclearelectrica is October 2012,' said Vladana.
As regards the flotation of minority stakes in Transelectrica, Vladana mentioned that the process will continue on March 5 and 6, 2012 and will include a road show in London to promote the stock. The subscription deadline is mid-March 2012.
'In the case of the secondary public offering of Transgaz shares, the broker has been selected and technical procedures are being unfolded, expected to be completed toward the close of April 2012. We have selected a transaction consortium for Romgaz and negotiations and the signing of a contract will ensue,' said Vladana.
In 2012, stakes of 15 percent will be listed through secondary public offerings in Transelectrica, Transgaz and Romgaz, and a 9.84-percent stake in Petrom, as well as 10 percent in Hidroelectrica and 10 percent in Nuclearelectrica through initial public offerings. (ActMedia, March 1, 2012)
Romania, an interesting partner for foreign companies in the sector of environment protection
Romania is an interesting partner for the foreign companies active in the sector of environment protection, said managing director of Walloon company Menart Olivier Molinet during a seminar.
'There are 26 projects in Romania focused on waste recycling. Romania has drawn too few funds available from the European Union for environment protection, only about 10 percent. This can be a great benefit because it can use the rest of the percentage cooperating with top companies interested in such investments, such as Menart. In fact, the Walloon companies present at Romenvirontec exhibition want to create as many such partnerships in Romania as possible,' Olivier Molinet said.
The Economic Bureau of the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region within the Belgium Embassy in Bucharest held, during the 19th edition of Romenvirotec, the seminar on the theme 'The Walloon know-how in the field of polluted soil restoration and waste recycling.'
The EU policies in the sector of waste management highlight the importance of an integrated approach in managing waste, including building facilities to eliminate waste along with measures to prevent waste production and recycling.
Among the Walloon companies which declared available to cooperate on environment programmes there is also the VAL+ , a cluster made up of 60 active SMEs managing municipal solid waste. (ActMedia, March 2, 2012)
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Oradea City wins Romania's 2012 Green Capital title
The western Romanian city of Oradea has garnered most of the votes to be named the greenest county capital in Romania in 2012. The title was presented by Minister of the Environment and Forestry Laszlo Borbely at the 2nd edition of the Romania's Green Capital gala awards.
Bloggers also unanimously chose Oradea as the greenest city of Romania.
At the gala awards, all the 13 competing cities received a diploma from the organisers for their green projects.
The competition had several categories: environmental strategy and waste management, sustainable development plans, environmental actions and communication between the administrations and the population, waste recycling, future actions in the area of environmental protection, actions to avoid/contain pollution, measures to prevent the over-spilling of waste in urban areas, the promotion of selective waste collection and its public acceptance, as well as enthusiasm and initiatives in the area of environmental protection.
Oradea, the 2012 winner, is the county capital and the largest city of Bihor County, located in western Romania on the Crisul Repede River, next to the border with Hungary. According to the 2002 population census, the city has 206,614 inhabitants. The metropolitan area, which includes 11 neighbour communes, totalled 249,764 inhabitants, 68.2 percent Romanians and 28.7 percent Hungarians.
The Baile Felix and Baile 1 Mai spa resorts are 8 km and 4 km away from the city, respectively. Besides the local thermal baths worldwide known for their therapeutic benefits, the area hosts a spectacular cave formation called the Betfia Crater and the Petea thermal stream with tropical vegetation that is unique in Europe.
Tuborg Romania brewer, in partnership with the Ministry of the Environment and Forestry (MMP) on Wednesday organised the Green Capital of Romania gala awards at the Parliament Palace in Bucharest City.
The Green Capital of Romania project was carried out by the Green Umbrella (an URBB - Tuborg Romania project), in partnership with MMP. The project was designed to turn the county capitals of Romania in green areas. The winning city will get free advertising nationwide in 2012, and signs will mounted in the city highlighting the fact that the city is the green capital of Romania. Moreover, the new green capital of Romania will be granted priority in developing the future actions to be carried out under the Green Umbrella campaign with support from the MMP. (ActMedia, March 9, 2012)
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German holidaymakers prefer Romanian Riviera, tourist circuits, spa treatments
The German holidaymakers prefer the Romanian Riviera, the tourist circuits or the spa treatments, Toni Messerschmidt, the owner of the German tour-operator Messerschmidt Reisen, told Agerpres.
