Embassy of in the of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______

No. 2/ 5th Year 1st – 15 th of February 2012

Politics 1. Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu and ministers of his Cabinet sworn in 2. UK Ambassador in congratulates Romania's first Oxford PM 3. Foreign Affairs Minister attends Munich Security Conference 4. EC report is overall positive 5. Conference on the Danube Strategy 6. Ambassador Huo Yuzhen: 's embassy to support economic relations with Romania 7. YoungDiplo Conference: Romania’s Foreign Policy in a Multipolar World 8. First space images of Romanian nanosatellite Goliat reach Florida

Economics 1. Romania aims to reach 0.7 percent structural deficit in 2012 2. ForMin Diaconescu hails initiative to set up American-Romanian Business Council 3. Quality targets of agreement with Romania were reached 4. Foreign companies invest over 460 mln Euros in Romania in 2011 5. : Romania, second in EU in public debt decrease in Q3 6. Romania year-on-year inflation rate down to 2.72 pct in Jan. 7. ILO unemployment rate drops in December 2011 by 0.3 percent down to 7 percent 8. Romania is an attractive destination for top IT investments 9. GDF Suez Energy Romania, to build wind Power Park in Eastern Romania 10. First well in Neptune perimeter indicates presence of fossil fuel 11. Italians of De'Longhi, supported by Government for investment at Jucu 12. Pound trades at 5.18 lei

Culture 1. Romanian George Iacobescu receives knighthood at Buckingham Palace 2. Three Romanian films at Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 3. Romania’s bid for the Oscars, Morgen by Marian Crisan, at Tricycle Cinema’s International Oscar® Season 4. Ready Steady Doc! festival featuring two Romanian documentaries 5. 100 Lei @ Romanian Cinematheque 6. Fashion Is (Not) A Mask 7. New Wave Photography from Eastern Europe

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

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

• Politics

Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu and ministers of his Cabinet sworn in Bucharest, February 9/ Agerpres/ Prime-Minister Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu and the ministers of his Cabinet were sworn in on Thursday night before President Traian Basescu.

At the ceremony at the Cotroceni presidential Palace also were present the two speakers of the Parliament's chambers, Roberta Anastase and Vasile Blaga, as well as the chairman of the Constitutional Court, Augustin Zegrean.

The Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu Cabinet is made up of Marko Bela - Deputy Prime Minister, Gabriel Berca - Minister of Administration and Interior, Bogdan Alexandru Dragoi - Minister of Public Finances, Lucian Nicolae Bode - Minister of Economy, Trade and Business Climate, Cristian Diaconescu - Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexandru Nazare - Minister of Transport and Infrastructure, Borbely Laszlo - Minister of Environment and Forestry, Cristian Petrescu - Minister of Regional Development and Tourism, - Minister of National Defence, Kelemen Hunor - Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Catalin Marian Predoiu - Minister of Justice, Razvan Mustea-Serban - Minister of Communications and Information Society, Claudia Boghicevici - Minister of Labour, Family and Social Security, Catalin Ovidiu Baba - Minister of Education, Research, Youth and Sport, Ladislau Ritli - Minister of Health, Stelian Fuia - Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development and - Minister of European Affairs.

The Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu Government was invested by Parliament with 237 votes in favour and two against.

"Distinguished members of the Parliament I am asking for your vote of confidence and through you for the vote of confidence of each and every citizen of this country. A nation is the expression of a huge solidarity. I count on the good faith of the citizens of this country, who did not turn their back, who did not refuse, who did not complain and were not discouraged. I also count on the quality and will of the team I have the pleasure to lead", the Prime Minister- designate Mihai-Rãzvan Ungureanu said in his speech of asking a vote of confidence to the Parliament.

He underlined the essence of governing is the dialogue with the Opposition since "without Opposition, good ideas are given birth rarely and survive harder."

Likewise, Prime Minister Ungureanu said he counted on the dialogue with the society, because 'in a democracy society cannot be isolated, whilst a government could fade away in isolation".

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

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

"Decision that interest all the citizens are taken in the Parliament. I wish the partners of this Government to be the Power and the Opposition as well, each with its well-defined part in the political life. Evenly, I wish that every institution is observed its constitutional role - the Parliament, with its main legislative part, and the Government, with its executive part. Perhaps news will not be always good, perhaps we shall not agree with each other all the time, but we shall always be face to face with the arguments upfront and the solutions aiming to the people. The civilized debate, politeness are not signs of weakness. My experience in diplomacy taught me that dialogue is the most powerful weapon", PM Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu said.

The Prime Minister-designate affirmed that the new Government would try to give back the citizens the trust in the political parties and that the biggest guarantee in this respect was to stage the local and general elections in due time.

Prime Minister Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu said that starting tomorrow there was not to begin an era of prosperity, and that responsibility and prudence will be main principles in the future governing.

"I am not coming here in front of you in hard times to make unrealistic promises. A period of prosperity will not start with tomorrow. To accomplish it, we have a long way to go. Prudence and responsibility are the governing principles of 2012", PM Ungureanu said, before his sworn in moment.

He specified he wished to strengthen "all the good signs of the measures and reforms accomplished and make them concrete in the benefit of the citizens".

After announcing that his Cabinet first goal was linked to the economic stability, Prime Minister Ungureanu added that another goal aimed at the political stability.

"The second major objective of the new Government is to ensure political stability by re-instating the respect and mutual recognition of the political parties. We must restore the citizens' confidence in the democratic functioning of the Romanian state. The greatest guarantee we think we can offer in this respect is to ensure the legality and constitutionality of the elections as scheduled. The elections are for everybody and therefore I rely on the cooperation with the political opposition to this effect. The entire political class stands to gain if the lack of trust in the political parties is overcome and the citizens go to the ballot box in large numbers. The political class needs legitimacy and Romania needs responsible and active citizens", PM Ungureanu said.

He stressed much of his efforts, therefore, will be directed to relaunching the dialogue among the parties, particularly when national interest matters will be discussed, such as the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM), Romania's bid to join and the Treaty for stability, coordination and governance in the Economic and Monetary Union.

Prime Minister Ungureanu underscored the new Executive seeks to uproot corruption and he stressed the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) and the National Agency for Integrity (ANI) are the main pillars in this respect. He added Romania will follow the CVM guidelines and

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

Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______said the 's progress report released on February 8 is a generally positive one.

UK Ambassador in Bucharest congratulates Romania's first Oxford PM Great Britain's Ambassador in Bucharest Martin Harris congratulated Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu on his appointment as Prime Minister, passing also congratulations to Oxford, the University Ungureanu is an alumnus of.

