Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______
No. 3/ 4th Year 1st - 15th of February 2011
Politics 1. Traian Basescu speaks in Brussels of interconnection to Serbia and Republic of Moldova in single energy market 2. Stage review after one year in office 3. Romania wants EU Danube Strategy to clear European Council in June 4. NATO must secure a balance between nuclear weapons, conventional ones and missile defence 5. Foreign Minister Baconschi attended International Donors' Conference on Solidarity with Belarus
Economics 1. New IMF precautionary agreement covers two years and has medium-term targets 2. Danube-Bucharest canal, Budapest-Bucharest-Constanta speed rail line, among Romania's main projects for Danube Strategy 3. Teodor Baconschi: Romania, Georgia economic relations are on rise 4. Seminar event „Funding and Implementation of Infrastructure Projects in Romania” 5. Martin Harris: Development of trade relations between Great Britain and Romania is a priority 6. The launch of the brand “Confindustria Romania” 7. High level Romanian – Turkish meeting on energy issues 8. Vestas, the world leader in wind energy 9. EBRD and Raiffeisen Bank Romania promote energy efficiency in Romania’s industry 10. AGRI partnership proves common will for strategic gas connection 11. Investors in the Golf, interested to expand in Romania 12. Google’s Hotpot is available also in Romania 13. Farmec Cluj Napoca enters Hungarian market and wants 5% more business in 2011 14. Pound trades at 5.0470 lei Culture 1. Photography exhibition “From East to West: A Portrait of Romanian Diaspora” 2. The official opening in Edinburgh of a Consular Office of the Embassy of Romania 3. Politics of Memory in Post-Communist Europe 4. Opening of Rita Horowitz water painting exhibition 5. Annual meeting of the Romanian health care professionals working in the UK 6. Ion Grigorescu @ Tate Modern 7. Gazes and Faces: Romanian Portraits 8. Romanian Cultural Institute organises international tour meant to promote Enescu Festival
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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______
• Politics
Traian Basescu speaks in Brussels of interconnection to Serbia and Republic of Moldova in single energy market Bucharest, Feb 5 /Agerpres/ - President Traian Basescu said in Brussels, that during the European Council debate on the single energy market Romania supported the interconnection to such countries as Serbia or the Republic of Moldova. "The Council had two main subjects, which ended in conclusions being drawn. One of them referred to energies. It is the first Council devoted to the subject of energy. This subject has been dealt with before, but this Council has a conclusion meant to create the single energy market in the European Union. A fact meaning that, by 2014, all legal regulations on the single energy market must come into force and, by 2015, there must be no energy island in the EU territory, that is, no EU region should be isolated. The single energy market refers to the gas and electric energy markets. It is interesting to note that people also aim at interconnecting to countries that are not necessarily EU member states, like, for instance, Serbia and the Republic of Moldova. This is our support to the two countries. We are to see how we shall be able to interconnect the two countries too to the budget of the European Union," said the Head of State. According to him, the unification of the energy market would result in diminishing the risk of a country not being supplied energy. "This aim will make it possible, for instance, for Romania to supplement its necessary quantity of gas either from Gazprom or from the North Sea. ... It is one of the most important decisions on energy security. It also refers to the unification of the gas and electric power markets," explained President Traian Basescu. As for the field of innovation the President said that they were aware of the need to increase the resources allocated to innovation and research as a first step to boosting the competitiveness of the EU economy. "This is where we put in: they should consider the vulnerable persons when creating the policy of making market prices on a par with the ones in the EU. Therefore, they should find a formula: either to subsidize or to allocate at a price anybody could bear," said the Head of State. He also said that they adopted a document preceding the decision that is to be made in March this year, which will first aim at the financial fiscal consolidation of the euro zone. "I can tell you, for instance, that, as part of this policy, they also approach the question of a single retirement age, of a single system of taxes and fees. States that are not in the Euro zone can take part in the finalization of the documents as they are future members of the zone and are affected," also said President Traian Basescu.
Stage review after one year in office Bucharest, Feb 9 /MFA/ - Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Baconschi has presented today, 9 February 2011, at a press conference, a stage review of his first year in office. “In 2010 Romania was active internationally and involved in continuing the European construction. 2011 will but confirm and enhance last year’s efforts. In 2011, I will further promote an intelligent, balanced, active and dignified diplomacy and why not, a daring one. Our conception and action efforts need to
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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______
become more visible. Reactive diplomacy needs to be replaced with an active attitude both within the European Union and internationally,” stated Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi. The head of the Romanian diplomacy then elaborated on the wide-scope projects launched in his first year in office and the priorities for 2011: adoption of the law on postal vote, the EU Strategy for the Danube Region, Romania’s representation in the EEAS, accession to the Schengen Area, development of an active and transparent diplomatic service, relations with the Republic of Moldova and with the priority spaces, and supporting the national business environment. Minister Teodor Baconschi reiterated the importance of the postal vote and said he hoped Parliament would pass the respective bill by year- end, given that it enjoyed cross-party support. “This law extends the basis for access to democracy to nearly 3 million compatriots. It sets right an injustice done to our fellow citizens in the Diaspora, given that only 4.7% of Romanians in the Diaspora could cast their vote at the latest elections,” Minister Baconschi stated. In connection with the European agenda, the head of the Romanian diplomacy mentioned the official adoption of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region at the European Council on 24 June, consolidation of the Romanian presence in the European External Action Service, and Romania’s accession to the Schengen Area. Referring to the EU’s Danube Strategy, Minister Baconschi insisted on the main benefits to be derived from implementing it, such as: modernization in point of competitiveness and attractiveness of towns and villages on the Romanian bank of the Danube; job creation and development of business projects; new environmental standards – projects to build water purification stations in all major settlements on the Danube; development of a system to monitor ecosystems; better year-round navigability all along the river; the prospect of completing the Danube-Bucharest canal, and two new bridges between Romania and Bulgaria; generalization of broadband internet connections in the rural environment; a high-speed rail line between Budapest – Bucharest – Constanta; and initiating a research dimension in the field, i.e. an international institute for the Danube Delta and the Black Sea. “The available resources are significant, about 40 billion Euros for the current accounting period of the Union, until 2013, and I am sure there are initiatives and projects that need such financial resources, down to the smallest villages in the Danube Delta,” said the head of the Romanian diplomacy. Minister Teodor Baconschi reiterated the fact that accession to the Schengen Area had been a priority for the MFA. “We are ready to join the Schengen Area; after 7 evaluations, the country report on Romania was adopted. We hope in June, by the end of the Hungarian Presidency, we have a political decision on a definite date in the second half of the year,” the Minister said. Minister Baconschi then spoke of efforts to ensure that Romania is adequately represented in the European External Action Service, those efforts having materialized, for the time being, in the appointment of Ambassador Viorel Isticioaia-Budura as director general for Asia in the EEAS leading team. Romania will continue its demarches to actively promote national candidacies to the EU’s diplomatic service. “We have not stopped lobbying for Romanian candidates. I believe other representatives of the Romanian diplomacy will soon be selected at working levels,” said the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______
