Radio România Internațional

Tag: accession

December 2, 2022 UPDATE

VISIT The president of Romania Klaus
Iohannis had a meeting in Athens on Friday with his Greek counterpart, Katerina
Sakellaropoulou, who reiterated Greece’s full support for Romania’s Schengen
accession. The two officials praised the very good relations between the two
countries, strengthened by cultural affinities and by a long common history,
and emphasized the close cooperation at EU, regional and international level. Given
the current security situation generated by Russia’s illegal military
aggression against Ukraine, they emphasized the importance of maintaining
trans-Atlantic unity and solidarity and reiterated the support that their
respective countries will continue to give to Ukraine and to Ukrainian refugees,
as well as to the R. of Moldova. The Romanian president is in Greece for a
2-day official visit.

COMPANIES The number of new
companies running on foreign capital set up in Romania in the first 10 months
of the year is 30.7% higher than in the corresponding period of 2021, according
to the National Trade Registry Office. The 6,175 new companies have a combined
share capital of over USD 35 million. At the end of October 2022, 243,022
companies in Romania had foreign share capital. The largest number of companies
had Italian investors, but the highest capital value was reported for Dutch
companies. In related news, Romania’s software industry is growing steadily,
with the combined turnover in the sector expected to reach a record-high EUR 11
billion this year. According to a survey, the upward trend has been steady for
the past 10 years, and the growth rate almost tripled during this period. In
2021 there were over 30,000 software firms in Romania.

GAUDEAMUS The 29th edition of the
Gaudeamus Book Fair hosted by Radio Romania kicks off next week.
200 publishers will be exhibiting their latest and current releases in various
formats, addressing all age brackets and fields of interests, music as well as
educational games. 600 events have been announced in addition to various
related projects. Pavilions are also available online on gaudeamus.ro. The
Gaudeamus Book Fair is financed by the Ministry of Culture.

POLITICS The National Congress of the Alliance for the Unity of
Romanians (AUR), a nationalist party in opposition in Romania, Friday endorsed
its political promotion strategy for 2023. It includes building a mobile
hospital and organising medical caravans which would also present the party’s
views on the main areas of interest. The party president, George Simion, added
that some of the subsidies received by the party will be used for purchasing
school buses. The head of the party’s National Council, Claudiu Târziu, said
national reunification is AUR’s country project and requested the governments
of Romania and of the R. of Moldova to initiate immediate consultations in this
respect.

SCHENGEN The Dutch government Friday decided to agree with Romania’s
and Croatia’s Schengen accession, but will oppose the accession of Bulgaria, on
grounds that the country does not meet the required conditions. The Swedish
parliament’s committee for European affairs also voted in favour of Romania’s
accession. The Romanian PM Nicolae Ciucă and the foreign minister Bogdan
Aurescu hailed the decisions concerning Romania. A possible enlargement of the Schengen
area is one of the topics on the agenda of the Justice and Home Affairs Council
meeting due on December 8. (AMP)

2 December 2022
November 17, 2022 UPDATE

BUDGET The
government of Romania Thursday approved this year’s second public budget
adjustment, with an approx. EUR 104 million increase
in revenues and a similar increase in
expenditure. According to the government, the budget adjustment covers
compulsory spending, operating expenses and social assistance expenses. Funds
have also been rechanneled for implementing programmes with an impact on the economy
and which support households and companies. Financing is also ensured for the
state aid provided to the farmers whose crops were affected by drought this
year. According to the autumn macroeconomic forecast on which the adjustment is
based, the government’s news release also reads, Romania’s GDP is expected to
reach RON 1,396.2 bln in 2022 (as compared to RON 1,372.5 bln taken into
account in the first budget adjustment).

INFLATION The annual inflation in the EU continued to grow in October
to reach 11.5%, as against 10.9% in September. The member states with the
highest rates are Estonia (22.5%), Lithuania (22.1%), Hungary (21.9%) and
Latvia (21.7%), according to data made public on Thursday by the Eurostat.
Compared to September, the annual inflation rate dropped in 11 member countries,
remained stable in 3 countries and went up in 13 member states, including in
Romania (from 13.4% to 13.5%). As many as 18 member countries, Romania
included, reported for September an annual inflation rate above 10%. The member
states with the lowest inflation rates in September were France (7.1%) and
Spain (7.3%). In October 2021, the year-on-year inflation rate in the European
Union was 4.4%, and in Romania it was 6.5%. In Romania, the National Statistics
Institute had previously announced that the year-on-year inflation dropped this
October to 15.32%, from 15.88% in September, with a 20.58% rise in foodstuff
prices, non-food prices going up 14.37%, and service prices 8.31% more expensive.
Just days ago, the National Bank of Romania also released its quarterly
inflation report, according to which the rate is expected to reach 16.3% by the
end of this year and 11.2% next year.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu
Thursday had talks with his counterpart, Jean Asselborn, during his visit to
the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The two officials discussed Romania’s Schengen
accession and the security situation at the Black Sea. Bogdan Aurescu also
mentioned, in a joint press conference, the importance of the Republic of
Moldova’s European accession, and said on Monday he would co-chair the third
Support Platform for the Republic of Moldova, in Paris, together with his
French and German counterparts. The Romanian official also thanked Luxembourg
for its plans to deploy a 25-troop unit as part of the NATO Battle Group in
Romania. The decision is pending the approval of Luxembourg’s parliament.