'The Universities of Oxford and Cambridge have a long record in educating British Prime Ministers. William Gladstone, , Tony Blair all studied at Oxford. In fact, from the first - Robert Walpole - to the last - David Cameron - 41 of Britain's 55 Prime Ministers went to Oxford or Cambridge. In recent years these two world class universities have also been the alma mater of Prime Ministers and Presidents from all around the globe. Indira Gandhi, Benazir Bhutto and Bill Clinton to name just three. Today, a new name has been added to that list. Mihai Razvan Ungureanu has become the first Oxford University graduate to become Prime Minister of Romania. Congratulations to him, and, yes, congratulations to Oxford too (though it pains me to say it - I went to Cambridge),' the British diplomat writes on his blog.

He also mentions the reception the Embassy hosted last year for all the Romanian graduates of Oxford and Cambridge universities, an event attended by sixty or seventy guests drawn from all quarters of Romanian life - business, academia, finance, civil service - and among whom Mihai Razvan Ungureanu was the guest of honour.

'The motto of Mihai Razvan's college in Oxford puts it very well - ‘Ad quattuor cardines mundi' ('to the four corners of the earth'). Now including Romania,' the British Ambassador concludes his blog post. (ActMedia, February 10, 2012)

Foreign Affairs Minister Cristian Diaconescu attends Munich Security Conference Bucharest, February 4/ Agerpres/ Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister Cristian Diaconescu, in the period February 3-5, is attending the 48 th Munich Security Conference, informs a release of the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE).

According to the cited source, major interest topics are approached during the conference concerning the European and worldwide security, as well as the financial crisis and its implications in the international security, the evolutions and prospects of development in the Middle East , the energy and environment issue, some of the important topics on the agenda of the NATO Summit of Chicago.

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

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

In the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the Romanian chief diplomat had a number of meetings with counterparts in ally and partner countries, as well as with EU officials. Thus, Cristian Diaconescu met his official counterparts of Australia, Finland, Germany, Israel, Poland, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, as well as for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule.

Interest topics for Romania were approached during the meetings, such as aspects of the bilateral cooperation and important topics on the European agenda, Romania's accession to the Schengen area included, but also security topics in the prospects of the NATO Summit of Chicago.

Munich Security Conference is one of the most prestigious international forums of security, gathering important leaders and decision-makers in the fields of security and defence. On the event's guest list there are chiefs of state and government, foreign and defence ministers of the Euro-Atlantic area, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia, high officials on international organizations' behalf, as well as prestigious representatives of some non-governmental organizations activating in the field of international security.

Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister Cristian Diaconescu, in the period February 3-5, is attending the 48th Munich Security Conference, informs a release of the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE).

According to the cited source, major interest topics are approached during the conference concerning the European and worldwide security, as well as the financial crisis and its implications in the international security, the evolutions and prospects of development in the Middle East region, the energy and environment issue, some of the important topics on the agenda of the NATO Summit of Chicago.

In the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, the Romanian chief diplomat had a number of meetings with counterparts in ally and partner countries, as well as with EU officials. Thus, Cristian Diaconescu met his official counterparts of Australia, Finland, Germany, Israel, Poland, Serbia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, as well as European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule.

Interest topics for Romania were approached during the meetings, such as aspects of the bilateral cooperation and important topics on the European agenda, Romania's accession to the Schengen area included, but also security topics in the prospects of the NATO Summit of Chicago.

Munich Security Conference is one of the most prestigious international forums of security, gathering important leaders and decision-makers in the fields of security and defence. On the event's guest list there are chiefs of state and government, foreign and defence ministers of the Euro-Atlantic area, the Middle East, North Africa and Asia, high officials on international organizations' behalf, as well as prestigious representatives of some non-governmental organizations activating in the field of international security.

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

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

EC report is overall positive

Bucharest, February 8/ Agerpres/ Romania continues the positive trend in the European Commission (EC) reports under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM), said the Justice Minister, Catalin Predoiu, stressing that "the weight of the reform process has moved on the shoulders of the Superior Council of Magistracy (CSM)".

"The main message we should convey, in view of the report, is that it is on balance positive for Romania. We are after two positive technical reports and a positive country report, that in the summer of 2011. Thus, Romania continues the positive trend in the EC reports under CVM," said Minister Predoiu.

He noted that among institutions positively assessed in the report are the Romanian Government, the General Prosecutor, the National Anti-corruption Directorate (DNA), the National Agency for Integrity (ANI), and the Parliament for adopted laws on justice.

Minister Predoiu also said that progress was noticed in the law courts and CSM, with recommendations, and that the main accomplishment is the successful implementation of the new Civil Code.

"Now the weight of the reform process has been transferred onto the shoulders of CSM and the judiciary in general. We are in a new phase of reform of law enforcement, and the major players are now CSM, law courts and prosecutors' offices," Minister Predoiu also said.

"While the reform weight has up until now been more put on the Government and Parliament, the effort to work out the legislation - as many as 14 extremely important laws for the judicial system have been drawn up in the last years by the ministry's staff and also by foreign specialists with the magistrates" help - now once adopted, the reform task is first of all switched to the CSM's and the judicial system's attention and responsibility. We must, beyond the CSM routine activity, see a plus, a different emulation, a nerve that should push the judicial system forward, very closely cooperating with the appeal court presidents, with the prosecutor's office chiefs", Minister Predoiu added.

The justice minister said Romania must prove the reforms are irreversible if it wants the CVM to be lifted.

"There will be an evaluation of the five years' enforcement of the CVM, in summer. This evaluation must prove the irreversibility of reforms. Therefore, we must continue this trend and we must also show very broad political support for the reforms, because irreversibility depends on the constant political support for the judicial system. Given we are in an electoral year, such issue of continuity and irreversibility is the more acutely put, in principle", said Minister Predoiu when asked what must Romania do for the CVM to stop.

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

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

Conference on the Danube Strategy

Bucharest, February 8/ Agerpres/ The Danube Strategy is an engine for economic development and growth that will give the investors in the Danube basin, the countries involved and the public-private partnerships an opportunity to attract European funds at a higher rate under the South- East Europe operational programme, Undersecretary of state with the Ministry of European Affairs Razvan Horatiu told the Bucharest conference "The Danube Strategy - Development projects in Romania and opportunities in various sectors."