Speaking of the relations with the Republic of Moldova, Minister Baconschi highlighted the dynamism and depth of the bilateral relationship and renewed Romania’s support for that country’s European course. “We are very interested in a good outcome of the Group of European Friends of the Republic of Moldova, which we initiated with France and which should go on with meetings in Brussels, Luxembourg and Chisinau in the broadest possible format so we may grant explicit, firm political support for the European agenda of the Government in Chisinau,” the head of the Romanian diplomacy explained. In connection with the Eastern neighbourhood, Minister Baconschi laid stress on the need that Romanian ethnics in neighbour states enjoy European standards in point of the fundamental rights and protection of minorities. At the same time, he mentioned the special priority to be further given to relations with the Russian Federation. Romania’s Foreign Minister then reviewed the dialogue with such partners as Germany, France, Italy, Hungary, the UK, Turkey, Bulgaria, Spain and Portugal, which had intensified substantially. Speaking of Germany, Minister Baconschi stated: “We have all the prerequisites: solid economic ties, political dialogue based on confidence and fairness, so we can turn to advantage this good relationship Romania has with the European Union’s economic powerhouse.” Minister Baconschi further dwelt on the relationship with France, saying it had to return to normal, in keeping with the goals of the Strategic Partnership between the two countries. “Both sides’ wish, expressed also in a letter I have received yesterday from Mrs. Michèle Alliot-Marie, is for us to return to normal, to focus on updating the roadmap with specific projects between the two governments and to solve together, through a very close collaboration, all the problems having to do with the two sensitive issues: Roma social inclusion and the Schengen-related matter,” Minister Teodor Baconschi detailed. Other activities in a bilateral line include implementation of the Romanian-Italian enhanced Strategic Partnership, a definite date having been set for the joint Cabinet sitting. Concurrently, Romania established its priorities under the Hungarian and Polish presidencies of the Council of the European Union, based on direct cooperation with the foreign ministers of the two states. As far as the relations with the USA are concerned, Minister Baconschi reiterated the importance of the Strategic Partnership and the hope that Romania’s participation in developing the missile defence system in Europe could be successfully completed with the winding up of the negotiations and the implementation proper of the programme. Minister Baconschi spoke in favour of an active, transparent and mobilized diplomatic service. He made a point of the intention to strengthen the relations with traditional partners in the Middle East, Latin America and Asia, by initiating integrated projects. In the context, he referred to the Romania – Gulf Cooperation Council economic forum due in Bucharest in early March. “We hope Romania can turn into a Central European hub for these major investors,” said the head of the Romanian diplomacy. Finally, the Foreign Minister presented the MFA’s demarches in support of the national business environment. “The MFA has formed several partnerships with big Romanian companies or representations of multinational companies and with representative structures of the business community. We have conducted a sustained dialogue in the context of the Export Council, on implementing commercial promotion centres in several spots, Moscow, Beijing, Cairo and Chisinau,” Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi concluded.
Romania wants EU Danube Strategy to clear European Council in June Romania wants the EU Strategy for the Danube Region to be adopted at the European Council this June, Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi declared at the end of the General Affairs Council (GAC) in Brussels. ''We are ready to coordinate our actions with our partners in Austria, Hungary and Bulgaria on three priority areas - inland waterway navigation, risk management and culture/tourism,'' said the Romanian official.
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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______
Besides the nearly 100 billion Euros that will be earmarked for infrastructure, environment, regional development and cross-border cooperation projects, this European strategy also proposes a one of a kind model of cooperation among the countries in the Danube region, be they member states or non- EU members. The adoption of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region is one of the priorities of the EU Council's Hungarian Presidency that ends on June 30. The EU Strategy for the Danube Region is an internal strategy of the European Union to which other states are also invited to participate; the Strategy observes the same principles as those applied for the EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Region. (ActMedia, 1st of February 2011)
NATO must secure a balance between nuclear weapons, conventional ones and missile defence Bucharest, February 5 /Agerpres/ - Romania believes that the Alliance must ensure a balance between the nuclear dimension, the conventional one and missile defence in order to secure an effective deterrence against a wide range of threats, stated the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Teodor Baconschi, in his keynote address to the Conference on Security Policy in Munich. According to a press release of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Romanian top diplomat reiterated Romania's commitment to reinforce the control of conventional weapons in Europe on the basis of reciprocity, transparency and the Host State Agreement. "Romania believes that the Alliance must secure a balance between the nuclear dimension, the conventional one and missile defence in order to ensure an effective deterrence against a wide range of threats. NATO needs a missile defence system able to respond effectively to the risks of proliferation of ballistic missile technologies", the Romanian Minister emphasized the role of NATO in the field of non- proliferation and international cooperation aimed at global security and stability. Regarding energy security, Minister Baconschi stressed the importance of cooperation both between competent bodies internally and between state players and international organizations to prevent and combat such crimes, adding that Romania was among the allies which have laid a special accent on securing an adequate positioning of the Alliance in front of new risks and new type of threats against security. The International Conference in Munich is one of the most prestigious security fora, which is held annually and traditionally brings together leading decision makers in global security and defence. The event is remarkable because it allows for informal discussions and exchanges of ideas on current issues, as well as on future ones.