'The Germans prefer the Riviera, but also the tourist circuits and the hotels with spa from Baile Felix (Bihor county, north-western Romania), Eforie North, Neptun and Mangalia (Black Sea resorts). We brought 1,279 German tourists on the Romanian Riviera last year and at this moment, we already have by 20 percent more contracted tourist packages,' the German businessman said.
He stressed that the programme Early Summer Registration has a lot of success, thanks to its special offers of 7 nights accommodation for the price of 5. The package offered to the German tourists also includes Danube Delta trips, the tour of Bucharest, two days on the Prahova Valley or a tour on the Black Sea Romanian Riviera.
Romania attends the International Tourism Fair over March 7-11 with a stall organised by the Ministry of Regional Development and Tourism. The fair, at its 46th edition, gathers tour- operators, airline companies and hotel companies all around the world.
Romania has been present at the fair with a national exhibition stand since 1970. Following Romania's participation in the 2009 edition, the country reappeared in the TUI 2010 catalogue, marking the comeback of the largest German tour-operator on the Romanian market.
In addition, in 2009 the Romanian tourism offers were included in the 2010 catalogues of other German tour-operators such as Dertour, ITS and Messerschmidt. (ActMedia, March 13, 2012)
TAROM announces changes in flights operation, from March 25 to October 27, 2012
The Romanian Air Transport National Company TAROM announces changes in its flights operation, according to the summer 2012 schedule, valid from March 25 to October 27, 2012, the company informs in a press release.
On Bucharest-London-Bucharest there will be two daily flights in the mentioned period, which are set to match the particular
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The Romanian Air Transport National Company TAROM was founded in 1954 and developed in step with the Romanian aviation. TAROM Co. conducts its activities under the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure authority and is a member of the SkyTeam Alliance as of June 25, 2010, thus offering its passengers access to more destinations and connections. TAROM is a member of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) from 1993 and of the Association of European Airlines (AEA), starting with 2000. (ActMedia March 13, 2012)
Pound trades at 5.24 lei
The exchange rate of the national leu currency resulting from the quotations announced on March 15, 2012, by the banks authorized to operate on the currency market is as follows:
CURRENCY SYMBOL RON 1 British pound GBP 5.2434 1 euro EUR 4.3672 1 US dollar USD 3.3478 1 Swiss franc CHF 3.6063 100 Japanese yen JPY 4.0123 1 Russian rouble RUB 0.1135 1 new Turkish lira TRY 1.8577 1 gram of gold XAU 177.2328 1 SDR XDR 5.1245
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• Culture
March 1, festival of Martisor
Bucharest, 1 March/ Agerpres/ For Romanians, March 1st celebrates the Day of Martisor. Martisor is a symbolical calendar, represented by a two- colour piece of string, which gathers the days, weeks and months of the year in two seasons, winter and summer, and is given as a gift on March 1, the day of Dochia, the millennia-old beginning of the agrarian year.
Generalized today in villages, towns and cities, the Martisor is made of two coloured, white and red, threads, to which something made by hand is attached in order to be given as a gift to girls and women, who wear it on the breast of their clothes one or several days.
Although one does not know exactly how long ago this custom can be traced back, it is known that the first day of spring was celebrated as early as about 8,000 years ago and the Martisor originates in the agrarian practices and beliefs of that time.
The Romans celebrated the beginning of spring on March 1, the month that bore the name of God Mars, protector of the fields and flocks of sheep, a god that personified the revival of nature. Although the custom bears his name it has no martial connotation. They say that the Martisor brings good luck and happiness. It consists in a red and white small bow: the red signifying winter and the white, spring. Other symbols of good luck, such as a four-leaf clover, a horseshoe, a chimney sweep or a heart, are added to it. The Martisor is worn on one's clothes for a few days, starting on March 1.
At the time of the Dacians, the symbols of spring were made in winter and worn after March 1 only. The Martisor was then made up of white and red pebbles on a string and was worn round one's neck. The red, which was given by fire, blood and the sun, used to symbolize life, therefore, the woman, and the white, given by the clear water, being specific to the wisdom of man. Therefore, the string of the Martisor represents the harmonious blending of the two.
