DECREE – Romania’s Energy Minister, Virgil Popescu, wrote on
social media that the Government’s emergency decree capping energy prices does
not breach European legislation. Romania’s National Energy Regulatory Authority
(ANRE) had previously warned that the decree might trigger infringement
procedures against Romania at EU level. Minister Popescu said that Romania is
constantly consulting with Brussels in every piece of legislation adopted in
this field, and that the decree will be presented on September 9 at the
emergency meeting of EU Energy Ministers in Prague. Virgil Popescu recalled
that European institutions also want to put an end to the conflicting interests
and greed of those who speculate the delicate context. Among other things, the
decree stipulates that any intermediaries who oversell energy across the
distribution chain will receive fines of up to 5% of their turnover.
SCHOOL YEAR – Nearly 3 million school and pre-school children
start a new school year on Monday. The structure of the new year will comprise
5 modules, separated by 5 mini-holidays. A number of changes will be operated
starting this year. Mid-term exams will no longer be compulsory, while the
average grade for the secondary cycle of education in Romania, (grades 5-8)
will be discarded as a criterion for enrolling in high-schools. At the end of
the school year, pupils can no longer be expelled, and parents are no longer
allowed to raise money for presenting teaching staff with gifts. Referring to
some of the unsolved issues ahead of the new school year, Education Minister
Sorin Cîmpeanu recognized that many schools lack fire safety permits.
BORDER CROSSING -
Some 317 thousand people entered or left Romania on Friday via all border
crossing points. Some 11,000 Ukrainians entered Romania, down by 5.46% compared
to the previous day. Therefore, starting February 10, two weeks before the war had
started, some 2.1 million Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania.
GAZPROM – The European Commission has accused the Russian
giant Gazprom for having suspended its natural gas deliveries to Germany via
the Nord Stream pipeline in the Baltic Sea under fallacious pretenses. Gazprom’s
announcement is another confirmation of its unreliability as a supplier and
proof of Russia’s cynicism, as it prefers to flare gas instead of honoring
contracts, European Commission spokesman, Eric Mamer, tweeted on Friday.
Gazprom announced that the Nord Stream pipeline would be shut down pending the
repair of a faulty turbine. The announcement risks spiking concern among EU
Member States, who are trying to avert an energy crisis in the coming winter
and who accuse Moscow of using natural gas as a weapon to take revenge for the
sanctions the West has imposed on Russia in response to the latter’s invasion
of Ukraine.
SWIMMING – Romanian swimmer Rebecca Diaconescu on Friday
qualified to the 50m backstroke final at the World Junior Swimming
Championships in Lima, Peru. Romania’s track record includes 5 medals so far:
gold in the men’s 4x100m freestyle event (David Popovici, Alexandru
Constantinescu, Ştefan Cozma, Patrick Sebastian Dinu), gold in the 200m
freestyle event (David Popovici, silver in the 400m freestyle event (Vlad
Stancu), silver in the mixed 4×100 freestyle event (David Popovici, Patrick
Sebastian Dinu, Rebecca Diaconescu, Bianca Costea) and bronze in the 800m
freestyle event (Vlad Stancu). (VP)