Foreign Minister Baconschi attended International Donors' Conference on Solidarity with Belarus Bucharest, Feb 2 /Agerpres/ - Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi attended the International Donors' Conference on Solidarity with Belarus in Warsaw that discussed means of granting political and financial assistance to the civil society of Belarus, the Romanian Foreign Ministry (MAE) reports. The conference was chaired by Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski. Representing the European Commission was Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule. Also attending the conference were government officials and NGO officials from EU member and candidate
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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______states, the US, Canada and other members of the Eastern Neighbourhood. In his speech, Baconschi voiced hope that this conference was a clear sign of support for the people of Belarus in their aspirations for democratic values, the free expression of their own convictions and the right to peacefully rally for achieving these goals. "We want to send the people of Belarus a signal of solidarity. We are ready to provide support and cooperate with the European Commission to stabilise our neighbourhood," Minister Baconschi told a joint news conference with his counterpart Radoslaw Sikorski, Commissioner for Enlargement and Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Fule and Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt. Baconschi also voiced worries that, despite the repeated calls of the world community and the EU, the Belarus state officials continue to refuse to release all the people arrested during the December 19, 2010 elections. "Only a change in their behaviour and, first of all, the release of all the people arrested on political grounds, could start off a change in the sanctions against Belarus," said Minister Baconschi. The Romanian chief diplomat added that Romania has joined the efforts of official assistance for development announced by the organisers and the other donors, because he believes the restrictions should not affect the civil society or people of Belarus. "In 2011, Romania will start including the civil society of Belarus among its targets for official development assistance. This is a multi-annual programme worth 100,000 Euros in the MAE budget for assistance," said the Romanian minister for foreign affairs. The funds will be included in the civil society promotion line and the first projects will be part of a MAE development policy action plan for 2011. On the sidelines of the International Donors' Conference on Solidarity with Belarus, Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi met his Polish counterpart Radolsaw Sikorski in a one-on-one meeting.
• Economics
New IMF precautionary agreement covers two years and has medium-term targets Bucharest, Feb 6 /Agerpres/ - The new agreement Romania will sign with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is a precautionary one, will cover two years and has medium-term targets, said President Traian Basescu in a statement he made at the Cotroceni Palace. "The new agreement is precautionary. The Fund and the EU put at Romania's disposal 5 billion Euros: 3.6 billion from the IMF and 1.4 billion from the EU", said President Traian Basescu. The President explained that the phase to follow is first and foremost a phase of consolidation of Romania's macroeconomic conditions and a phase when the future economic growth begins to take shape; the new programme with the IMF, the European Union and the World Bank has several fundamental goals for such future growth, namely the macroeconomic consolidation and the development of sustainable economic growth policies. "This means we have emerged from the risk area, from the area of economic slippage, but we must consolidate ourselves outside this area. Which means populism cannot function and this is what all the parties and all the politicians should understand. Also, we are at a phase at which we should develop sustainable economic growth policies. We have the experience of unsustainable economic growth that had relied on excessive consumption, much above the population's income and on a real estate sector that had
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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______
reached hallucinating dimensions, that had nothing to do with the economic realities", President Basescu said. He added that "the option that also mirrors in the new programme is the sustainable economic development that should be based on projects, on solid economic growth, not on speculation or excessive consumption". According to the head of state, the new programme goals are in agreement with the European Union general goals and elements of the EU-2020 Strategy are to be found in it. Romania, in order to keep an adequate macroeconomic policy, will focus "on several key sectors of the national economy, sectors that can generate economic growth", President Traian Basescu said. He cited transportation, "a sector where we need to develop infrastructure and where the restructuring of the railway companies is also necessary". Also, "the energy sector is a vital sector, that can bring about major economic growth by bolstering public investment and the private sector's investment in upgrading the Romanian energy system - the heating plants, the hydro-electric plants, nuclear power plants, nuclear reactors - and by starting fresh investments", the President stressed. Another sector to be the focus of the new programme and of the Government is related to the expansion of computerisation benefits for the firms and for the people so as to streamline the economic activities by curbing bureaucracy. The Romanian head of state, President Basescu said that will also target the improvement of the business climate, "by taking into account the requirements set by our status of a EU member"; "the European funds use" will be "another area of utmost focus". "In this respect, the national analyses and also the IMF and the EU analyses reveal that good use of the European funds would add one percent or two percent worth of economic growth above the projected growth. For instance, if the Government and the local administrations manage to implement projects worth more than one billion Euros in 2011, Romania's economic growth will no longer be 1.5 percent, but it will be 2.5 percent. Therefore, the European Union funds use is extremely important and is a major target of the new programme, which we are going to sign", President Basescu said. The head of state stressed that the IMF, in March, will find that all its objectives for Romania have been met and a new accord will be signed. "Why have we deemed it necessary to have these amounts available any time we might need it? Because of the economic situation in the region and in the European Union. We are seeing a sovereign debt crisis and we do not know how the situation in other states may develop. That is why together with the National Bank governor, the Prime Minister and the Finance Minister we have established that this amount, if kept available to Romania for an unexpected crisis, can cover the needs so as to avoid slippage brought about by what might happen in other countries from the European Union or from the region", he explained. The President underscored that Romania's two-year accord with the IMF, the European Union and the World Bank has been completed successfully, the economy has stabilised and the measures required to emerge out of the crisis have been taken. "The two-year agreement with the three institutions has been finalised successfully. The economy has been stabilised and the measures required to emerge out of the crisis have been taken. Also, following the recently-ended evaluations, I can firmly say the conditions have been created in order to switch to sustainable economic growth", he added. President Basescu said that the measures taken by the Government last year, though painful, were "absolutely necessary". "I very well know that there were extremely painful measures for most of the population. Neither I, nor the government or the parliamentary majority took such measures for the fun of it, quite the contrary, we took them by thinking of those who were hit by cut incomes and yet they were absolutely necessary so as to get to today's results: Romania's economy has emerged from the risk of slippage. We are outside the slippage risks, we are outside the economic risk area", he underscored.