According to other sources, the Martisor consisted of coins that were hanged on thin black and white threads of wool. The choice of the coin, gold, silver or bronze, indicated the social status. The Dacians thought that these amulets brought fertility, beauty and prevented sunburns. They wore them till trees blossomed, then they hanged them in their branches.
According to some traditions, Baba Dochia spun the string of the Martisor, a rope made up of 365 and 366 days, while she was climbing the hills behind her sheep.
Thus, as the Martisor cannot be separated from the tradition of the Carpathian Dochia, one can certainly say that it is an old Romanian custom, attested in all the regions inhabited by
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Romanians and Macedo-Romanians, which was then adopted by other peoples in Central and South-Eastern Europe.
The Ambassador of Romania visits the University of Manchester
Embassy of Romania – London/ On 5 March 2012, HE Dr. Ion Jinga, Ambassador of Romania in London visited the University of Manchester at the invitation of the Manchester Debating Union and the University of Manchester Romanian Students’ Society. It was his second visit to the University of Manchester, where 239 Romanians are currently studying. The first visit took place on 14 March 2011.
During his visit, the Ambassador met with Mr Rod Coombs, Deputy President and Deputy Vice- Chancellor of the university and with Romanian students; he participated as special guest and member of the Manchester Debating Union (membership acquired during his previous visit to the University of Manchester) to a debate between Romanian and international students on the topic: ‘Should the free movement of workers within the European Union be restricted?’; the visit ended with a reception organised by the Romanian Students’ Society.
The Ambassador and the Deputy Vice-Chancellor discussed aspects regarding the multicultural profile of the university and the international academic cooperation. One quarter of the students are non-British and the largest communities are represented by European (2500), Chinese (2500) and Malaysian (700) students. With regard to the Romanian students and researchers, Professor Rod Coombs stated that they are very well integrated and have excellent academic achievements. The Ambassador of Romania mentioned the objective of the Embassy to establish and consolidate links with British universities where Romanians are studying. He also said that he has visited over 30 universities so far, adding that around 5,000 students and professors of Romanian origin reside in Great Britain at present. The Ambassador invited Mr. Rod Coombs to participate as a speaker to the 5th edition of the Conference for Romanian Students, Professors and Researchers living in the UK, an event organised by the Embassy and hosted by the University of Edinburgh this year (20th October 2012).
The meeting of the Ambassador with Romanians studying at the University of Manchester was attended by students from different academic profiles such as engineering, law, social sciences, economics and business. Several issues were tackled: going back to Romania after graduation; the structure of the Romanian community in Great Britain; the access to the labor market and the restrictions to be lifted in 2014; the evolution of the criminality rate within the Romanian community; establishing a polling station in Manchester.
The debate between Romanian and international students on the topic ‘Should the free movement of workers within the European Union be restricted?’ took place before an audience made out of British, international and Romanian students. Two teams made of two students each competed in presenting the advantages and disadvantages of the freedom of movement on the European labour market. The argument in favour of the free movement of workers within
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the EU was presented by two Romanian students: Victor Roman and Traian Zaharia, and the opposing team was represented by Oliver Johnstone (UK) and Aarti Sreenivas (Singapore). The debate was moderated by the Chair of the Manchester Debating Union, Max Thomason. It was followed by a Q&A session and the Ambassador of Romania intervened as a member of the Manchester Debating Union.
The audience voted for the team who argued in favour of the necessity and advantages of free movement. At the end of the debate, the Ambassador of Romania congratulated the two teams for the manner in which they presented their arguments and offered them diplomas. He also presented his views on the positive effects of the free movement of workers within the EU labour market, exemplifying with official data and conclusions from reports made by the European Commission and British institutions on the concrete case of Romania and Bulgaria.
Romania’s presence at the International Francophonie Day celebration in Trafalgar Square
Embassy of Romania – Lodon/ On 17 March 2012, the International Francophonie Day (20 March) will be celebrated in Trafalgar Square.
