The Romanian government on Thursday urged Romanians to renew their expired US visas as part of efforts to join the Visa Waiver Program, which allows visa-free travel to the United States, euractiv.com informs. The campaign, entitled “Qualify Romania in the Visa Waiver Program”, will be promoted through TV, radio and online platforms. Romanians with visas that have expired in the last four years are encouraged to renew them by 30 September. The Romanian authorities aim to meet the technical criteria required to join the programme before the end of the US fiscal year 2024. A key criterion is to achieve a refusal rate of less than 3% for US B1/B2 visas – business and tourist visas – issued to Romanian citizens during this fiscal year. Romanians, Bulgarians, and Cypriots are the only EU citizens still needing a visa to enter the US. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu believes mobilising as many Romanians as possible for this campaign will enable visa-free travel to the US starting next year. There are indications that Romania is close to meeting the 3% refusal rate. This campaign serves as a “safety net” to ensure that all previous efforts are not in vain, according to Valentin Vatajelu, the national coordinator for Romania’s accession to the Visa Waiver Program. Last month, Romanian Ambassador to the U.S., Andrei Muraru, announced that Romania is in the final stages of meeting the Visa Waiver Program’s admission criteria. He noted that the rejection rate for the last fiscal year, ending October 1, 2023, was over 8%, but expressed optimism that it could fall below 3% this year. The US Embassy has issued a substantial number of visas this year, with estimates approaching 50,000 to 60,000. Muraru mentioned in an interview with Agerpres that there is ”a high volume of applications from both private and governmental sectors, and we have a very good chance”.
Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Monday, February 24, that a "lasting peace" in Ukraine cannot be achieved without the involvement of the United States, and argued that Romania does not have to choose between it and the European Union. The statements come as the Trump administration is currently negotiating a resolution to the […]
Romania's acting president, Ilie Bolojan, has invited leaders of parliamentary parties to consultations on Wednesday, February 26, to prepare the country's stance for the extraordinary European Council meeting on March 6 in Brussels. The summit, convened by European Council president Antonio Costa,...
Roughly 40 searches took place in the Port of Constanța and other locations on Monday, February 24, in an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Directorate, or DNA, targeting influential local businessmen, former customs officials in the port, and one of the leaders of the Constanța branch of the governing Social Democratic Party (PSD). The prosecutors’ accusations […]
The Bucharest Community Foundation has announced funding for two new projects aimed at enhancing climate resilience in the Romanian capital by implementing sustainable ecological solutions to improve urban infrastructure and environmental quality. The projects were selected through the sixth round of the Environmental Platform for Bucharest initiative. Out of 16 eligible proposals, the jury chose […]
One of the hostages released on Saturday, February 22, by the terrorist organization Hamas also holds Romanian citizenship. The exchange took place before another setback in negotiations and exchanges. Hostages Tal Shoham and Avera Mengistu were released during a staged event in Rafah, and hostages Eliya Cohen, Omer Shem Tov, and Omer Wenkert were released […]
Polish company Scallier, who is expanding its network of Funshop Park retail parks in Romania, is set to open a new shopping center in the Arad region. The opening date for the roughly 10,000 sqm retail park is March 6. The decision to build a retail park in the Arad region in western Romania was […]