"The South-East Europe operational programme is essential to progress in the region. This project should be much better capitalised on because it can improve Romania's absorption of European funds. It is important for the economic progress of the region to be correlated with securing a healthy life environment for the Danube basin inhabitants," said Undersecretary of state Horatiu.

The conference is designed to identify development projects in Romania and opportunities for enterprises operating in various sectors in Romania and Italy. A strategic partnership agreement between the Romanian Foreign Ministry, Confindustria Romania and the Italian Chamber of Commerce for Romania signed in 2011 was made officials at the conference in Bucharest, attended by over 100 business representatives from Italy and Romania.

Chairman of Italy's Uniocamere Union of Italian Chambers of Commerce Ferruccio Dardanello underscored that the full liberalisation of the European labour market, including the Romanian market, by the Italian Government is an important contribution to the development of the European economy.

"One hundred billion Euros are available for European projects. This is a huge resource that has to be efficiently used," said Dardanello, adding, "There are still barriers in place to the free movement of workers, in some European countries, which cannot help Europe's economic development."

He pointed to the capital importance of infrastructure for successful business in Romania and for foreign investors to be drawn here by the opportunities on offer.

"Besides the other opportunities for entrepreneurs, Romania's agricultural potential has to be capitalised on as an important development source," said Dardanello.

There are over 30,800 Italian companies registered with Romania's Companies Registry, of which 15,595 are active, with a paid-up capital of 1.22 billion Euros.

The European Commission released on December 8, 2010 a draft strategy for the Danube region, a model for regional cooperation at European level for the implementation of the new

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

Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______territorial cohesion concept from the Lisbon Treaty. The strategy is a platform that encourages partnerships between local and regional authorities, between the public and private sectors by designing development projects in the Danube region.

The main aims are to secure and support economic, social ad cultural progress in the Danube basin countries while respecting the environment, as well as bridging the gap between rich and pour regions in line with the EU cohesion policy, and increase access to the European funds along with raising additional funds for the Danube Region.

Ambassador Huo Yuzhen: China's embassy to support economic relations with Romania Ambassador of the People's Republic of China to Romania Huo Yuzhen told a press conference that in the upcoming period she will engage in supporting the economic relations between China and Romania.

'I want to make progress in the domain of economic bilateral exchanges, but we must analyse the contribution of each country to this relation. I believe that only through cultural exchanges and a better human knowledge of both peoples, we shall be able to record increases in the economic sector. I will make sure more and more Chinese tourists shall visit Romania. As a matter of fact, Romania relies on a good economic situation compared to other countries from the region. The mass media play an important role in presenting and disseminating facts about the objective realities of the two states. On this occasion, I thank all the journalists having done their job professionally,' Ms Huo Yuzhen said.

The volume of the bilateral trade exchanges between China and Romania has recorded an upward trend in the last years. The bilateral trade is expected to total over 3 billion Euros (3.87 billion dollars) in 2011.

'We shall see an increase of the Chinese investments in Romania and of the bilateral relations once more information about the enterprises of both countries is disseminated. The businessmen have to make mutual efforts to lift this barrier. The unfamiliarity with the is another factor complicating the relations between the Romanian and Chinese entrepreneurs. In the current economic context, Romania’s concern must be how to preserve its economic stability,' the Chinese Ambassador told Agerpres.

Romanian President Traian Basescu said at the annual meeting with the ambassadors accredited in Romania (held on Jan 19, 2012), that the foreign policy of Romania will reserve a special place to the relation with China this year too.

'Romania's foreign policy will reserve a special place to the relation with China this year too. I am fully confident 2012 will allow recording important projects, especially economic ones, amid the implementation of the understandings set as part of the bilateral dialogue held at high level and at the highest level', President Traian Basescu said. (ActMedia, February 1, 2012)

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

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

YoungDiplo London Conference: Romania’s Foreign Policy in a Multipolar World Embassy of Romania - London/ On February 4 th 2012, in the presence of HE Dr Ion Jinga, Ambassador of Romania to the Court of St James’s, the inaugural conference of the YoungDiplo program organized by GRASP (Global Romanian Society of Young Professionals) took place in London.

The conference, ‘Romania’s Foreign Policy in a Multipolar World’, was organized at the Embassy’s building in 1 Belgrave Square, with the support of the Romanian Cultural Institute - London and the Ratiu Foundation. The media partners of the event were: Radio International, Radio România Actualit ăţ i, Radio România Interna ţional, Adev ărul, ŞtiriONG, România Pozitiv ă, Lume Bun ă, Foreign Policy, Ziarul Românesc.

Eliza Gheorghe, GRASP’s London Local Chapter coordinator and YoungDiplo’s program manager, opened the conference with a welcome speech, followed by the keynote speech of HE Dr Ion Jinga, Ambassador of Romania, and talks by Dr Dorian Branea, Director of the Romanian Cultural Institute in London, and Mr Nicolae Ratiu, Chairman of the Ratiu Foundation.

The conference continued with two discussion panels: ‘Romania’s Euro- Atlantic Partnerships. Evolution, Current Efforts, and Future Developments’ and ‘Romania’s Partnerships with BRICS Countries. Bilateral, Regional and Global Perspectives,’. The first panel included the following speakers: HE Dr Emil Brix, Ambassador of Austria to the Court of St James’s, Mr Dan Berendel, Director General of Master Chem Oil, Cpt. Seth Johnston, PhD Student at the University of Oxford, and Mr Hugh Ward, Head of Capabiliy at Saab, Training and Simulation. Discussions were moderated by Dr Marius Turda, Reader at Oxford Brookes University. Speakers in the second panel were Mr C. Rajasekhar, the Minister for Political Affairs in the Indian High Commission to London, Dr Simona Manea, University of Birmingham, Mrs Holly Pattenden, Statoil, and Mr Tim Lamb, Trayport. Moderator was Ms Eugenia Gusilov, Managing Partner at Romania Energy Centre.

In the beginning of his speech, ‚Romania’s Foreign Policy Priorities in 2012,’ HE Dr Ion Jinga, Ambassador of Romania, said: „I am delighted to welcome you all at the first conference organized by the Global Romanian Society of Young Professionals (GRASP) in London - “Romania’s Foreign Policy in a Multipolar World”. We are very glad to host such a Conference for at least two reasons: after four successful editions of the Conference for Romanian

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

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

Students, Professors and Researchers, we are here today for an event dedicated to young professionals; to their efforts and aspirations, to their determination to bring a contribution to Romania’s development through stimulating dialogue on important topics of actuality. A second reason for welcoming this event is that it proves a sense of responsibility and cohesion of the Romanian community’s elites; an added value to the objective of promoting the image of our country in the UK”. Then, the Ambassador presented Romania’s foreign policy priorities, as well as the objectives of the Embassy of Romania in London for 2012.