MILITARY A second shipment of French military equipment, specifically Leclerc tanks,
reached Braşov County (central Romania). The equipment is intended to strengthen
the NATO Battle Group (Battle Group Forward Presence-BGFP) stationed in Cincu,
the Romanian ministry of defence (MApN) said. A first convoy of French military
equipment, consisting in armoured vehicles, arrived in Romania on October 23.

ASSESSMENT A mixed team of experts from the European Commission and some member
states, including the Netherlands, will be in Romania this week to assess the
country’s readiness for Schengen accession. According to the Bucharest
government, the visit is voluntary, similar to the one that took place between
October 9 and 11. On Wednesday, the European Commission requested that Romania,
Bulgaria and Croatia be part of the Schengen Area without
delay. The EC points out that Romania has a solid and high-quality border
management and is involved in international cooperation in border police
matters.

HANDBALL Two Romanian players, Cristina Neagu and Crina Pintea, were
nominated for the all-star team of the European Women’s Handball Championship
hosted by North Macedonia, Montenegro and Slovenia and due to conclude this
Sunday. According to the EHF website, Cristina Neagu is nominated for the left
back position, and Crina Pintea for line player. Neagu announced on Thursday that
the EHF Euro 2022 was the last in her career, and that it had not ended as she
had dreamt, after Romania finished only 12th. With 303 goals, Cristina
Neagu is at the top of the combined all-time goal scorers’ list for Women’s and
Men’s EHF EURO events. Romania has taken part in all the EHF Euro editions so
far, with one exception (2006), and its best performance was a bronze medal in 2010. (AMP)

17 November 2022
October 28, 2022

POPULATION Between July 2021 and July 2022, Romania lost over
100,000 residents, according to data released today by the National Statistics
Institute. From over 22
million people with permanent residence in Romania, the number dropped to 21.9
million. The urban and female population make up a majority, accounting for 56.2%, and 51.2% of the total,
respectively. The average age was 42.1 years
old, 0.1 years more than on July 1, 2021. Population ageing is also
significant, as the proportion of old people has increased and the share of
youth aged up to 14 has decreased slightly. The NSI data refers to individuals
with Romanian citizenship and permanent residence in Romania, and it may
include migrants as well. According to the Institute, in 2060 Romania may have between 16.3
million inhabitants, in an optimistic scenario, and 12.5 million, in a
pessimistic scenario.

SOCIAL The government of Romania will simplify procedures for the
migrants who work in Romania. A bill discussed in today’s Cabinet meeting
stipulates a reduction in the number of documents required when migrants seek
to change jobs. The government also intends to increase the number of
education units in which students can receive hot meals from 350 to 450. And,
under a separate emergency order, the government plans to create the legal
framework for pensions valid in all EU member states. Based on EU standards,
this kind of pension will primarily benefit citizens with employment contracts
in several EU countries and who want a customised pension product with
identical operation standards in all member states. The government is also
working on a bill allowing Romania to pull out of an international convention
on scientific information exchange, signed in Moscow in 1969.

SCHENGEN PM
Nicolae Ciucă was on an official working visit to Brussels, where he was
promised full support for Romania’s Schengen accession. Positive signals were
also received with respect to the lifting of the Cooperation and Verification
Mechanism. The Romanian PM discussed the topics with the president of the
European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, while the justice minister Cătălin
Predoiu, who accompanied him to Brussels, had talks with the EC vice-president
Vera Jourova and with the EU commissioner for justice, Didier Reynders.
Romania’s and Bulgaria’s Schengen accession may be included in the agenda of
the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting of December 8-9, 2022.

PENSIONS
Pensions in the Romanian public system may be raised as of January 1, 2023,
with authorities planning the increase to be at least 10%. One of the
obstacles, namely the pension expenditure ceiling stipulated under the National
Recovery and Resilience Plan, would be replaced by an indicator related to
budget capacity and other financial discipline criteria, the PM Nicolae Ciucă
announced in Brussels. He had talks in this respect with the European
Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, with technical details to be defined
by experts.