The event ‘Le Francais, j’Adore’ is organised by diplomatic missions of the Francophone states in London, with the objective to promote cultural diversity and French as one of the official languages of the Olympics.
The programme includes a concert performed by Francophone artists on the Trafalgar Square stage, as well as a series of activities held at the national stalls of the participant countries.
The Romanian stall is organised by the Embassy of Romania in London in partnership with the Ministry of Regional Development and Tourism, the Romanian National Tourist Office - London, and the Romanian Cultural Institute in London.
Further details regarding the event can be found on the following website: www.lefrancaisjadore.com
Francophonie Night on March 20 at Romania's National Art Museum
The festival of the Francophonie will be marked in Bucharest by a Francophonie Night, which will be held on March 20, at Romania's National Art Museum, director general of the Directorate General for Public Diplomacy with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE) Doris Mircea told a news conference.
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During this event, which is organized by MAE and the Ministry of Culture in partnership with the Embassies of Armenia, Canada, Egypt, France, Lebanon, Morocco, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Switzerland, Tunisia, Vietnam, the Wallonia-Brussels Delegation, the International Organization of the Francophonie for Countries of Central and Eastern Europe and the Bureau for Central and Eastern Europe of the Francophone University Agency, they will award three prizes to some personalities: one for the entire activity, for a mass media representative and the third one to a personality in business. The names of the prize-winners will be made known during the Francophonie Night, where the Violoncellissimo group will give a concert.
On March 21 they will hold the seminar titled 'French, the Language of Business, a Passport for the Future,' organized together with the Bureau of the Francophone University Agency and the French Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Romania and the members of the Group of Francophone Embassies, Delegations and Institutes.
In order to mark the Francophonie Day too, on March 29 they will organize a ceremony during which they will hand the certificates to the Romanian office workers participating in the plan of training in French in 2011, at the MAE headquarters.
In April MAE will take part in the meeting with the scholars included in the Eugene Ionesco scholarship programme, class 2012, at the Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca (western Romania). Romania's diplomatic missions will organize various events marking the International Francophonie Day: concerts, exhibitions, conferences, lectures, theatrical performances and film screenings. The missions will also attend joint events organized in cooperation with other Francophone embassies in the countries of residence. (ActMedia, March 2, 2012)
Romania to participate in 2012 Cultural Olympiad in London
Bucharest, 6 March/ Agerpres/ Romania, as a global significant player, will be present at the 2012 Cultural Olympiad in London through a series of projects selected by the contest of ideas organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR) in 2011 and also through projects developed by ICR London team, ICR President Horia-Roman Patapievici said on March 6.
Reviewing once again the institutional reform of the above-mentioned institution, Patapievici said that Romania, through the ICR, is invited to Turin in 2012 and to Goeteborg in 2013. At the same time, in 2012 Romania will host an event where the European Union Network of Institutes of Culture (EUNIC) will hold talks with China.
The Cultural Olympiad is a complex British programme, which includes actions and events aimed to celebrate creativity and diversity of artistic expression forms, in the context of international participation in the Olympics, the main theme of the programme being "London, seen as a global capital of artistic creativity".
ICR will participate with a programme of projects to generate a significant impact and highlight, through excellence, the Romanian offer among over 1,000 artistic events scheduled to unfold
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under the aegis of the Cultural Olympiad. The events are meant to generate a concrete and log- standing impact, to perpetuate the Romanian presence also after the end of the Olympic year.
At the same time, our presence will delimit a Romanian captivating and original perimeter, able to attract the attention of a mass audience.
In order to have a strong impact and visibility, the Romanian projects have the following features: create legacies, address the needs and concrete problems of London, as an architectural and community city, are integrated in big festivals or events of the Cultural Olympiad (London Festivals, Big Dance Festival, London International Theatre Festival, Poetry Parnassus, Wide Open School, London Festival of Architecture, River of Music, Thames Festival), take place in public spaces (streets, parks, esplanades, famous buildings, Thames River), include or use the newest technologies, are spectacular, accessible and most likely enjoy the attention of a heterogeneous international public.
The London ICR is located in the Belgrave Square, in downtown London, in an old aristocratic palace built in the 19th century, the building having been bought by the Romanian state in the 30s of the last century. It has functioned as an embassy, residence of the ambassador or the diplomatic personnel and as a cultural institute.