At the end of the plenary sessions, the audience was divided into three working groups, so as to discuss trends and projections in three main areas: diplomacy, security and energy. The conference ended with a „Dear Romania” photo shoot, where the participants sent constructive messages about and for Romania back home.

About the Programme YoungDiplo seeks to develop an incubator of a new generation of international affairs experts through facilitating the dialogue with current specialists, up-to-date courses, and relevant professional internships. The YoungDiplo London conference will be followed by a similar event in Bucharest on March 31st, both of them being aimed at gathering input for a 3-week summer school program, taught by tutors from top international universities (Harvard, Columbia, Oxford, London School of Economics, Georgetown).

About GRASP Established in 2008 as GRSPSociety as an initiative of a group of Romanian students pursuing their education in Budapest, GRASP is an open network of students, young professionals and partner-organizations which share our mission to actively contribute to Romania’s development through civic involvement, better public policy, transfer of knowledge, through stimulating dialogue and public debate and through supporting entrepreneurship.

First space images of Romanian nanosatellite Goliat reach Florida First domestic nanosatellite Goliat was launched on Monday, but the first images from space arrived to Florida, USA, as the weather conditions in Bucharest were not too favourable.

At 7 a.m. local time, Bucharest +2, the air traffic controllers on the Kourou airdrome of the French Guiana gave the green light to Vega European spaceship developed by the European Space Agency. The 30 metre long vehicle launched on the orbit nine small-sized satellites in a mission lasting one hour and a half. One of the nanosatellites carried by the European space ship, Goliat, is the first Romanian nanosatellite, exclusively conceived and developed in Romania by a research consortium led by the Romanian Space Agency (ROSA).

At 11 o'clock, ROSA chairman Marius Ioan Piso, who was present in the French Guyana ensured the colleagues in Bucharest that 'the launching went perfectly,' reads Romania Libera daily.

Piso said that the project was important to the European Space Agency, because 'it is the first flight into space of a very new and precise ship called Vega. But, obviously, it is also an important launching for Romania, too, as a member country of the European Space Agency, because we speak about the launching of the first satellite exclusively conceived and integrated

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

Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______in Romania. At present, the satellite is on its route, we have good reception signals from a station in Florida. The first images taken by Goliat will probably arrive to Bucharest in a half an hour, a delay caused by the heavy snowfalls. One of the reception antennas is located in Magurele (near Bucharest) and the other in Apuseni (western Romania), somewhere in Cluj County, where the weather conditions are even worse.'

Goliat satellite is developed in accordance with CubeSat international standard and aims at achieving high-resolution images, measurements of the radiation ratio and of the flow of micrometeoroids and the data transfer to the ground stations for the scientific analysis and dissemination. One of the secondary objectives is the validation in space of the developed subsystems for the subsequent reuse and development in future missions. The satellite was made by an extended multi-discipline team, through the involvement of an important number of students of the and the Technical University of Bucharest in all the stages of draw up, building and testing of the satellite, the coordination being provided by ROSA.

The Romanian Space Agency was established in 1991 and is the national coordinator of space activities. The main mission of the Romanian Space Agency is promoting and coordinating the development in the field and representing the Government in the international cooperation programmes.

Golitat nanosatellite has the following characteristics: 100 millimetres per side, 1,062 grams, it will be on mission for 6 months, the project was completed in 9 years, the maximum period for its being on orbit is 3 years, and the maximum resolution of the images recorded by Goliat stands at 3 megapixels. (ActMedia, February 15, 2012)

• Economics Romania aims to reach 0.7 percent structural deficit in 2012 President Traian Basescu said that Romania's objective for 2012 is to reach a structural deficit of 0.7 percent of GDP, pointing out that the essential parameters set up in the Treaty on Stability, Coordination and Governance in the Economic and Monetary Union are related to the structural deficit.

'The Treaty introduces a merciless arbiter and the sanctions are of 0.1 percent of the gross domestic product for not observing the treaty (...) Therefore, for Romania, whose GDP is worth 1.3 billion, a simple sanction, a simple demagogy of politicians costs 130 million Euros. The sanctions are very tough and the politician, when making a promise without having funds and increases the deficit or the country's debt, has to be aware that at the same time he must prepare to pay a fine - in Romania, in our case, worth 130 million Euros. According to the essential parameters, the structural deficit must no exceed 0.5 percent. Our objective for this year is to record a structural deficit of 0.7 percent, we are not talking about the budget deficit,' President Traian Basescu said in statement delivered at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.

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

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

The head of the state underscored that a budget deficit below 3 percent can be registered 'with little effort', but when it comes to the structural deficit is a lot difficult.

'This was the case of some EU member states pretending to meet the Maastricht criteria, nevertheless they joined the , but shortly they became a problem because of their lack of competitiveness. These parameters will be strictly controlled. Let's take for example the structural deficit of maximum 0.5 percent, Romania can be granted the approval for having a lower structural deficit in the coming years, as it has a low public debt to GDP ratio (...),' the President explained. President Traian Basescu also said he intends to hold talks with the political parties in order to convince them that Romania needs to adopt the entire new EU Treaty. (ActMedia, February 2, 2012)

ForMin Diaconescu hails initiative to set up American-Romanian Business Council Romanian Foreign Minister Cristian Diaconescu hailed the initiative to create the American- Romanian Business Council (AMRO) by leading US companies, voicing his conviction that the new structure will bring an essential contribution to capitalising on the entire potential for bilateral cooperation, especially with a view to increasing US investments in Romania.

The Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE) reports in a press release that Minister Diaconescu met AMRO Chairman Eric Stewart as part of the MAE continuing efforts to boost and consolidate the economic component of the Romanian-US Strategic Partnership.

Stewart introduced the mission and objectives of the new structure, underscoring that special attention will be paid to pragmatic, sustained and consistent promotion in the US of the business opportunities offered by Romania.

The rising interests of the US business community in the Romanian market, the release says, is evidenced by the readiness of a significant number of US leading companies, some of them already operating in Romania, to rally around this initiative, and also the fact that a large number of them have decided to expand their investments in Romania.

Stewart is quoted as underscoring the intention of AMRO to become a platform for deepening dialogue with Romanian authorities, boost new project ideas to promote Romania in the business and political quarters in Washington DC and elsewhere in the US.