UKRAINE The International Atomic Energy
Agency is set to visit 2 Ukrainian sites this week at Kyiv’s request, as the
Russian president Vladimir Putin accuses Ukraine of destroying evidence that it
was preparing a dirty bomb. Previously, Putin had requested an IAEA mission as
soon as possible. According to him, Ukraine is planning to use radioactive
weapons and to claim subsequently that Russia had launched a nuclear attack. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is sending Ukraine a new military and aid
package amounting to USD 275 mln, to help efforts to drive Russian forces away
from key areas in the south of the country. On the other hand, the US defence
secretary Lloyd
Austin Thursday warned Vladimir Putin that a nuclear attack would prompt a significant
response from the international community. The US official said Russia using
this type of weapons or even speaking about it was dangerous and irresponsible.
Meanwhile, clashes continue in Ukraine, with Russian forces launching over 30
drones in the past couple of days, and the Ukrainian Army destroying 23 of them,
according to Kyiv. Since February, Russia has launched 4,500 missile attacks
and over 8,000 air raids over Ukraine, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. (AMP)

28 October 2022
October 13, 2022 UPDATE

AIR DEFENCE Germany and 14 other NATO member states, Romania
included, Thursday agreed on a common initiative regarding the acquisition of
air and missile defence systems, after the war in Ukraine exposed weaknesses in
this respect. The initiative, spearheaded by Germany, is called European Sky
Shield, and the 15 NATO signatories intend to procure, in a first stage, medium-range
defence systems such as the US-manufactured Patriot, already used by several
NATO countries, including Romania. In a subsequent stage, they may purchase the
Israeli-American Arrow 3 system, able to intercept and destroy longer-range
threats. The initiative comes as the war in Ukraine shows that NATO states
themselves need more equipment to secure their air space. Apart from Germany
and Romania, the countries that signed the initiative are Belgium, Bulgaria,
Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway,
Slovakia, Slovenia, and the United Kingdom.

ELECTRICITY The Republic of Moldova will be able to import 100 MW of
electricity from Romania as of Friday, the Romanian energy minister Virgil
Popescu announced. The president of Moldova, Maia Sandu, thanked Romania, after
Ukraine was forced to suspend electricity deliveries following Russia’s strikes
on its energy infrastructure earlier this week. In related news, Romania will
transfer over EUR 25 mln for Moldova to start implementing projects in
strategic sectors like education and public utilities. The funds are part of a
EUR 100 mln non-reimbursable aid package stipulated in a bilateral technical
and financial assistance agreement.

REFUGEES The
number of Ukrainian refugees coming to Romania from Western Europe is on the
rise, the International Organization for Migration reports. Lower living costs
and proximity to Ukraine are some of the reasons, the report also states.
According to the Romanian Border Police, some 70,000 people entered Romania on
Wednesday, of whom 9,000 were Ukrainian nationals, accounting for a 15%
increase compared to the previous day. Over 2.5 million Ukrainians have entered
Romania since February 10.

SCHENGEN In principle, the Netherlands does not oppose Romania’s
Schengen accession, the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said on Wednesday
during a visit to Brașov, central Romania. The Dutch official pointed out,
however, that any discussion on this matter will factor in Romania’s fulfilment
of all accession criteria. President Klaus Iohannis expressed confidence Romania
will join the travel-free area, whereas Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă in turn
said that Schengen accession will spell numerous benefits for Romania’s
economy.

UKRAINE Romania’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu,
hailed the UN General Assembly resolution condemning Russia’s illegal
annexation of Ukrainian territories. 143 UN members voted in favour, including
Romania. Meanwhile, Russia launched new attacks on Ukraine on Thursday. Drone
strikes targeted critical infrastructure in Kyiv, while the city of Mykolaiv
was hit by shelling, authorities say. In recent weeks Ukraine has been the
target of air strikes carried out by Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones. Tehran
denies having delivered such drones to Russia, while Moscow refused to comment.
The Kremlin has also intensified its attacks on civilian targets in response to
the Crimea bridge attack, which Moscow claims is the work of Ukrainian
intelligence. Described as war crimes by a number of Western countries, the
shelling continues despite significant losses sustained by the Russian army.
Bombing focused particularly on residential areas and civilian infrastructure,
damaging 30% of the country’s energy infrastructure. In Brussels, over 50
countries promised to provide military assistance to Ukraine, including air defence
systems. (V.P, A.M.P.)

13 October 2022
Home stretch in Romania’s Schengen accession?

A major foreign policy goal, Romania’s accession to
the passport-free travel area has been on Bucharest’s to do list for quite a while now. Confident that once the technical
criteria have been met, the accession would be a mere formality, Romania did
its homework well and on time, so in March 2011, when the move had been
scheduled originally, it had checked all the boxes.

But the country’s Schengen accession has been
postponed repeatedly since then, because of the opposition of several
countries, which explained their decision by making the accession conditional
on the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism, in spite of the accession
recommendation coming from the European Commission.

The topic is now back to the forefront, and Romania’s
chances of finally getting a positive decision on this seem better than ever. Germany,
one of Europe’s strongest voices, made it quite clear, both through chancellor Olaf
Scholz, and the political groups in the European Parliament, where only 2 MEPs
from the far-right group Identity and Democracy spoke against Romania’s and
Bulgaria’s accession.

At the recent debate in the European Parliament, the
Czech presidency of the EU Council voiced hopes that in the December meeting it
would secure unanimity for the accession of the 2 countries. Romania has
already proved what had to be proved, including in practical terms, with its
management of the aftermath of Russia’s invasion in Ukraine.