ICR London is a public institution meeting more functions: diplomatic mission, cultural management platform, PR and artistic agency, information and documentation centre. Its objectives and current activities are: cultural and public diplomacy, management of cultural projects, establishing contacts and partnerships between cultural figures and Romanian and British cultural bodies, releasing relevant information about Romania and the Romanian culture among the British public, preserving the cultural-linguistic identity of the Romanians living in the UK.
The institute has been operational since 2006 and its first director until 2009 was Gabriela Massaci. Since Jan. 2010, Dorian Branea has been in charge.
During the first years of institutional development, in parallel with the expansion of the ICR network, ICR London stood out as an active presence among the institutes of cultural diplomacy from London.
ICR became a founding member in 2008 and in the first two years held the chairmanship of the British cluster of the EUNIC.
Online radio, launched for Romanians in Romania and Romanian communities everywhere
Bucharest, 6 March/ Agerpres/ "Ecou Romanesc" Media Agency and the online radio with the same name were launched for the Romanians in and outside Romania.
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The founder and communication coordinator of "Ecou Romanesc" (Romanian Echo) portal Sanda Cojocaru said that the purpose of the agency is that of "collaborating with Romanians everywhere ... in order to help them maintain their cultural, linguistic and religious identity."
"Ecou Romanesc joins Romanians of Romania with those abroad and thus contributes to strengthening the brand of 'Romanian," "Romanian community" and "Romania," Sanda Cojocaru showed.
Secretary of State for Romanians everywhere Eugen Tomac congratulated the youths for the initiative and advised them not to stop, telling them that he always expected them gladly and that, in case they had problems, he would do all possible to help them overcome them.
As a surprise for all present at "Ecou Romanesc" portal launching festivity, the online radio station with the same name was also launched, the first singer broadcasted being Tudor Gheorghe.
"Ecou Romanesc radio is one of the few online radio stations to only broadcast Romanian music. The purpose of this radio is an educational one, not only for entertainment, for those who listen to both recent Romanian music and are also willing to come back to the old high quality music or to listen to folk music from different areas of Romanian communities," Sanda Cojocaru also said.
The map of Romanian communities was also launched during the event, accompanied by figures representing the number of Romaians in the communities around the borders, namely Hungary - 10,200, Bulgaria - 150,000, Ukraine - 410,000 and the Republic of Moldova - 3.4 million.
The team initiating "Ecou Romanesc" project is made up of 17 young volunteers from Romanian and the Republic of Moldova, aged between 19 and 25, divided into four departments - Journalism, PR, social-media and radio. "Ecou Romanesc" radio station can be listened to by accessing the address www.ecouromanesc.info.
Communism, Humour and Urban Myths: A Screening of Tales from the Golden Age 22/03/2012 @ 1 Belgrave Square, SW1X 8PH
In his first film after winning the Palm D’Or at Cannes for 4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days, Cristian Mungiu wrote the script for a quirky and engaging series of Tales from the Golden Age, screened as part of the Un Certain Regard section at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival. The title refers to the alleged "Golden Age" (coined by Communist propaganda) of the last fifteen years of Ceauşescu's regime, in an attempt to overcome trauma by way of humour. Trying to unravel and rewind the twisted logic of life in a Communist dictatorship, the film focuses on portraying the most popular urban myths of the period: The Legend of the Official Visit, The Legend of the Party
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Photographer, The Legend of the Chicken Driver, The Legend of the Greedy Policeman, The Legend of the Air Sellers. Delightfully poignant, grotesque and surprising, the five tales offer a surreal portrait of Romanian life in the 1980s, where undertones of fear, corruption and imprisonment were never far away from the humour and ludic spirit which kept people alive.
“Anyone impelled by the upcoming 20th anniversary of the toppling of the Berlin Wall to dig deeper into Europe's recent past; anyone in search of a genuinely original and very funny film: Tales From the Golden Age is just the ticket.” The Telegraph
Romania | 2009 | 155 min | directors: Constantin Popescu Jr., Răzvan Mărculescu, Ioana Uricaru, Hanno Hofer, Cristian Mungiu | screenplay: Cristian Mungiu | cast: Călin Chirilă, Teodor Corban, Radu Iacoban, Vlad Ivanov, Tania Popa, Ion Săpdaru. In Romanian, with English subtitles.