Minister Diaconescu is quoted as mentioning the negative impact of maintaining the current travel visa system for Romanian business people and citizens on the efforts to consolidate and deepen bilateral economic relations.

He also hailed in the context the submission to the US Congress on January 31 of a bill that would adjust the set of criteria for access to the Visa Waver Program, which has the backing of the White House as well. Stewart also voiced, on behalf of the AMRO, full readiness to use the bill including as a vehicle to promote, in the US Administration and Congress, the objective of a swift lift of visa requirements on Romanian nationals.

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

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

The American-Romanian Business Council (AMRO) is a not-for-profit organisation based in Washington that aims to promote business relations between the US and Romania. It was launched on January 25, 2012 in Washington.

It is backed by ten large US companies - Chevron, Exxon, ADM, Smithfield, Raytheon, Pharma, Metlife, Amgen, Timken and Mega - that come from a wide range of business fields - energy, agriculture, defence, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, storage infrastructure and insurance.

Leadership is provided by Chevron, as chairman and Exxon as Deputy Chairman, while Eric Stewart is the executive chairman.

The council aims to consolidate commercial exchanges between the two countries and mutual investments, deepen bilateral relations and educate the public about their importance. (ActMedia, February 2, 2012)

Quality targets of agreement with Romania were reached Bucharest, February 5/ Agerpres/ All the quality targets in the agreement signed with Romania were reached and we came to an agreement with the Romanian authorities regarding the policies to be continued, the chief mission of the International Monetary Fund Jeffrey Franks said at the end of the evaluation mission in Bucharest.

The experts of the International Monetary Fund got to an agreement with the Romanian authorities during the fourth evaluation of the precautionary agreement and the Fund is going to unlock a new tranche of 505 million dollars, after the board of the institutions gave the green light, the IMF chief mission Jeffrey Franks said.

An expert-level agreement was reached, there was good progress, all the quantity targets were met and the policies to be followed were agreed upon as well, the IMF official said.

The 505 million Euros tranche will be made available to Romania after the IMF Standing Committee approves it in late March.

The IMF mission head underscored that the upcoming elections in Romania and the increased uncertainties in the euro area made essential the continuation of some policies ensuring the protection against external shocks.

According to the IMF official, the Romanian authorities and the International Monetary Fund experts performed adjustments concerning the revenues and the budget expenditure plan for 2012, these being able to be taken into account in the next evaluation mission, in three months' time.

The budget deficit reduction from 4.2 percent of the GDP in 2011, to 2.1 percent of the GDP in 2012 and the weak economic increase will, tough, leave little space for new initiatives over the year, Franks said.

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He mentioned that an important challenge for the Government was that of encouraging public investments through the enhancement of European funds absorption. The absorption rate of European structural funds exceeded 6 percent, but it is much left to be done in this area, Jeffrey Franks said.

This opportunity should be used to also draw other investments in Romania's economy, the IMF official said.

The IMF mission believes that Romania will keep within the inflation target forecasted for 2012 and the current account deficit is estimated to maintain in the 4-4.25 percent of the GDP interval, Franks also said.

The liberalization of prices for electrical power for household consumers was postponed by a couple of years and will be concluded in 2017 instead of 2015, as initially announced, the representatives of the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund said.

The period where the gradual liberalization of prices for power directed to the population will take place was extended by a couple of years, only to take place between 2013 and 2017, said chief of mission of the European Commission Istvan Szeleky.

The joint delegation of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank and the European Commission started on their fourth evaluation mission of the precautionary stand-by agreement with Romania last Wednesday in Bucharest.

The stand-by agreement between Romania and the IMF started on March 31, 2011 and is precautionary, amounting to 3.1 billion DST, representing 3.6 billion Euros, about 300 of Romania's share with the IMF.

Foreign companies invest over 460 mln Euros in Romania in 2011 Bucharest, 1 Feb/ Agerpres/ The value of the investments made in Romania by the main foreign companies having inaugurated new production capacities in 2011 amounts to 461.5 million Euros, thus being created 4,550 new jobs, shows an analysis drawn up by Romanian Prime Minister's advisor Andreea Paul Vass and sent to Agerpres. According to the quoted source, Romania remains a fertile country for the increase and development of investments projects, both from foreign and local sources.

The investments targeted the food industry, the production of solar panels and electronic devices and the car parts sector.

"Although Romania's western region and Bucharest are traditionally the main beneficiaries of investments, the foreign companies shifted their interest in 2011 to the country's north-western and southern regions. The tendency of the balanced distribution of investments helps solving the problem of the regions' economic imbalances, creates new jobs and implicitly increases the

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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______living standard including in the disadvantaged areas. The biggest investment project has targeted one of the most strategic sectors for a green and energetically efficient economy: the biofuel domain. The company Prio Foods (Martifer) of Portugal invested 93 million Euros in Lehliu Gara, in the county of Calarasi, creating 90 jobs," the document reads.

Moreover, the Greek Olympus Dairy food firm made an investment of 55 million Euros in Brasov County, thus creating 80 new jobs.

Delphi Diesel has created so far 526 jobs in the county of Iasi through an investment of 49.5 million Euros. The company has already announced it will reach 2,000 employees, by expanding the existing investment following the state aid of 24.8 million Euros to be received from the Ministry of Public Finance. The all-in value of the Iasi investment amounts to 155 million Euros, the study reveals.

Other three foreign companies operating in the automotive industry made new investments in 2011. Honeywell Frictions invested 58.7 million Euros and created 300 new jobs in Ploiesti, the US company International Automotive Components (IAC) invested 58 million Euros and created 400 jobs in Bals (Dolj county) and the German firm Continental AG made an investment of 15 million Euros and created 300 new jobs in Carei, the county of Satu-Mare. The three firms are to be granted a state aid worth 39.6 billion Euros by the Finance Ministry.

The Romanian companies also made investments in 2011, both benefiting by EU funds or using their own funding sources in order to develop their businesses.

The private firms contracted EU funded-projects targeting domain of high interest, such as research and development, the pharmaceutical domain or the water infrastructure. The Platform of Advanced Pharmaceutical Research, whose beneficiary is SC Polipharma Industries SRL, with a value of 16.67 million Euros or the project aiming to develop the Lab of Technological Research of the LED Lighting Systems for the national car industry unfolded by Microelectronica SA, worth 15.81 million Euros are some of the examples.

The projects have been launched in 2011 and will be completed in the coming years, Andreea Paul Vass says.

She considers that the noticed the investment opportunities having benefits on the long run, such as energy or health investments.