A proof that things are moving in the right direction
is the visit made these days by an EC expert team, checking the 2 countries’ readiness
to join the Schengen area. The European inspectors are monitoring border
checks, the asylum and migrant return policies, and the extent to which the
staff is trained in line with Schengen regulations.

The Schengen accession was also the topic of a meeting
between the PM Nicolae Ciucă and the Romanian MEPs in the ruling coalition
(comprising the National Liberal Party, the Social Democratic Party and the
Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians). They assured the PM of the support of
the main groups in the European Parliament for next week’s resolution
concerning the issue.

Meanwhile, the interior minister Lucian Bode called on
politicians to declare a truce and to work together to ensure Romania’s
admission to Europe’s unrestricted travel area as of January 1. He made these
statements in Buzău, southern Romania, at the opening of a new unit of the
Multinational Schengen Training Centre, where thousands of experts have already
been trained.

In the context of accession preparations, the PM of
the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, is also expected to visit Romania on Wednesday and
to meet with president Klaus Iohannis. In recent years, the Netherlands has
been the only country to oppose Romania’s Schengen accession. (AMP)

11 October 2022
Romania takes a step closer to Schengen

During a plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Wednesday, MEPs discussed Romanias and Bulgarias accession to theSchengen passport-free travel area.

The Romanian MEPs pleaded for the 2 countries inclusion as soon as possible, given that they have met all technical requirements since as far back as 2011.

“This year, since the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine, Romania has hosted over 1 million Ukrainian refugees. Romania is able to secure the Schengen border under any circumstances. The inclusion of the 2 countries will make the entire European Union safer,” the MEP Siegfried Mureşan argued.

In turn, MEP Dan Nica described the current situation as “humiliating and intolerable” for Bucharest, and called for European solidarity. And his colleague Eugen Tomac wondered “who benefits from keeping Romania and Bulgaria outside the borderless area?”

“Eleven years ago, the conclusion was reached that Romania and Bulgaria were ready for Schengen, yet in 2022 we are still talking about it,” MEP Cristian Terheş added, in response to the German MEP Guido Reils statement that Romania and Bulgaria must not be accepted into Schengen and that their EU accession itself was a mistake.

Dacian Cioloş also replied to the German MEP, and said that, unless Romania had flawlessly managed the Ukrainian refugee situation, Europe would have seen what the “Wild West” with which the German official likened Romania truly means.

Only a few other MEPs, from Italian far-right parties, opposed the Schengen area enlargement, for fear of massive migration. Most of the speakers in the European Parliament agreed however that Romania and Bulgaria must joint Schengen.

It is not the first time when MEPs say the 2 countries are ready for this. And the view is shared by the European Commission. But the decision rests with the Council. During the talks, the Czech presidency of the Council promised that efforts were being made for a decision regarding the issue to be adopted in the Councils December sitting. According to the Czech minister for European affairs Mikuláą Bek, completing the Schengen enlargement would be a major stage in the operation of the unrestricted travel area.

In this context, the Czech presidency announced that next week a mission would be organised, with experts from the 2 countries and EC members, to assess the implementation of the main provisions in the Schengen legislation. The EC vice-president and Commissioner for Promoting our European Way of Life, Margaritis Schinas, mentioned that Romania and Bulgaria met the technical accession criteria a long time ago. (AMP)

6 October 2022
October 5, 2022

FIREWOOD The prices of firewood and
wood derivatives used for heating will be capped in Romania until the end of
March 2023. A draft emergency order in this respect is being discussed by the
Cabinet today. Beneficiaries will include individuals, public and private
education institutions, social service providers, local authorities and places
of worship. The measure is intended to help Romanians cope this winter with the
skyrocketing fuel, energy and natural gas prices. Also today the government is
scheduled to endorse the 2030 National Forest Strategy.

ENERGY A Pact for Clean Energy
Resilience was launched in Romania on Tuesday. The initiative came from Smart
Energy Association and is an invitation to the authorities and private sector
to implement programmes and awareness raising campaigns regarding the need to
cut energy consumption and to use clean energy sources. The president of the
Association, Dumitru Chisăliţă, says cutting consumption should be achieved not
through restrictive measures, but rather by improving efficiency. The
Association also released a guideline for authorities, comprising energy saving
solutions.

SCHENGEN The European Parliament discusses in Strasbourg today
Romania’s and Bulgaria’s Schengen accession. MEPs are expected to call for
the Schengen passport-free travel area to be completed swiftly by extending it
to all EU member states who wish to participate, with a resolution in this
respect to be voted on in the next plenary session. Another topic on the
European Parliament’s agenda concerns the mobilisation of Russian reserve
troops, the illegal referendums in Ukrainian occupied regions and the nuclear
threats voiced by the president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. MEPs
will request firm responses from member states to Russia’s preparations to
annex Ukrainian territories and to step up military actions.