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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______
The head of state announced Romania will no longer take the last tranche of the agreement with the International Monetary Fund, it will only drawn on the last tranche of the agreement with the European Union, which it needs to plug the state budget deficit. "We speak of a billion Euros we'll no longer draw, since the National Bank reserve is sufficient and the banking system stability is also sufficient," President Traian Basescu said.
Danube-Bucharest canal, Budapest-Bucharest-Constanta speed rail line, among Romania's main projects for Danube Strategy Bucharest, Feb 3 /Agerpres/ - Building the Danube- Bucharest canal and the Budapest-Bucharest-Constanta speed rail line, retooling the Danube ports of Romania and building two new road bridges over the Danube to Bulgaria are some of the Romanian projects for the action plan of the European Union's Strategy for the Danube Region, which main priority fields were unveiled at a news conference by Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi joined by Minister of Infrastructure and Transportation Anca Boagiu and Minister of Regional Development and Tourism Elena Udrea. "These are concrete things that do not need new money. In the current budget plan of the EU that covers the time to 2013 there are some 45 billion Euros still available. We hope that, if the projects in the action plan are started off by 2013 and receive funds, we will continue in the next multi-annual financial budget of the EU, so that the projects already engaged may be completed and we may come up with a second generation of projects for the Danube Strategy," said Minister Baconschi. Among other projects mentioned by the minister are securing navigability all along the entire navigable portions of the Danube, the year round; expanding broadband Internet to cover more parts of the urban areas of Romania, establishing an international institute for the Danube Delta and the Black Sea, conceiving an ecosystem monitoring system, and improving water quality by building waste water treatment plants in most of the Danube ports. Ministers Boagiu and Udrea unveiled details of the projects for the Danube Strategy that are in the portfolio of their ministries and which they will coordinate in the future, particularly the potentials of the Danube-Bucharest canal project. The news conference held at the headquarters of the Foreign Ministry happened the same day when European Commissioner for Regional Policy Johannes Hahn unveiled in Budapest the 11 priority action fields of the Danube Strategy and the countries that will coordinate the implementation of the projects covering these fields. The 11 fields are transportation on river, land and air, energy, tourism and culture, water quality, risk management, biodiversity, education and research, competitiveness of enterprises, human resources, administrative capacity and citizen's security. "Each country in the region may coordinate three priority fields at most, and one filed may be coordinated by at most two countries. Each field has several actions included that will be implemented by projects," said Baconschi, showing that Romania will get involved in coordinating three fields - river transportation (jointly with Austria), tourism and culture (jointly with Bulgaria) and the management of risks generated by extreme phenomena (jointly with Hungary). MAE is the national coordinator for the implementation of the Danube Strategy projects. In this capacity, it will set up an inter-ministerial coordination structure.
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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______
"We see the Danube Strategy as a sustainable strategy, that is one geared toward environmental protection, based on new technologies and innovation in an attempt to improve the life quality of Romanian nationals living along the Romanian banks of the Danube River," said Minister Baconschi. He added that the Danube has been an inert river for the past decades and posed development problems to the entire southern part of Romania, but the disparities will be ironed out in 10-15 years, as most of the projects are carried out. The cities of Sulina and Braila will win back their cosmopolitan atmosphere of 100 years ago. The countries participating in the EU Strategy for the Danube are Germany (the Baden-Wurttemberg and Bavaria lands), Austria, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Bulgaria and Romania - all EU member states - plus Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia, Montenegro, Moldova and Ukraine. This vast area crossed by the river is facing many challenges, including an undercapitalised river transportation potential, the lack of road and rail links, as well as uncoordinated efforts in education, research and innovation. Cooperation within a macro-regional framework is aimed at achieving more efficient coordination. This approach, already successfully tried in the Baltic Sea - does not entail new legislation or institutions, as it rather consolidates the links between various policies and a wide range of interested parties. This form of cooperation can be applied to solve problems such as flash floods; biodiversity of natural habitats and smuggling, but it can also generate new opportunities, including improved Danube navigation and the interconnection of the national energy markets in order to prevent electricity and fuel shortages. Although the strategy will not be earmarked by additional EU funding, the region is already drawing considerable funding under various EU programmes. The main aim is to better capitalise on the existing financial assistance - no less than 100 billion Euros under the Cohesion Policy (the European Regional Development Fund, the Cohesion Fund, the Special European Fund), in 2007-2013 - and to show the way in which macro-regional cooperation can contribute to solving local problems. After coordinators are named for the priority fields, the strategy will be submitted to a summit meeting of the European Council this June.
Teodor Baconschi: Romania, Georgia economic relations are on rise Bucharest, Feb 11 /Agerpres/ - The economic relations between Romania and Georgia are on the rise, with commercial exchanges increasing by 30 percent in 2010, and with both parties being interested in building on this bilateral relation, Minister of Foreign Affairs Teodor Baconschi said. "The commercial exchanges fared good, they went up by 30 percent more or less last year, and, starting from a Romanian-Georgian economic seminar to be held here in June, we expect to keep up the Romanian investments in Georgia, the transactions and the underlying infrastructure, the Constanta- Batumi ferry line included," Minister Baconschi told the press conference after meeting his Georgian counterpart Grigol Vashadze, who was on an official visit to Bucharest. According to Baconschi, the Romanian businessmen are to be notified to take part in the tender offers for the 17 large scale projects of regional development financed and set up by Georgia. "We want to keep fuelling the economic aspect of our excellent relations, to get involved to a larger extent in the energy sector," the Georgian official said too.
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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______
Minister Baconschi also asserted Romania's entire support to drawing Georgia nearer to the European Union (EU). "Georgia is a country with a Euro-Atlantic calling, a very good neighbour and member of the Eastern Partnership. Therefore, we believe that all their endeavours to set up a dialogue with the EU are legitimate and well-deserved. The results are reaping, Georgia managed to end the negotiation rounds for visa facilitation, they are unremittingly negotiating the detailed free trade agreement and the association agreement and we are going to support them all along," said the Romanian chief diplomat. He underlined that Romania was interested in the security in the South Caucasus region and would still be part of the civilian European Union Monitoring Mission in Georgia, whose aim is to implement the peace agreement signed in August 2008. Last but not least, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is going to grant an amount of 300,000 Euros from the development programme to finance a project run by the Georgian Government meant to help people with disabilities, said the Romanian Foreign Minister. "Georgia and Romania have excellent political relations, which start at the highest level, at the level of our Presidents, and are repeated till the lowest level and the visits will continue. Both countries are interested in the security in the region. Romania is a dear neighbour of ours and the Black Sea has always been a bridge to us, as both countries considered it," said Minister Grigol Vashadze. During the official visit he paid to Bucharest the Georgian official also met President of the Senate Mircea Geoana. The programme also included a meeting with Bishop Ciprian Campineanul, Orthodox Patriarchal Vicar. According to the Ministry, trade between Romania and Georgia reached 185.2 million dollars in 2009, 178.6 million of which was Romanian export.