The Romanian Cinematheque Project is realised in partnership with the National Centre for Cinematography in Romania (CNC).
When: 22 March 2012, 7 pm; Where: Romanian Cultural Institute, London. Free entrance. To attend please email [email protected] or call 0207 752 0134. Early booking recommended.
Romanian Virtuosos in the Pianists of the World Series 23/03/2012 @ St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 4JJ
Romanian musicians are in the spotlight of one of London’s most popular music programmes. The pianist Diana Ionescu will be performing at St Martin-in-the-Fields within the New Music / Young Romanian Musicians in London Series, relaunched in 2011 with the participation of The Mercury Quartet, Matei Bucur Mihăiescu and Victor Nicoară. In 2012, the series hosted Dan Mărginean (piano) and Radu Ropotan (violin), with a truly breathtaking performance.
Programme Claude Debussy - La Cathédrale Engloutie (Preludes, Book 1) Robert Schumann - Sonata No.1 in F sharp minor, Op.11 Bach-Busoni - Chaconne in D minor
Romanian pianist Diana Ionescu is hailed as one of the most enchanting performers of her generation. Guided from an early age by such personalities as Sanda Bobescu, Olga Szel and Dan Grigore, and later on by Alexis Weissenberg, Marta Argerich, Lory Wallfisch and Richard Goode, she was constantly encouraged to develop the extraordinary abilities she had shown as a child. Numerous prizes in international competitions (the First Prize in the “George Enescu” Competition – Bucharest 2001, the “Alexis Weissenberg” Prize, The Glass Seller's Trophy –
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London 2010), as well as her enthusiastically acclaimed performances within major festivals (“George Enescu” Festival 2001, Verbier Festival 2006, Progetto Martha Argerich 2008, St Prex Classics 2010-2011) have turned her into a valuable and active vector of Romanian culture abroad.
While studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Joan Havill and Ronan O'Hora, she has performed extensively throughout the UK, in venues such as the Wigmore Hall, Barbican Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, LSO St Luke's, St Martin-in-the-Fields, CBSO Birmingham, Covent Garden. Her collaborations with musicians like the “Belcea Quartet”, the “Transylvan Quartet”, violinist and composer Vlad Maistorovici, soprano Teodora Gheorghiu, as well as famous orchestras – the Romanian National Radio Orchestra, the Romanian Philharmonic Orchestra, the Guildhall School Orchestra –, ensured performances and recordings of the highest quality. In honour of these achievements, she has been awarded the “Ambassador's Diploma” for her contribution to the development of the British-Romanian cultural partnership (22 October 2011). She is currently finalizing her PhD thesis on Enescu's solo piano works, under the guidance of Prof. Ronan O' Hora and Prof. Alexander Lingas. Future projects include completing the recordings of the “Integral Mozart Piano Sonatas” for the Romanian National Radio. Her presence in the UK was generously supported by the Ratiu Family Foundation and The Leverhulme Trust.
When: Fri 23 march, 1pm Where: St Martin-in-the-Fields
“The ABBA of Classical Music” @ the Mill Hill Music Club 25/03/2012 @ Mill Hill Music Club, One Hollies End, Mill Hill Village NW7 2RY
The Exuberant Contempo String Quartet will bring its unique and eclectic interpreting style to the stage of the Mill Hill Music Club. Alongside them, you will find Dermot Dunne, a versatile and accomplished accordion player who is a frequent prize winner, both at home in Dublin and abroad.