"An investment project that became a reality in the first half of last year was the project aiming to energetically turn to good account the organic waste through aeration, implemented in Sacele, the county of Brasov. The eco-solution-type investment implements another Romanian invention to transform the house garbage in an energy source. The investment stood at nearly 37 million Euros. Another example is the Factory of detergent based in Tiparesti, the Prahova County; open at the beginning of 2011, following an investment of over 1 million Euros. The health sector also enriches with new investments in private hospitals. Sanador and Delta Hospital invested 53 million Euros in health units. Similar investments were also made by MedLife in various Romanian towns," the above-quoted source reads.

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According to Andreea Paul Vass, a host of foreign companies have already announced their intention of investing In Romania, with the value of the forecasted investments in the CRPCIS portfolio currently totalling 71 million Euros. They might create 1,220 new jobs this year. The above-mentioned firms are the Argentine-based company Tenaris, US Dana Holding Corporation, Amiantit Pipe Systems from Saudi Arabia or Ness Tech from Israel. The investors are mainly interested in the auto parts sector, construction materials or the IT&C domain. Furthermore, other two foreign companies - Bosch from Germany and the Italian company De Longhi - said they will invest in the industrial park Tetarom III based in Jucu, after the relocation of Nokia," the analysis reveals.

Eurostat: Romania, second in EU in public debt decrease in Q3 The public debt in the euro area registered a slight decrease in the third quarter of 2011 compared with the second quarter of 2011, to 87.4 percent of the GDP, from 87.7 percent of the GDP, the trend being opposite in the case of EU27, where the public debt increased to 82.2 percent from 81.7 percent, as revealed by the data released on Monday by the European Office for Statistics (Eurostat), which released this indicator for the first time.

Compared with the second quarter of 2011, a number of 14 member states have registered an increase in the public debt at the end of the third quarter, while in 13 member states, among which Romania, the public debt decreased.

The steepest declines were registered in Italy and Malta (both with a 1.6 percentage points decrease), followed by Romania (with one percentage point decrease).

According to Eurostat, Romania's public debt dropped to 182.822 billion lei (33.3 percent of the GDP) in Q3, from 182.994 billion lei (34.3 percent of the GDP) in Q2 of 2011. In the EU, a smaller public debt than in Romania was only registered in Estonia (6.1 percent), Bulgaria (15 percent) and (18.5 percent). (ActMedia, February 7, 2012)

Romania year-on-year inflation rate down to 2.72 pct in Jan. The Romanian year-on-year inflation rate dropped to 2.72 percent in Jan. 2012 from 3.14 percent in Dec. 2011, to a 1989-low, reveal figures made public by the National Institute for Statistics on Monday.

Prices in Jan. were up 0.36 percent from the prior month amid higher prices for foodstuffs by 0.32 percent, for non-foodstuffs by 0.40 percent and amid higher service tariffs by 0.37 percent.

The average monthly inflation rate was of 0.4 percent in this Jan., down from 0.8 percent in Jan. 2011.

The (BNR) revised the inflation projection for 2012 upwards to 3.2 percent from 3 percent, while for 2011 the projection was cut to 3.1 percent from 3.3 percent, BNR Governor Mugur Isarescu announced on unveiling the Quarterly Report on the 4th quarter inflation last week. (ActMedia, February 14, 2012)

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ILO unemployment rate drops in December 2011 by 0.3 percent down to 7 percent The ILO unemployment rate in a seasonally adjusted form was estimated in December 2011 at 7 percent, down both from the previous month and from December 2010, informs the National Institute of Statistics. The number of ILO unemployed people (aged 15-74) estimated for this December is 703,000 people, down both from the previous month (727,000) and from the same month of the previous year (718,000). By sexes the unemployment rate for men exceeds by 0.9 percentage points the one for women (the values under consideration being 7.4 percent for males and 6.5 percent for females).For grownup people (25-74 years of age) the ILO unemployment rate was estimated at 5.3 percent for December 2011 (5.6 percent for men and 4.8 percent for women). The number of unemployed people aged between 25 and 74 accounts for 68.6 percent of the total number of ILO unemployed people estimated for December 2011. ILO unemployed people are the persons aged between 15 and 74, who meet the following three conditions simultaneously: they have no job, are willing to start work in the next two weeks and have been actively looking for a job anytime in the past four weeks. ILO unemployment rate is the share of the ILO unemployed people in the active population.The economically active population includes all people providing labour force that is available for the production of goods and services during the time span under consideration, including the employed population and the unemployed people.

The registered unemployed people are people on the records of the National Employment Agency, who benefit by the provisions of the legislation on the social protection of unemployed people. (ActMedia, February 1, 2012)

Romania is an attractive destination for top IT investments Romania has many business opportunities and remains a destination attractive for top investments in the IT sector, said Minister of Communications and Information Society Valerian Vreme, on the occasion of the International Conference on e-Government, which is held between January 26 to 27, in .

'We have ambitious goals for development of new public electronic services, for an increased quality and for the usability of electronic public services. Romania has many business opportunities. Austrian companies have accumulated an extensive experience in developing, creating and implementing the concepts for the e-Government projects. We are an attractive destination for top investments, ranking in the top spots in the world in terms of the speed of Internet connection and one of the countries prepared for the 'future applications', the MCSI official said.

According to a press release of MCSI, remitted to AGERPRES, in the period January 26-27 this year, the Romanian Minister of Communication is paying a working visit to Austria, at the invitation of the Austrian Federal Economic Chamber representatives, in order to the International Conference on e-Government .

The Romanian official's agenda included a bilateral meeting with Dr. Hans Jörg Schelling, Vice President of the Federal Economic Chamber of Austria, and, on Thursday, talks will be held with representatives of some important Austrian companies in the field, but also political meetings with officials of the Federal Chancellery of Austria. (ActMedia, February 1, 2012)

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GDF Suez Energy Romania, to build wind Power Park in Eastern Romania GDF Suez Energy Romania will build a wind power park with an installed capacity of 48 MW in the commune of Gemenele, Braila County (north-east from Bucharest), having all the prospects for the electricity production to be able to begin before the end of 2012, the company announced.

According to a release of GDF Suez Romania, the project has been recently purchased from Belrom company, a real estate developer. The project has all necessary prospects and authorizations, the technical contract for connecting to the national electricity grid, included, and the equipment acquisition is already in an advanced stage.