Seminar event „Funding and Implementation of Infrastructure Projects in Romania” Embassy of Romania / On 10 February 2011, the Ambassador of Romania in the UK, Dr Ion Jinga, participated, in the City of London, at the British-Romanian Chamber of Commerce (BRCC) seminar „Funding and Implementation of Infrastructure Projects in Romania”. The event aimed to explore the opportunities available in Romania’s infrastructure sector for British companies. The debates were led by a panel of experts through a mixture of general sector presentations, outlining of the legal framework for working in the sector in Romania and specific case studies drawn from expertise in the sector both in Romania and in the UK. Opening the seminar, Ambassador Ion Jinga made a comprehensive presentation of the measures adopted by the Romanian Government in order to re-launch, with 2011, the economy and boost the investments for extensive infrastructure projects, entitled “Romanian infrastructure - turning the gap into an opportunity”. “Returning to a sustainable growth will require major infrastructure investments. I am confident that the existent gap between us and the United Kingdom will be turned into an asset, attracting investments and spreading a spill over effect in the entire economy. For foreign investors, this could turn into a long term profit”. Present at the event, HE the Ambassador of the United Kingdom in Romania, Mr Martin Harris, addressed as well the audience. The
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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______
British Ambassador shared his views about the Romanian investment potential, encouraging British businessmen taking part at the event to seize the moment and invest in Romania.
The event was attended by the representatives of over 40 British companies interested in the potential for development of the Romanian market.
Martin Harris: Development of trade relations between Great Britain and Romania is a priority The development of the trade relations between Great Britain and Romania is a priority, and the development of the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB) can facilitate these relations, Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain to Romania Martin Harris said in the opening of the trading session. “For me, the development of the trade relations is a priority, because it is very important both for Romania and for Great Britain to boost economies after the crisis. Especially because trade exchanges between England and Romania registered an over 30 percent growth [in 2010 compared with 2009] and I would like to encourage this trend in the future”, said Ambassador Martin Harris. He stressed that his visit to BVB was a sign of recognition of the Bucharest Stock Exchange development, especially after the Proprietatea Fund (FP) listing. At the same time, the official referred to the possibility of developing cooperation between BVB and the London Stock Exchange (LSE). It was remarkable that BVB registered a significant increase in transactions after this event [FP listing], Martin Harris said, adding that in his opinion, there was great potential for the future development of this stock market. The London Stock Exchange is the centre of the global financial industry and has about 3,000 companies in over 70 countries, worth more than 3.5 trillion dollars, he mentioned. According to the British Ambassador, this was an important moment for the development of the relations between BVB and the LSE, and to him, the development of the trade relations between Great Britain and Romania was a priority. I am looking forward to our discussion on the BVB development and on the future relations between the LSE and BVB, said Martin Harris. Also, the British Ambassador mentioned that he wanted to organize a visit of an LSE representative to Bucharest. In the same context, BVB president Stere Farmache also supported the cooperation between BVB and the London Stock Exchange. “We met [the Ambassador of the United Kingdom of Great Britain] during a celebration of BVB on the occasion of the FP listing and then we thought that BVB and the LSE had long time connections and that these connections could be resumed. BVB and the LSE have functioned at some point under a cooperation protocol, which I think can be renewed for the benefit of both markets”, Stere Farmache said.
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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______
Trade exchanges between Romania and Great Britain in 2010 reached 2.05 billion Euros, increasing 30 percent compared with 2009. British imports accounted for 1.25 billion Euros, increasing 54 percent compared with 2009, and British exports to Romania amounted to 800 million Euros, 12 percent higher than in the previous year. (ActMedia, February 8, 2011)
The launch of the brand “Confindustria Romania” On February 3, Unimpresa organized the launch of the brand “Confindustria Romania”. Attending the event were members of the diplomatic corps, Italian and Romanian businesspersons, and media representatives. In his address Luca Serena, the president of Cofindustria Romania, spoke of the constant cooperation between Romania and Italy and noted the contribution of the Italian businesspersons’ community in the Romanian economic context. He also encouraged a diversification of economic cooperation domains between the two states, and mentioned that “alongside the already established cooperation domains, like textiles, constructions and real estate, there is a range of opportunities and resources in a number of various areas which are worth developing and which can boost the Romanian–Italian economic partnership.” “Romania should become increasingly attractive for medium-and long-term investment in fields that bring added value or which require a transfer of elaborate know-how,” Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi said. The head of Romanian diplomacy encouraged Italian businessmen to invest in domains like transportation, renewable energy, IT, agriculture or finances. The event marked the Association of Italian Enterprises in Romania (Unimpresa) joining the Confindustria system, which is the most important system of representation for industrial and consumer goods and services businesses in Italy. Unimpresa Romania's membership counts over 700 associations, with a total of 130,000 employees. (ActMedia, February 9, 2011)