Programme: Schubert - String Quartet No. 14 Death and the Maiden Astor Piazzolla - Grand Tango Astor Piazzolla - Six Argentinian Tangos for Accordion Quintet
After graduating from the National University of Music (Bucharest) and making their debut in 1995, the ConTempo String Quartet (Bogdan Sofei - 1st violin, Ingrid Nicola - 2nd violin, Andreea Banciu - viola & Adrian Mantu – cello) soon gained world recognition. They are record winners of 14 international prizes, with more than 1200 concerts all over the world, in front of great personalities such us Pope John Paul II, Nelson Mandela, Prince Charles, Nobel Prize winners and Hollywood stars. They performed on internationally renowned stages, including Carnegie Hall in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, The
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Philharmonic Hall in Berlin, and they have worked with some of the most famous quartets in the world: Amadeus, Alban Berg, Hagen, Tokyo & Emerson. Since 2003, they have been Galway Ensemble-in-Residence on the Western Coast of Ireland, embarking on a unique project whose highlights are: concerts and collaborations with musicians throughout Ireland, the annual ConTempo Summer Festival and the educational programme in County Galway schools.
Their musical repertoire encompasses the Classical and Romantic eras (Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Schubert, Schumann, Dvořák, Puccini), as well as the 20th century (Elgar, Zemlinsky, Eisler, Bartok, Hindemith, Enescu, Shostakovich, Ligeti). Their pop repertoire includes South American tangos, songs of the Beatles, rock and jazz, while their collaborations with traditional musicians include original music by Maírtín O'Connor and folk music from Romania and Ireland, in arrangements by Garry O' Bríain.
"Polished and professional group… The Mozart was given a delightfully skittish reading, full of exuberance and with a fine sense of ensemble… real sensitivity… exceptional performance." The Strad/ (Wigmore Hall Debut)
Founded in 1955, Mill Hill Music Club is well-known as one of the main attractions in London’s overwhelming musical world. Among the artists who stepped on its stage we need to mention Istrael Piano Trio, Chilingirian Quartet, Mitsuko Uchida, Artur Pizarro, Smetana Trio and the ConTempo String Quartet.
When: Sun 25 March 2012 @ 7.30pm Where: Mill Hill Music Club, The Hall, The Henrietta Barnett School, Hampstead Garden Suburb, London, NW11 7BN Tickets: £15 from http://www.millhillmusicclub.co.uk/boxoffice.htm
A Romanian Silent Classic at the Barbican 25/03/2012 @ Barbican Centre Silk Street London EC2Y 8DS
A silent love story meets reinterpreted retro music at the famous Barbican Cinema. The silent Romanian masterpiece Manasse comes to London in a delightful event, with live musical accompaniment by the spellbinding and refined Minima, as a result of the ongoing partnership between the Romanian Cultural Institute in London and the Barbican.
Manasse (directed by Jean Mihail, 1925, 54’) presents the drama unfolding between a Romanian man and a Jewish woman, highlighting the religious intolerance in Fălticeni, a small town in Eastern Romania. Based on the play by Moise Ronetti-Roman, Manasse is a highly dramatic take on the problems inherent in Romanian society at that time. Mihail was one of Romania’s most important early directors,
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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______exploring the most sensitive issues with sincerity, visual panache and unflinching dramatic power.
Minima’s music is an audacious 21st century interpretation of the images of silent and avant- garde cinema. Their repertoire includes silent feature films: surrealism, horror and science fiction, as well as animations and improvised performances. Founded in 2006, Minima have since performed in a variety of cinemas and art centres, music festivals and unusual venues such as churches and railway arches, not forgetting Spitalfields market for the 2009, 2010 & 2011 East End Film Festival screenings of Nosferatu or The Lodger.
The screening will be preceded by the short film The Country of Motzi / Ţara Moţilor (Paul Călinescu, 1938, 20’). Part of Silent Film & Live Music Series.
With thanks to the National Film Archive, Bucharest. The tickets can be purchased on the Barbican website: http://www.barbican.org.uk/
Standard - £9.50 online (£10.50 full price). Barbican Members - £7.50 online (£8.50 full price) / Concessions £8.50 When: Sun 25 March 2012, 4pm Where: Barbican Centre, Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS, Cinema 1
Ancestral Roots and Modern Vibes in One Jazzy Trumpet: Sebastian Burneci 29/03/2012 @ 606 Club, 90 Lots Road, London SW10 0QD
Best described as an “amazing player with an original and wide range of sound” (Alex Sipiagin), Sebastian Burneci will dazzle the legendary 606 Club’s audience, one of the oldest and most prestigious London jazz venues, within our ongoing partnership.