CEREMONY The Royal House of Romania last night hosted a ceremony
devoted to the Romanian-British partnership and the rule of Charles III. In her
address, the Custodian of the Crown of Romania, Margareta, sent a message of
hope and confidence to Britain’s new sovereign, King Charles III. In turn, the
British Ambassador to Bucharest, Andrew Noble, pointed out that the British
nationals who live in and love Romania are blessed to have a monarch who knows
Romania so well.

UKRAINE The president of Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced fast and powerful progress for his army in the
south of the country, where scores of localities have been reclaimed this week
from the Russian troops. According to AFP, in his daily address
posted on social networks, Zelenskyy promised that the Ukrainian troops would
not stop and that it was only a matter of time until the Russians would be
driven out of the entire Ukrainian territory. On the other hand, the Ukrainian
president welcomed India’s support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity
of Ukraine, voiced during a telephone call with PM Narendra Modi. Previously, Kyiv
had criticised New Delhi over its neutrality. Meanwhile, in Brussels, EU
countries Wednesday reached a political agreement on the implementation of an
8th package of sanctions against Russia, this one in response to the illegal
annexation of 4 Ukrainian regions.

IAEA The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),
Rafael Grossi, will travel to Kyiv and then to Moscow this week to discuss a
protection zone around the Ukrainian nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhya. Rafael
Grossi will carry on consultations to have the mechanism in place as soon as
possible, the Agency said in a news release. The nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya,
the largest in Europe, is occupied by Russian forces, but is still operated by
Ukrainian personnel. Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of shelling the
plant area. (AMP)

5 October 2022
Central and Eastern European support for Ukraine

Russia’s announced
annexation of 4 regions in the east of neighbouring Ukraine-Donetsk, Luhansk,
Kherson and Zaporizhzhia-following sham referendums has been firmly criticised
and condemned by Western countries.

After Russia’s president
Vladimir Putin organised a ceremony in Moscow, proclaiming the 4
partly-occupied regions Russian territory, the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy
responded with an application for fast-track NATO membership.

Alongside the presidents of
other Central and Eastern European NATO member states, including the Czech
Republic, North Macedonia, Poland, Montenegro, Slovakia, Estonia, Latvia and
Lithuania, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis signed a joint
declaration reiterating support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial
integrity.

We, Presidents of states
in Central and Eastern Europe, countries whose leaders have visited Kyiv during
the war and witnessed with their own eyes the effects of Russian aggression,
cannot stay silent in the face of the blatant violation of international law by
the Russian Federation, and therefore are issuing the following statement: We
reiterate our support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.
We do not recognize and will never recognize Russian attempts to annex any
Ukrainian territory,ˮ reads the joint statement.

The signatories say they
firmly support the decision made at the 2008 NATO Summit in Bucharest regarding
Ukraine’s future accession to the organisation. They also call on Moscow to
immediately pull out of all the occupied territories.

We support Ukraine in
its defence against Russia’s invasion, demand Russia to immediately withdraw
from all the occupied territories and encourage all Allies to substantially
increase their military aid to Ukraine. All those who commit crimes of
aggression must be held accountable and brought to justice, the document also
reads.

Ukraine’s presidential
adviser Mykhailo Podolyak thanked the countries that back Ukraine’s NATO
accession. We are grateful for the leadership and responsibility. History is
being made today,ˮ he posted on Twitter.

In turn, the NATO
secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said a decision on Kyiv’s accession
application must be taken by all the 30 member countries, and reiterated the
alliance’s open-door policy. Any nation, including, of course, Ukraine, has the
right to choose its own path, including the security arrangements it wants to
join, Jens Stoltenberg also pointed out. He added that at present the main
priority for the Allies and their partners is to support Ukraine.

The US and Canada have
also backed Ukraine’s NATO accession, but without making any reference to the
fast-track procedure requested by Kyiv. (A.M.P.)

3 October 2022
September 10, 2022 UPDATE

KING Senior British MPs Saturday swore an oath of allegiance to King Charles III, officially proclaimed king by the Accession Council,a body convened to confirm the new British monarchs throughout history. Both chambers of the British Parliament held special sessions, so that lawmakers may honour the Queen. Thousands have gathered in front of Buckingham Palace, the main residence of British monarchs in London, to pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II, who passed away on Thursday, aged 96, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. King Charles III confirmed that the day of the Queens funeral will be a banking holiday in the United Kingdom. The funeral will take place at Westminster Abbey in London, on Monday, 19 September. The Queens coffin will be brought to Edinburgh on Sunday and later on to London, where the Queen will lie in state at Westminster Hall. After the service, which will be attended by heads of state and government from around the world, the Queens coffin will be taken to Saint Georges Chapel at Windsor Castle, where the Queen is to be buried.