High level Romanian – Turkish meeting on energy issues 09.02.11 | by: Nine oClock | in: business Economy Minister Ion Ariton met Turkey’s Energy and Natural Resources Minister Taner Yildiz yesterday in Bucharest, discussing the ongoing joint projects as well as the construction of the Nabucco natural gas pipeline and of the undersea electrical cable. “We reaffirmed our support for Nabucco and for the undersea cable. Nabucco is a project of major importance for the region’s supply of natural gas,” Ariton stated during a press conference that followed his talks with the Turkish Minister, Mediafax informs. Ariton added that Turkey can contribute to the European Union’s energy security and is “an essential partner” in many of Romania’s regional energy projects. He added that in the following period representatives of Romania’s Economy Ministry and of Turkey’s Energy Ministry will continue their talks on identifying energy projects on other markets, such as the Caucasus or the Middle East. In his turn, Yildiz thanked Romania for the support it gave Turkey in its bid to join the European Union. The Nabucco project seeks to enhance Europe’s energy security by diversifying its sources of natural gas. Europe is currently largely dependent on imports from Russia. The natural gas pipeline is set to bring natural gas from Central Asia through Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary and Austria. The Romanian – Turkish undersea cable is a project announced years ago by the two states’ officials but not materialized yet. (Nine o’clock, 4708)
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Vestas, the world leader in wind energy Vestas opened an office in Bucharest. Vestas CEU Romania SRL was registered in 2008 as a legal entity. Vestas entered into discussions with developers about projects in Romania in 2006, but Vestas’ presence in Romania started formally in 2008. The first orders for wind projects in Romania were in 2008, with sales of wind turbines to WPP and EWind. Vestas’ first wind turbine installations were made in 2009, and were the beginning of building a strong local organization in Romania, marked by the first job posting and hiring in Romania in June 2009. With a promising future in the Romanian wind energy sector, Vestas hopes to contribute to Romania’s development through supporting the growth and development of wind energy. With the industry’s largest global market share and most advanced technologies, Vestas is the world's leading supplier of wind energy solutions. Vestas’ core business is the development, manufacture, sales, marketing and maintenance of wind turbines that use the power of the wind to generate electricity. (ActMedia, February 2, 2011)
EBRD and Raiffeisen Bank Romania promote energy efficiency in Romania’s industry The EBRD is continuing to support private industrial companies in Romania in their drive to improve energy efficiency with a new €10 million loan to Raiffeisen Bank S.A. to finance sustainable energy projects undertaken by local businesses. Extended under the EU/EBRD Energy Efficiency Financing Facility framework, the credit line will be used to finance energy efficiency investments by Romanian companies with long-term loans worth up to €2.5 million each. The project will enable the private industrial sector to maximise energy savings and to improve its overall competitiveness. The EBRD finance will be complemented by grant funding from the European Union to support a technical assistance programme and targeted incentive payments for sub-borrowers to promote sustainable energy investments. “Through this project the EBRD is continuing to promote energy efficiency in Romania. The loan to Raiffeisen Bank Romania will facilitate further the access to financing for the local industrial sector, helping private companies to reduce their energy consumption and thus improve their overall competitiveness,” said Claudia Pendred, EBRD Director for Romania. "As a major lender on the local market for both corporate and retail clients, we see there is room for improvement in the field of energy efficiency across industries and households. This facility from the EBRD will enhance our capacity to provide our clients with value-added service", said Steven van Groningen, CEO of Raiffeisen Bank Romania. Since the beginning of its operations in Romania, the EBRD has committed over €5 billion to various sectors of the country’s economy which attracted an additional €9 billion of investments. Raiffeisen Bank S.A. is a leading universal bank in Romania, offering a complete range of financial products and services for nearly two million customers in the corporate and private individual segments. Raiffeisen Bank International AG, which owns 99.5% of Raiffeisen Bank S.A., operates one of the largest banking networks in CEE, covering 17 markets across the region through subsidiary banks, leasing companies and a range of other financial service providers. (ActMedia, February 3, 2011)
AGRI partnership proves common will for strategic gas connection Bucharest, Feb 14 /Agerpres/ - The partnership for the implementation of the AGRI project (Azerbaijan- Georgia-Romania Interconnector) proves the common will for the strategic connection within the gas supply field of the countries taking part in the project, from the Caspian Sea region towards Europe, Minister of Economy, Trade and the Business Environment Ion Ariton said in the opening of the inter- ministerial meeting that tackles the project.
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The Economy Minister stressed that Azerbaijan was a strategic partner for Europe and it would supply the gas pipeline, Georgia and Romania would be transit points and Hungary would be a connection point of the gas market to Central Europe. "The project will generate investments and will ensure a regional economic development. The feasibility of the LNG (liquefied natural gas) project, the inter- connection linking Azerbaijan, Georgia, Romania and Hungary and the support of four partner states, via a political partnership, will ensure the successful implementation of the project's next stages," Minister Ariton said. The Romanian minister underscored that the project company had already been founded and the next step consisted in supporting the implementation of the feasibility study, one of the topic of today's working session. The Romanian Economy Minister along with the Minister of Energy and Industry of Azerbaijan, the Energy Minister of Georgia and the Hungarian Minister of National Development are to sign a protocol regarding the Inter-Ministerial Meeting on the AGRI project. The AGRI project, considered by the Romanian authorities to be the cheapest for the natural gas shipment from the Caspian Sea and Central Asia towards Europe, follows the route Baku-Kulevi- Constanta (south-eastern Romania). The Azerbaijani gas will be liquefied in the Georgian port of Kulevi and shipped across the Black Sea to Constanta afterwards, where it will be re-gasified through the LNG terminal. In a first stage, between three and eight billion cubic metres could be delivered, a quantity that could increase to about 20 billion cubic metres of gas over the next period.
