The joint standing bureaus of the Chamber and Senate took note on Tuesday of President Klaus Iohannis' letter informing Parliament that he approved the participation of Romania's Army in EU's maritime security operation EUNAVFOR ASPIDES and asking approval for the participation of Romania's Army in PROSPERITY GUARDIAN (OPG) coalition-type maritime operation.In the document, Iohannis brings to mind that amid the conflict in the Gaza Strip and the intensification of the actions of the Yemeni rebel group Al-Houthi against targets and interests related to Israel, including the commercial maritime traffic in the Red Sea, the security situation in the area of the Yemeni coasts and the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait has constantly deteriorated, with negative repercussions on the European and world economy.In this context, the president added, on 18 December 2023, the United States of America took action against the Al-Houthi rebels by launching the PROSPERITY GUARDIAN (OPG) coalition maritime operation and called on the international community to get involved in resolving the security situation in the Red Sea by participating with staff and naval capabilities and by intensifying information exchange.At the same time, on 29 January this year, the European Union took steps to launch an operation to ensure freedom of navigation in the context of this crisis, in close cooperation with PROSPERITY GUARDIAN. To this end, the Crisis Management Concept for a new maritime operation, EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, has been approved with the objective of protecting maritime security on the main shipping routes in the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait, the Strait of Hormuz, international waters of the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf.Operation EUNAVFOR ASPIDES was launched on 19 February at the meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union.The president mentions that he approved, after consultation with the Supreme Council of National Defence, the participation of the Romanian Army in EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, in order to ensure freedom of navigation in the Bab-al-Mandeb Strait, the Strait of Hormuz, the international waters of the Red Sea, the Arabian Sea and the Persian Gulf, starting in 2024, with up to five military."Also under the provisions of Article 7 para. (2) of Law no. 121/2011 on the participation of the armed forces in missions and operations outside the territory of the Romanian State, as amended and supplemented, I request the approval of the Romanian Parliament for the participation of the Romanian Army in the PROSPERITY GUARDIAN (OPG) coalition maritime operation, under US command, in the area of responsibility in the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the territory of Bahrain, starting in 2024, with up to three military. The participation of personnel in this operation, within the command deployed on the territory of Bahrain, will be done after the legal status of the Romanian military on the territory of this state has been regulated. The financial funds necessary for the participation in the missions are provided from the budget allocated to the Ministry of National Defence in 2024," reads the president's letter, which was sent to the parliamentary defence committees.
In the context in which agri-food systems are responsible for almost one third of global greenhouse gas emissions, Auchan Romania assumes an active role in the transition of its supply chain toward a more sustainable model. At the second edition of the Climate Supplier Event, organized under the aegis of the Climate Change Summit, the […]
Janiva Magness, the winner of seven Blues Music Awards following 26 nominations, and nominated for a Grammy for a career spanning 17 albums, is set to perform at the 14th edition of the Brașov Jazz & Blues Festival, which will take place between August 14–16, 2026. Magness is one of the most valuable and influential […]
Auction house Artmark announced a major auction for this winter featuring an engraving created by Francisco Goya, the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Romania's late communist leader Nicolae Ceaușescu received this gift from King Juan Carlos I as a gesture of diplomacy. The engraving entitled “The Engagement – Capricho […]
Authorities managing Romania's Bicaz Gorges–Hășmaș National Park has built a fish ladder system on the Bicaz River, which will allow protected species to migrate and reproduce. There are several bridges and small bridge structures in the Bicaz River that have a “bottom sill,” meaning small waterfalls. Fish that do not jump like the trout cannot […]
The far-right opposition parties in the Romanian Parliament are set to file a motion of no confidence against the government headed by prime minister Ilie Bolojan. The motion, authored by senator Ninel Peia of the Peace – Romania First group, is specifically aimed at the reformist party Save Romania Union (USR), and is entitled “Romania […]
Romania's iconic rock singer Adrian Pleșca, known as “Artan,” died on Tuesday, December 2, after a fatal stroke, at the age of 64. The artist founded the well-known band “Timpuri Noi” in 1982 and “Partizan” in 2001, and was popular on the Romanian rock scene. Over the years, he left and returned to the two bands. Several […]