ENERGY EU energy ministers voiced support for emergency measures in response to the energy crisis, and even mentioned price capping for natural gas imports. At Fridays extraordinary meeting in Brussels, officials for the 27 Member States agreed that a “unified approach” was needed to address the rise in energy prices caused by Russias invasion in Ukraine. They gave the European Commission several days to come up with a solid and concrete plan, said the Czech industry minister Jozef Sikela, whose country holds the rotating presidency of the Union. Romania, which was represented by the energy minister, Virgil Popescu, pleaded for measures such as a price cap on Russian gas imports or an EU-wide platform for the joint procurement of natural gas. As for cutting down consumption, Bucharest said this should be voluntary, depending on national capacities and market developments.

FLIGHTS The national airline TAROM Saturday scheduled 2 additional flights to Greece to repatriate the Romanian passengers abandoned by the low-cost operator Blue Air, which announced it lacked funding even for fuel. TAROM has so far organised 4 other special flights, to Israel, Greece, Cyprus and Spain. Several thousand Romanians have been stranded in international airports since Tuesday night, when Blue Air announced it was suspending flights. Although the authorities have unfrozen the accounts of the airline, which had excessive debts to the Romanian state, Blue Air said it would only resume flights on 10 October. The transport minister Sorin Grindeanu urged Blue Air customers to try to find other options to return, and pointed out TAROM could not replace all the flights that had been cancelled. In 2020, during the COVID pandemic, Blue Air took out a state-guaranteed loan of over EUR 60 mln. This summer, it was fined EUR 2 mln by the Consumer Protection Authority, for cancelling over 11,000 flights in 2021 and 2022. Blue Airs current estimated debts amount to EUR 230 mln.

UKRAINE Romania and 3 other EU member states (Greece, Poland and Lithuania) call on the European Commission to grant them exemptions from the budget deficit rules, with respect to military expenditure, in order to be able to make the investments required after the Russian invasion in Ukraine. They want this expenditure excluded from the deficit calculation, so that the 3% of GDP ceiling required by the EU may be observed. The 4 countries argue that this would help them mitigate the risks facing the Union. Meanwhile, a report made public by the World Bank, the Ukrainian government and the European Commission indicates that Ukraines reconstruction after the Russian invasion may cost around USD 350 bln, with figures set to increase in the coming months, as the war continues. According to the report, reconstruction and revamping needs in the social, industrial and infrastructure fields are 1.5 times higher than Ukraines GDP in 2021. Russias aggression had caused direct damages of over USD 97 bln by 1 June, with the most affected areas including housing (40% of the total damages), transports (31%), trade and industry (10%). The regions of Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv are the most heavily hit, followed by Kyiv, Chernihiv and Zaporizhzhia.

RUSSIA A number of Russian Deputies from the Sankt-Petersburg area were summoned to the police after requesting the impeachment of president Vladimir Putin for high treason, in relation to the Russian aggression in Ukraine. In a rare show of dissent, they called on Russias parliament to impeach the president for the death of Russian youth sent to war, for Russias economic downturn and brain drain, and for NATOs eastward expansion. Not least, they argued, the invasion of Ukraine had the opposite effects to those expected by Moscow. (AMP)

10 September 2022
July 29, 2022

VISIT The president of the R. of Moldova, Maia Sandu, is today on an
official visit in Romania, at the invitation of her counterpart Klaus Iohannis.
At the press conference following the official meeting, the Romanian president
said the talks were solid and focused on many topics of bilateral interest,
taking into account the long-lasting and sincere connections between the 2
countries. He congratulated Maia Sandu on Moldova’s EU accession candidate
status granted at the European Council meeting on June 23-24. This is a historic
achievement, a landmark in the history of the country, Klaus Iohannis said, and
added that Romania will continue to support Moldova through all the means available
to it. Mr. Iohannis also pointed out that the 2 presidents agreed to take
decisive steps in terms of inter-connecting the electricity networks of their
countries, and discussed the potential of the Iaşi-Ungheni-Chişinău pipeline
as a vital element of Moldova’s energy security. In
turn, the
president of Moldova, Maia Sandu, said Bucharest stood by Chisinau over the
years, and Romania’s voice ‘resounded strongly’ in Brussels in support of
Moldova’s EU candidate status. Maia Sandu voiced her confidence that the
Moldovan-Romanian partnership will contribute to overcoming the difficulties
entailed by the war in Ukraine.

ANTHEM Every year on July 29 Romania celebrates National Anthem Day.
According to the defence ministry, ceremonies are held today in all military
units across the country. In Bucharest, a religious service was held in front
of the National Military Palace, while in Râmnicu Vâlcea local authorities
organized events devoted to the song Awaken Thee, Romanian!, which was first
performed officially in this town 174 years ago. National Anthem Day was
proclaimed by Parliament in 1998. The song was written by Anton Pann, on lyrics
by the poet Andrei Mureşanu. The message of the National Anthem has a strong
impact, and calls for national unity, courage, dignity and responsibility,
president Klaus Iohannis said in a news release. In turn, PM Nicolae Ciucă said
the anthem, national colours and the coat of arms define the identity of the
Romanian nation and signify the strong connection between the past, present and
future.