Investors in the Golf, interested to expand in Romania The investors in the Golf, namely Saudi Arabia, the United Arabic Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Kuweit and Qatar are interested to expand in Romania in domains such as agriculture, infrastructure and financial sector and are willing to place minimum 20 million dollars in a project. “The states of the Golf expressed their intention to identify in Romania feasible projects for investment, with values of minimum 20 million dollars, in agriculture, natural resources – oil and gas, petrochemical, infrastructure, banks and finances, IT&C, health, pharmaceuticals, education and research, railways, electricity networks, SMEs and others” a press release of the Invest Forum shows, which will organise in March a business forum on this issue in Bucharest. The Forum in Bucharest is part of a programme of economic meetings, organised between member states of the Council for Cooperation in the Golf (CCG) (Saudi Arabia, United Arabic Emirates, Bahrain, Oman, Kuwait and Qatar) and Southern-Eastern Europe between 2011 – 2012 in several cities of the two regions. One of the investors interested in projects in Romania is Hassad Food, the investment fund in the agricultural sector of the Authority for Investment in Qatar, which wants to develop a partnership in the domain in Romania. At the same time, Doha Bank expressed its interest to expand and strengthen its presence in Bucharest, depending on the existence of concrete projects, which they could develop together with Romanian inventors. With a bureau for representation opened three years before in Bucharest, Doha Bank is the first financial institution from Qatar present on the local market. (ActMedia, February 15, 2011)
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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______
Google’s Hotpot is available also in Romania Google has recently launched the Hotpot service, allowing users in 38 countries, including Romania, to see recommendations for restaurants, hotels and coffee shops, based on other users’ feedback. Users can rate places nearby, share tips about their favourite places, review places and search for new ones. Future searches will take into account the user’s previous searches and ratings. Google launched the Street View service in Romania in December last year. The company also opened an office in Romania at the end of last year. (ActMedia, February 3, 2011) Farmec Cluj Napoca enters Hungarian market and wants 5% more business in 2011 Farmec Cluj Napoca, the biggest Romanian producer of cosmetics ended 2010 with a business figure of 95.9 million lei, on the rise by 10% compared to 2009 and estimates a 5% business increase this year. “We have concluded a difficult year with results above expectation, although our increase target was 5% in the first months. The growth engine consisted of launches, backed by marketing investments and a more visible presence in the main distribution channels. For 2011 we have in view to consolidate our position in the market and a business advance of 5% as we will have new products backing sales. We also intend to enter modern foreign retail networks. The first steps were made last year when we entered the Hungarian market,” said Mircea Turdean, the general manager of Farmec, Cluj Napoca. According to Nielsen, Farmec is a quantity leader in the face care section, with a market share of 26.2% while it holds a share of 20.64% in points of value. Farmec Cluj Napoca owns trade marks like Gerovital H3 Evolution, Gerovital H3 Prof Ana Aslan, Gerovital Plant, Aslavital and Farmec. Farmec products are present in over 30 countries such as Japan, Iran, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova, Czech Republic, Norway, Croatia, Thailand, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, UAE, South Korea, USA. (ActMedia, February 9, 2011)
Pound trades at 5.0470 lei The exchange rate of the national leu currency resulting from the quotations announced on Tuesday by the banks authorized to operate on the currency market is as follows: CURRENCY SYMBOL RON 1 British pound GBP 5.0470 1 euro EUR 4.2496 1 US dollar USD 3.1427 1 Swiss franc CHF 3.2399 100 Japanese yens JPY 3.7625 1 gram of gold XAU 138.5815
• Culture Photography exhibition “From East to West: A Portrait of Romanian Diaspora” Embassy of Romania – London/ On February 16, 2011, HE Dr Ion Jinga, the Ambassador of Romania to the UK, will open exhibition “From East to West: A Portrait of Romanian Diaspora” by Raul Stef and organized by the Romanian Cultural Institute in London in 1 Belgrave Square SW1X 8PH. Inspired by the large Romanian community living in the UK, former Attic Arts resident Raul Stef photographed over 20 Romanian born figures setting the economic and cultural agenda in London, capturing their journey from native Romania to the UK, as they walked on the road to
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Embassy of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ______success. Flashbacks of their past experiences and vivid portraits from today take the viewers to an exciting discovery of well-known people with surprising life stories. The exhibition will be opened 16th – 28th of February 2011, and it can be viewed from Monday through Friday between 10am - 5pm.
The official opening in Edinburgh of a Consular Office of the Embassy of Romania Embassy of Romania – London/ On 21 February 2011, in the presence of HE Dr Ion Jinga, the Ambassador of Romania in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the Lord Provost of the City of Edinburgh, Rt Hon George Grubb, and of the Head of the Consular Office in Edinburgh, Dr Mihai Delcea, will take place the opening ceremony of the Consular Office of the Embassy of Romania. At the event, hosted by the Edinburgh City Chambers, are invited representatives of the local authorities, business world, of the cultural and academic milieus, and of the local media, members of Consular corps in Edinburgh and of the Romanian community living in the region, Romanian press correspondents.
Politics of Memory in Post-Communist Europe Embassy of Romania – London/ On 25 February 2011 at 5pm, HE Dr Ion Jinga, the Ambassador of Romania to the Court of St James's will open the Conference dedicated to the first issue of the yearbook History of Communism in Europe. The event will take place in 1 Belgrave Square, and is organised by The Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and for the Memory of Romanian Exile, UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies, with the support of the Romanian Cultural Institute in London.
The yearbook History of Communism in Europe is an interdisciplinary forum that explores multifaceted history of the communist regimes in Eastern Europe. Guest speakers of the event are Romanian and British academics and researchers: Prof Dennis Deletant - Professor of Romanian Studies, UCL School of Slavonic and East European Studies Dr Mihail Neamtu - Scientific Director, the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and for the Memory of Romanian Exile Bogdan Iacob - Secretary of the Scientific Council, the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of Romanian Exile Corina Dobos - Expert, the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of Romanian Exile Marius Stan - Expert, the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and for the Memory of Romanian Exile The speakers will look at the history and philosophical and ideological mutations of the Communist doctrinal monism, as well as will examines themes like memory, nostalgia and historical past of the former Soviet bloc - Romania, Hungary, former GDR, Poland, former Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, former USSR and former Yugoslavia.
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Opening of Rita Horowitz water painting exhibition Embassy of Romania – London/ On March 1st, 2011, with the occasion of the Day of Mărţişor, in 1 Belgrave Square SW1X 8PH, the Embassy of Romania to London is opening the water colours painting exhibition “Primăvara – A Spring celebration” by Rita Horowitz.
Discovering the illusive beauty of water colour, Rita Horowitz became a follower of Stella Cardew, whose magical gift of imparting her skills is legendary. Rita’s water colours are included in private collections world wide, being exhibited at The World Trade Centre and at Patchings Arts Centre. Her painting “Granada” won a national prize for expressiveness. Other works include marine and portrait subjects.
The exhibition will be opened 1st - 15th of March 2011, and it can be viewed from Monday through Friday between 10am - 5pm.
