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”.
Some dinners are eaten. Others are remembered. At Corinthia Grand Hotel du Boulevard, the past few months have unfolded like a quiet culinary opera. One by one, Europe’s most celebrated chefs arrived, took over the kitchen of Boulevard 73 and left behind more than menus; they left stories. Now, on December 4, the curtain falls. […]
HORIZON CITY, a €130 million residential project, is emerging as one of the most solid and forward-thinking developments in the Pipera area—both through its scale and through the modern direction it sets for the new residential standards in the north. Developed across nearly 23,000 sqm, with 699 apartments and 926 parking spaces, the project brings […]
Romania’s National Forest Administration, or Romsilva, announced that it is putting over 16,000 Christmas trees up for sale over the winter in a press release published on Thursday, November 27. The trees can be purchased directly from the offices of the forestry districts. Prices range between RON 17 (EUR 3.3) for a spruce...
Lot 3 Pietroasele–Buzău of Romania's A7 highway, also known as the Moldova highway, was inaugurated on Thursday, November 27. The newly inaugurated segment is 13.9 km long. The A7 connects Romania’s historic regions of Muntenia, the southern part of the country, with Moldova, the eastern part. “We are opening another 13 km of the Moldova Motorway […]
The City Hall of Sinaia, a popular mountain town roughly 120 km north of Bucharest, announced that a new attraction, the alpine coaster on Pârtia Nouă, will officially open on December 1. The installation, located in the ski area near the Sinaia Gondola, features what the authorities say is the longest track of its kind […]
The Romanian national team debuted with a victory in Group A of the Women’s Handball World Championship, organized in the Netherlands and Germany. Romania won 33–24 (13–12) against Croatia in the Ahoy Arena in Rotterdam on Thursday, November 27. The Romanian team dominated the match in the second half, left backer Sorina-Maria Grozav scoring 7 […]