Having a thorough training in both classical and jazz music, Sebastian is widely recognised as one of the finest trumpet players of his generation. He delivers rhythmic and compelling sounds and startling originals, full of unexpected turns.
Upon graduating the “Regina Maria” Music Lyceum in Constanţa, he moved to Bucharest in 2001. He studied classical trumpet with Iancu Văduva at the Romanian National Music University and started collaborating with the Romanian National Radio Symphonic Orchestra and the Romanian National Philharmonic. As he soon became one of the most important figures of the musical scene, the Romanian National Radio Society offered him the lead trumpet chair at the National Radio Big Band led by Ionel Tudor. To support himself through school, Sebastian also started playing with several pop-rock bands, soon to become a “professional sideman”.
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He is currently living in Amsterdam and studying the second major in jazz trumpet at the Prins Claus Conservatorium in Groningen, with Alex Sipiagin, Kurt Weiss and Peter van Soest. However, Sebastian also continues to be involved in the classical music scene, performing a piano duo with the Romanian pianist and conductor Simona Strungaru.
Presented in partnership with the Romanian Cultural Institute in London, this concert is part of an ongoing “European Exchange” initiative promoted by the 606 Club, in order to provide a platform for some of the finest European musicians to perform in the home country of the guest artists. In this way it is hoped that the music of these fine players can be brought to a wider audience around Europe.
When: Thu 29 March 2012, 7.30pm Where: 606 Club, 90 Lots Road, London SW10 0QD Tickets: £10 at +44 (0)20 7352 5953 or at the door.
The Glory and the Limits of the Body: Bio-art Exhibition by Christian Paraschiv 15/03 - 13/04/2012 @ 1 Belgrave Square, SW1X 8PH
Opening: Thu 15 March, 6.30pm@1 Belgrave Square
With the London Olympics 2012 approaching fast, the human body – its performances and its limits – becomes the focus of reflection and debate this year. Christian Paraschiv, one of the most famous Romanian artists abroad, expresses his vision in a flux of works under construction since the ‘90s, bearing the title Skin & Body and encompassing painting, sculpture, drawing, scanned imagery, installations, photo montage, video elements, art books.
The artist traces the concepts of corporeality and identity to our biological core: in the specific form of bio-art that he practices, his own cells, prelevated in a laboratory, give birth to an artificial skin, fixed in latex and wood resins. For Paraschiv, the skin is the contour of the body in the world, an ensemble of signs which can be technologically represented: if scanned, it is the trace of corporeality decomposed into fragments – body-in- pieces – like a puzzle making up a new body, another individual.
Alongside his suite of scanned panels, painted in resins and gold leaf, the artist covers the human skull in lead, makes his self-portrait via crosswords or impresses his body on transparent gelatine, in multiple copies – all unique representations of the biological and metaphysical, the scientific and metaphorical, the limited and glorious body.
“Paraschiv is baroque in his art, his creative uproar finding its counterpoint in his long exercised analytical spirit. The ideas and life itself, the profane and the sacred, his own body and the social body, the present and history are blended in his work. His art starts a dialogue with
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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______science, by making use of state-of-the-art technology. Paraschiv exposes us to an explosion of artistic information that represents a show in itself.”
Adrian Guţă, critic, in the monography Black is the colour of language, 2011
Christian Paraschiv (born 1953) became known in the ‘80s as an exponent of the generation which radically transformed Romanian experimental art, leading the path towards international aesthetic postmodernism. He left Romania in 1986 and moved to Paris, where he is represented by the Oudin Art Contemporain Gallery. Individual exhibitions (selection): Black Is the Colour of Language, 1986-2011, Oudin Art Contemporain Gallery, Paris; Bio Art Skin & Body 1990-2011, Oudin Art Contemporain Gallery, Paris; Body for Space, recent works 2007- 2008, Oudin Art Contemporain Gallery, Paris; Retrospective 1977-2007, MNAC, Bucureşti; Nomos/The Body, ICR Paris, Oudin Art Contemporain Gallery, Paris.
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, Exhibited in London 24/03/2012 - 06/01/2013@Horniman Museum and Gardens, 100 London Road SE23 3PQ
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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 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.
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
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