FESTIVAL Sighişoara,
in central Romania, is hosting this weekend the 28th edition of the
first medieval festival in Romania. The Sighişoara citadel will be the stage of
theatre performances, music and dance shows, improvisation, arts and crafts
demonstrations. While the previous edition was attended by some 11,000
visitors, the organisers hope 16,000 people will take part this year. A
spectacular fireworks show is planned for the closing ceremony on Sunday night.
Sighisoara is the only inhabited medieval citadel in south-eastern Europe.

FOOTBALL All the Romanian football teams taking part in the European
Conference League qualifiers have moved into the 3rd preliminary
round. On Thursday Universitatea Craiova defeated the Albanian side
Vllaznia 3-0 on home turf, after a 1-1 draw in the first leg. In the 3rd
preliminary round, Craiova will play against the Ukrainian team Zaria Luhansk. In
Bucharest, FCSB defeated Saburtalo (Georgia) 4-2, and is next to take on the
Slovakian team Dunajská Streda. The Romanian Cup winners Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe had
the most difficult match on Thursday, against Olimpija Ljubljana of Slovenia, and
lost 2-0, away from home, after having won 3-1 in the first leg. In the penalty
shootouts, the Slovenians missed twice, and Sepsi moved forward in the
competition. Their next opponent is Djurgården (Sweden). And on Wednesday, CFR Cluj drew 1-1 away from home
against Inter Club d’Escaldes, of Andorra, after 3-0 at home, and are pitted
next against Belarusian champions Shahtior Soligorsk. (AMP)

29 July 2022
Romania ratifies Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO accession

Putin wanted less NATO and is getting more of it instead, commentators note, mentioning that one of the pretexts used by Kremlin to invade Ukraine on February 24 was that the pro-Western regime in Kyiv wanted the country to join the North-Atlantic Alliance. The consequence, however, is that NATO is about to expand to the Scandinavian Peninsula.

As far back as last year, when few believed Putin will actually attack, Finland and Sweden firmly rejected any Russian interference with their sovereign decisions regarding a prospective NATO accession.

Sweden has not been involved in a war for centuries, and it was quite attached to its profile as an entirely peaceful international player. Occupied by the Tsarist Empire until 1917 and at war with the Soviet Union between 1939 and 1944, post-war Finland preserved a strictly neutral stance, and its politicians avoided any statement or action that could have been construed as anti-Soviet. The country joined the European Union in 1995, but stayed away from NATO.

According to analysts, it is precisely such “Finlandization” of Ukraine that the Russian president was seeking. But the invasion of Ukraine was exactly what pushed the public opinion and political leaders of the two Scandinavian countries out of neutrality and prompted them to apply for NATO accession.

Although on summer recess, the Parliament of Romania Wednesday convened in a special sitting and ratified Swedens and Finlands accession with overwhelming majority, making Romania one of the first Allies to do this.

All parliamentary parties voted in favour, with floor group leaders emphasising that it is a proof of European solidarity and a necessary step given the current security context, severely affected by the war in Ukraine.

The 30 NATO member states initiated the accession ratification on July 5 in Brussels. The Alliances secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at that point that this was truly a historic moment, and a 32-member NATO will be even stronger.

Turkey is the only member country that made Finlands and Swedens accession conditional on their governments commitments with respect to fighting Kurdish terrorism.

The protocol signed in Brussels enables Finland and Sweden to take part in NATO meetings and to access classified information, but does not provide military protection under the famous Article 5 of the organisations Charter, which says that an attack against one member state is an attack against all. Article 5 will take effect only after all member states have ratified the document, a process which according to experts may take up to one year.

Twenty-one of NATOs 30 members are also affiliated to the European Union. After Finlands and Swedens accession, only Austria, Cyprus, Ireland and Malta will remain outside the Alliance. (AMP)

21 July 2022
July 20, 2022

WEATHER Romanian authorities have issued an amber heat alert valid today
in 12 counties in the west of the country, and amber and orange alerts covering
more than three-quarters of the country for the period July 22 – 24. As of
Thursday, the extreme heat wave will cover most of the country, with the
temperature-humidity index (THI) exceeding 80. Highs will generally range from
35 to 37 degrees Celsius, with temperatures of up to 40 degrees Celsius
expected on Friday and Saturday in the west, north-west and south-west.

NATO The Senate, as the decision-making chamber in the
Parliament of Romania, convenes today in a special meeting to ratify the NATO
Accession Protocols of Finland and Sweden. Previously,
the Chamber of Deputies had endorsed the
bill ratifying the protocols. The documents were signed on July 5 in Brussels. Finland’s and Sweden’s decision to
join the North-Atlantic Alliance comes amid security concerns related to
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

HOLIDAY Every year on July 20 Romania
celebrates Aviation and Air Forces Day, which overlaps the religious holiday of St.
Elijah, regarded as the patron saint of pilots. In Bucharest, a military ceremony is held
today, which brings together over 20 military aircraft of the Romanian, British
and Italian Air Forces, Interior Ministry and Intelligence Service helicopters,
a Tarom plane and 4 planes from the Romanian Air Club. Military aircraft will
be flying over other cities across the country. The Romanian military aviation
was established in 1910,
when Aurel Vlaicu designed the first military aircraft.