'By purchasing this project, GDF Suez Energy Romania completed a new stage regarding its development in Romania. The construction of this first wind power park shows our confidence in Romania's potential in the sector of renewable energies and will consolidate our position on the energy market,' GDF Suez Energy Romania CEO Eric Stab said.

The first wind power park of GDF Suez in Romania will have an installed capacity of 48 MW - the equivalent of an annual consumption of approximately 50,000 Romanian households. 21 turbines of 2.3 MW each will be supplied and installed by Siemens company.

GDF Suez Energy Romania, a branch of GDF Suez Group, is one of the largest natural gas suppliers in Romania, having 1.3 million customers. In 2009, GDF Suez Energy Romania entered the electricity supply market for corporate customers. (ActMedia, February 2, 2012)

First well in Neptune Black Sea perimeter indicates presence of fossil fuel The first deepwater exploration well in the Romanian sector of the Black Sea developed by ExxonMobil and OMV Petrom, Domino-1, indicates the presence of fossil fuels, according to a release sent by the two companies. The future tests will provide more precise information on the potential fossil fuels, says ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania Limited, a subsidiary of ExxonMobil. 'This is encouraging but still too early in the process of exploration and evaluation of data to speculate if they are going to be tradable or not,' reads the release.

The Domino-1 well is located in Neptune block, 170 km off the shore, in waters 1,000 metres deep and is drilled with state-of-the-art technology. The drilling began late in 2011 and are still ongoing. It is estimated that the total depth of the well will be more than 3,000 metres below the sea level.

The Neptune perimeter stretches over about 9,900 square kilometres in waters ranging between 50 and 1,700 metres deep. ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania Limited and Petrom signed an agreement in November 2008 by which ExxonMobil purchased 50 percent of the deepwater area of the Neptune perimeter. Since that moment, the two companies worked closely to purchase 3D seismic data and to evaluate the fossil fuel potential in this particular perimeter.

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Between 2009 and 2010, Petrom and ExxonMobil purchased data for over 3,000 square kilometres within the Neptune perimeter with the aid of the state-of-the-art 3D seismic data, within the largest seismic programme ever held in Romania. (ActMedia, February 2, 2012)

Italians of De'Longhi, supported by Government for investment at Jucu De'Longhi company will receive support from the Romanian Government through the granting of a state aid for developing the investment planned in the former Nokia production halls at Jucu, Cluj County (central-western Romania), mentions a Government press release remitted to Agerpres, at the end of a meeting between Premier and the Italian officials.

Italian company's CEO and majority shareholder representative Fabio de'Longhi participated in discussions at the Victoria Palace.

Fabio de'Longhi presented Prime Minister Boc the investment project he intends to develop in Cluj County and the Romanian official assured him that the Government would support the investments and the job creation in the area, by granting a state aid in accordance with the provisions of the scheme established through Government Ordinance 1680/2008 and administrated by the Public Finance Ministry (MFP), included.

On January 25 this year, Finnish company Nokia announced signing an agreement with De'Longhi enterprise for the takeover of the production halls of the phone plant at Jucu, which had been closed in 2011.

De'Longhi is one of the worldwide leaders on the home appliances market, especially in the sector of coffee machines, kitchen appliances, home care and home comfort appliances. The group has an approximate 1.4 billion euro turnover and is listed on the stock exchange of Milan. (ActMedia, February 8, 2012)

Pound trades at 5.18 lei The exchange rate of the national leu currency resulting from the quotations announced on February 15, 2012, by the banks authorized to operate on the currency market is as follows:

CURRENCY SYMBOL RON 1 British pound GBP 5.1824 1 euro EUR 4.3467 1 US dollar USD 3.3047 1 Swiss franc CHF 3.6008 100 Japanese yen JPY 4.2089

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• Culture

Romanian George Iacobescu receives knighthood at Buckingham Palace

©British Ceremonial Arts Limited

Embassy of Romania – London/ On February 14, 2012, at Buckingham Palace, took place the Investiture ceremony with Mr George Iacobescu receiving a knighthood awarded by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland with the occasion of the New Year, among a list of other personalities who made themselves renowned during the 2011.

Sir George Iacobescu, one of the most successful Romanian born and British business leaders in the world, CEO and Chairman of Canary Wharf Group, the second financial centre of London, was bestowed the rank of Knight Bachelor for services to Charity, Community and the Financial Services Industry, becoming the first Romanian awarded by Her Majesty the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The Romanian community in the United Kingdom has reasons to be proud. The bestowal of such distinction is unequivocally a superlative confirmation of the achievements of an exceptional Romanian who distinguished himself through hard work and dedication. The Embassy of Romania is grateful to all Romanians who represent our nation with integrity through their work, true character, honesty and distinction.

Cultural events to be organised by or with the support of the ROMANIAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE in London: Three Romanian films at Jameson Dublin International Film Festival 16 - 26/02/2012 @ Dublin, Ireland Romania has a strong presence for the second consecutive year at Ireland’s biggest film festival as three Romanian productions have been included in the 2012 programme. The official press

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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______conference will be held on 2nd February, when the full programme will be announced. So we cannot yet disclose which films are to be shown but we assure you that they are top-notch! Established in 2003, the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival (JDIFF) has fast become Ireland’s premiere feature film festival and takes place in Ireland’s capital city over the course of eleven days and nights each February. If last year JDIFF’s programme featured 130 screening plus special events, panel discussions, public interviews and industry master-classes, in 2012, celebrating its 10 th edition, the audience is expecting a ravishing event. Festival Director, Grainne Humphreys, announces surprises for the audience and the film lovers. One of which is the confirmed presence of Oscar winning screen legend Al Pacino. After last year’s Romanian Section @ JDIFF, we are happy to continue the partnership with the Jameson Dublin International Film Festival, with support from the Romanian Embassy in Ireland, in order to bring the best Romanian films to Ireland.

Romania’s bid for the Oscars, Morgen by Marian Crisan, at Tricycle Cinema’s International Oscar® Season 18/02/2012 @ Tricycle Cinema, London Morgen , directed by Marian Crisan, Romania’s entry for the Oscar Awards, will be screened in Tricycle Cinema’s International Oscar ® Season in London with the support of the Romanian Cultural Institute. Andras Hathazi, the film leading actor, will join us for a Q&A session. Morgen had its UK premiere in Belfast, in January 2011, when it opened the Cinema Romania Now showcase, jointly organized by Queens Film Theatre and Romanian Cultural Institute. Aficionados of Romanian film, who could not catch it in Belfast or at the Romanian section of the East End Film Festival in April 2011, have the chance to delight with this touching story of solidarity and friendship. In 2012, doubling the length of the festival to two weeks, and spicing it with a lot of special events, the International Oscar ® Season will run from Fri 10 - Thu 23 February ahead of awards on Sun 26 February. Nicolas Kent, Artistic Director of the Tricycle: ‘We are delighted to be hosting such an amazing celebration of international cinema. Often Foreign Language film entries for the Oscars are not screened at all in London, and it is wonderful to give the cinema-going audience an opportunity, not only to celebrate their own countries on screen, but to see films from all over the world’. Venue: Tricycle Theatre, Cinema and Gallery, 269 Kilburn High Road, London NW6 7JR. Time: Sat 18 February, 20.30 Tickets: £8.50/ £7.50 for concessions.