The Annual meeting of the Romanian health care professionals working in the UK Embassy of Romania – London/ On 14 May 2011, the Embassy of Romania to London will host the Annual meeting of the Romanian health care professionals working in the United Kingdom, organised by the Romanian Medical Society in the UK (SMR- UK). The event will conclude with a private view of a painting exhibition featuring works made by the Romanian doctors living in the UK and their fellow colleagues from Romania.
The exhibition will be opened 14th – 21st of May 2011, and it can be viewed from Monday through Friday between 10am - 5pm.
Ion Grigorescu @ Tate Modern
The Romanian Cultural Institute brings the acclaimed artist Ion Grigorescu back to London for the first public presentation of his work in the UK, part of the group show Out of Place at Tate Modern. The exhibition in the Level 2 Gallery series features four artists from different backgrounds whose works focus on how political changes affect the lives of individuals. Ion Grigorescu (Romania), Cevdet Erek (Turkey), Hrair Sarkissian (Syria) and Ahlam Shibli (Palestine) expose the physical traces of historical shifts and political decisions. History marks the reality with monuments, the architecture of the new and the ruins of the old. Documenting memory-laden landscapes, new constructions, abandoned places and the voids left behind by migrants, the artists present a meaningful record of transformed reality and individual stories being lived within it.
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Ion Grigorescu (b.1945) has worked extensively with performance, which he documented through photos and 8mm films (most of them in black and white). After 1990 the artist staged a spectacular comeback with a series of personal exhibitions and happenings in Bucharest, Venice, Vienna and Amsterdam. His body-focused work from the 1970s has been rediscovered and Grigorescu is now unanimously acknowledged as a highly relevant contemporary artist. When: 11 February - 15 April 2011. Open: Sunday - Thursday, 10am - 6pm Where: Level 2 Gallery, Tate Modern, Bankside, London SE1 9TG. Free admission.
GAZES AND FACES: ROMANIAN PORTRAITS by Adrian Cherciu Thursday 3 February to Friday 18 March 2011 The Ratiu Foundation/ Romanian Cultural Centre Manchester Square, 18 Fitzhardinge Street, London W1H 6EQ; Tel. 020 7486 0295 ext. 108 Opening times: Mon – Fri 12.00 – 18.00. Admission free (booking essential, by phone or e-mail at [email protected]) For one week in October 2010, Adrian Cherciu, a keen photographer and founder of the Romanian community portal ROMANi ONLiNE, has wandered across Romania with English photographer Mike Sweeney in tow, in search for the “ineffable Romanian spirit”. They have found some of that spirit distilled in more than one location along the more than 1,700 kilometres route through the country, but the real essence of the places could be best read in the faces of the people they encountered. The Ratiu Foundation / Romanian Cultural Centre is happy to present a special selection of portraits to give you a flavour of the trip, but also to offer a glance at the people (and in one instance, a horse) who go about their daily lives without making the news, trying to make the best of the times of crisis we are all living through. Woodcutters, monks, a forester, a souvenir seller, an old lady knitting woollen socks to make ends meet – they are all part of the cast of characters. An unskilled camera will reflect the reality in front of its lenses in a cold light. However, in these pictures, the photographer shows a high degree of empathy with his subjects, managing to imbue each image with a spark of the life force of those portrayed. To be sure, the characters are all representatives of a rural way of living, but this is not a romanticised look at life in the country. This collection may well become sooner rather than later an archive of typologies and occupations that one day will disappear for good, even from Romania. The larger series of images collected during this trip was taken in locations as diverse as the big cities of Bucharest, Iasi or Brasov, and the picturesque small towns and villages of Voronet, Putna, Moeciu, Bicaz. Meaning to see not just the touristic part of the country, the two photographers have visited, besides the well known painted monasteries of Northern Moldavia or the natural reservations of Vrancea County, some of the lesser known places such as the disaffected Tarnita industrial ruins or the trout farm of Cheita. The trip would have been impossible without the assistance of guide and driver Mugurel Costache, who showed the photographers unknown spots of natural beauty and places of pure wonder. Organised by the Ratiu Foundation / Romanian Cultural Centre and ROMANi ONLiNE, with the support of Albinuta.co.uk
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Romanian Cultural Institute organises international tour meant to promote Enescu Festival Bucharest, February 1 /Agerpres/ - The Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR) will organize a large-scale international tour meant to promote the George Enescu International Festival and the creation of the Romanian composer, informs the ICR press office. The first countries to host the promotion events are Bulgaria, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. ICR will also begin the George Enescu tour in Italy, which includes concerts to be given in Venice, Verona, Turin and Rome. The Enescu Festival will also be promoted in New York, Lisbon and Berlin through a number of homage-paying concerts in which great personalities of the international music life will take part. Violinist Gabriel Croitoru, one of the remarkable participants in the tour, will play on the Guarnieri violin, which belonged to George Enescu, together with pianist Karim Said, the winner of the first scholarship given by the London-based Enescu Society and ICR, in partnership with the Royal Academy of Music. In parallel with these concerts ICR will organize an exhibition displaying George Enescu's personal belongings and an open lesson for the students attending the conservatoires in the cities where the above-mentioned events will be organized. President of the Romanian Cultural Institute Horia Roman Patapievici told the first news conference devoted to the announcement of the event mentioned before that "in the eyes of the foreign countries the Romanian culture goes on becoming a remarkable thing through positive examples". "The Enescu Festival and the Romanian filmmaking, but also the presence of the Romanian culture in printed form in recent years, quite close at hand to the western reader, on an equal footing with the other cultures, are Romanian cultural brands that have won recognition abroad," said Patapievici. The jubilee George Enescu International Festival and Contest, the 20th, which will be held between September 1 and 25, will gather together more than 160 artistic events, of which eight are concerts of Romanian music, 13 chamber recitals and concerts, 20 concerts given by some great orchestras, six Enescu and His Contemporaries concerts. Also during the Festival there will be nine events included in the World Music cycle, five opera performances, two ballet ones, 35 concerts as part of the international contest, 30 events in the Festival Square, eight events as part of the musicology symposium and four art exhibitions.
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