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Ready Steady Doc! festival featuring two Romanian documentaries 20/02/2012 @ Ciné lumière, Institut Français

This year's EUNIC documentary festival entitled Ready, Steady, Doc! brings together 14 films about sports from 12 European countries, to coincide with the 2012 Olympic Games. Discover our inspirational proposals: Australia , directed by Claudiu Mitcu, and From Romania with Love , directed by Rene Eckert. The screening will be preceded by an introduction by Homeless World Cup President, Mel Young. Australia, by Claudiu Mitcu HBO Romania Original Production Romania, 2009, 64 min, with English subtitles In December 2008, the Romanian National Soccer team participated in World Cup Finals which took place in Melbourne, Australia. The other Romanian National Soccer team. The film follows the team members, from the beginning of the group until after the championship. The members of the team are from Timisoara and Arad, runaway children who now live in abandoned houses or didn’t manage, after passing through orphanages or prisons, to rent a house. After being defeated by many teams, the young Romanians manage to win the U.S. game. They are happy. They are all thinking about not returning "home". Here is warm and good, people are nice. "If we stay, kisses for you all," says one with caution. But, after taking pictures on the beach with the ocean behind and beautiful girls near, the seven youngsters return to Romania and their lives continue. From Romania With Love, by René Eckert Romania /Germany, 2009, 26 minutes, with English subtitles Bringing together professional snowboarders from Slovakia, France, Poland or Hungary and putting them alongside amateurs as well as Romanian professional boarders, this film project is as much about an exchange between people who share the same passion as a documentation of the most progressive Eastern European freestyle snowboarding. In collaboration with Goethe Institut. When & Where: Mon 20 February, 6pm, Ciné lumière, Institut Français, 17 Queensberry Place. London SW7 2DT. Tickets: £5 (£3 concessions); Box Office: Tel: +44 20 78713515

100 Lei @ Romanian Cinematheque 23/02/2012 @ 1 Belgrave Square, SW1X 8PH Don’t miss out the rare occasion to see legendary director Mircea S ăucan’s 100 Lei (1973), one of the best films in the history of Romanian cinema.

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

Romania | 105 min | dir: Mircea Saucan | cast: Violeta Andrei, Ilarion Ciobanu, Ion Dichiseanu, Dan Nu ţu, Ileana Popovici. In Romanian with English subtitles 100 Lei tells the story of two brothers who fail to communicate and understand each other, ultimately with tragic consequences. The teenager Petre (Dan Nu ţu) decides to leave his home and move in with Andrei (Ion Dichiseanu), his older brother and a well-known actor. Here Petre meets Dora (Ileana Popovici), a young admirer of his brother with whom he falls in love. It’s about two brothers who are destroying one another’s dream. One is crossing a bridge while the other is going trough the mud so that he can come clean at the end. Andrei gives his brother a place to sleep and 100 lei, but he doesn’t give him a bit of warmth. Iulia Blaga Romanian Cinematheque is a partnership with the National Centre for Cinematography in Romania (CNC). When: 23 February 2012, 7 pm; Where: Romanian Cultural Institute London. Free entrance. To attend please email [email protected] or call 0207 752 0134. Early booking recommended.

Fashion Is (Not) A Mask 09 - 22/02/2012 @ Romanian Cultural Institute London, 1 Belgrave Square

… say Romania’s most outstanding designers in more ways than one. Dinu Bodiciu , Mihaela Gl ăvan , Irina Marinescu , Carmen Sec ăreanu and Dan Mihai Zarug have a flair for romance and fantasy: against the odds, they deliver beauty in its purest forms, keeping alive the hope that beyond the horizon lies a promised land. If you share an affinity for mysterious storytelling and complex geometries, then suspend your disbelief, come along and receive inspiring answers. The exhibition takes place within the International Fashion Showcase at the London Fashion Week 2012. In partnership with: British Council, British Fashion Council and LFW 2012. Exhibition designer: Cristina Craciun, ELLE Romania. When: 10 – 22 February 2012. Preview: Thursday 9 February, 7 - 9pm. The exhibition is open: Mon – Fri, 10am – 5pm. Where: Romanian Cultural Institute, London SW1X 8PH. Free entrance.

More info about The Romanian Cultural Institute in London’s events, please find at: www.icr-london.co.uk

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Cultural events promoted by the Romanian Cultural Centre - Ratiu Foundation :

New Wave Photography from Eastern Europe 18 - 27 Feb 2012

The Crypt Gallery, St Pancras Church, Euston Road, London NW1 2BA. Tel/Fax: 020 7388 1461 Free Entrance. Private View on Friday 17 February, 18:00. Opening Hours: 12:00 – 19:00

Emerging talent from Central and Eastern Europe is due to arrive at a dynamic exhibition New Wave Photography , showing at the Crypt Gallery, London from 18 to 26 February 2012.

The atmospheric catacombs of St Pancras Church, Euston, venue of the gallery, hosts 11 young photographers from 6 countries: Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Romania and the Czech Republic. The exhibition demonstrates a high-level of technical ability as well as bold experimentation.

Romania is represented by Alexandra Vacaroiu and Cristina Venedict . Alexandra’s series Unconscious Body Movements analyses dreams and the traces they leave behind. Cristina’s photographs from the series Mystical places show us the world without limits, in which everything is possible.

New Wave Photography challenges the perception of Eastern European photography by displaying vibrant, experimental work that celebrates the youthfulness of the artists themselves.

All photographs shown at the Crypt Gallery are available to purchase during the exhibition. Photographs including extended portfolios are also available to buy through United Creativity’s website www.unitedcreativity.org

To learn more about Romanian cultural events taking place in London, please visit the page of the Romanian Cultural Centre/ Ratiu Foundation : http://www.romanianculturalcentre.org.uk/cultural-diary/

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