COVID In Romania, the National Public
Health Institute announced that in the previous week 171 Omicron infections
were confirmed in the country. All of these are SARS-CoV-2
variants that cause concern. According to the institution, by July 17, as many
as 6,611 Omicron infections had been reported. The number of COVID-19 cases
continues to rise, and experts say the current wave is caused by an Omicron
sub-variant of the coronavirus, which spreads a lot more quickly and is able to
infiltrate the protection given by
the current vaccines and previous infections.

GOVERNMENT The government of Romania is
scheduled to pass a bill today concerning the procurement of some of the
most advanced electric trains, powered by hydrogen fuel cells. Only 3 countries
in the EU are currently using or testing such trains. The Transport Ministry
plans to purchase a total of 12 hydrogen electric trains. Also in the transport
sector, the government intends to start expropriation procedures in order to
widen the Bucharest South ring road. The Cabinet will also discuss the
2022-2027 National Strategy on Research, Innovation and Smart Specialisation,
which will create the framework for an efficient and effective spending of national
funds. Two other documents are due to be reviewed today, a memorandum concerning
talks with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development on non-reimbursable
EU funding, and another memorandum endorsing the 2022-2024 strategy for
governmental debt management.

ANTI-SEMITISM The
pandemic context, vaccination campaigns, public campaigns raising awareness on
the rise in cases of anti-Semitism and the information on the history of the Holocaust
are the main factors contributing to a strengthening of online and offline hate
speech, reads the latest monitoring report issued by the ‘Elie Wiesel’ National
Institute for Holocaust Research in Romania. According to the institution, vandalism
cases, the praising of inter-war far-right figures and people convicted for war
crimes or known for their extremist attitude, anti-Semitic messages in
Parliament and minimising the memory of Holocaust victims remain common
occurrences in Romania. Central authorities have reconfirmed their commitment
to fight extremist actions by endorsing a National Strategy for preventing and
fighting anti-Semitism, xenophobia, radicalisation and hate speech and by
introducing Jewish and Holocaust history as a school subject, the report also
says. However, the lack of awareness and responsibility among local authorities
hinders the implementation of the principles upheld by the central authorities. (AMP)

20 July 2022
July 19, 2022

TALKS The president of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas is on an official
visit to Romania today, at the invitation of president Klaus Iohannis. The 2
leaders will discuss ways to encourage and strengthen bilateral cooperation in
areas of mutual interest, particularly political dialogue, home affairs,
education, economy and trade. The agenda of talks also includes regional
developments in the Middle East, the progress and prospects of the Peace
Process, the security situation and the consequences of Russia’s illegal
aggression against Ukraine, the Romanian Presidency says. Also today, president
Iohannis is scheduled to receive Ireland’s minister for foreign affairs and
minister for defence, Simon Coveney.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu had a meeting on
Monday with his Greek counterpart, Nikos Dendias, on the sidelines of the
Foreign Affairs Council held in Brussels. According to the Romanian Foreign
Ministry, the Greek party thanked Romania for the assistance given by Romanian
fire-fighters in containing the recent wildfires in Greece. The 2 officials
also discussed the situation in Ukraine, with a focus on the consequences and impact
at regional and EU level of Russia’s unjustified and unprovoked military campaign
in that country. They highlighted the importance of ensuring energy security, a
sector in which Romania and Greece have converging interests and approaches.
Bogdan Aurescu welcomed the consolidation of bilateral dialogue and cooperation
in this field, mentioning the recent opening of the Greece-Bulgaria natural gas
interconnecting pipeline, a major step in consolidating the energy security of
the countries in the region.

EDUCATION Romanian students won 3rd place in the world, after
Singapore and Lithuania, at the International Geography Olympiad. As many as
209 students from 54 countries took part in this year’s competition. This
success comes after the outstanding performances of Romanian students in other
international competitions. They won 2nd place at the International
Physics Olympiad organised online by Switzerland, while Romania’s team won 1st
place in Europe and 5th in the world at the International Maths
Olympiad in Oslo, out of 105 competing countries.

LOAN The World Bank
and Romania Tuesday signed a EUR 600 mln development policy loan, with a focus
on inclusive green economic growth, the WB announced. This is the first of 2
such financing operations, and is accompanied by USD 24.2 mln non-reimbursable
financial assistance. The WB is currently running 10 investment projects in
Romania, totalling USD 1.78 bln, in addition to 31 technical and analytical
assistance projects worth USD 104 mln.

COVID The Romanian
health ministry Tuesday announced 7,658 new SARS-CoV-2 infections in the last
24 hours, over 4,000 more than on Monday. The number of patients in intensive
care has also increased to 136, and 9 people died from the disease in 24 hours.

EU ACCESSION The European Union Tuesday opened the accession
negotiations with Albania and North Macedonia, the president of the European
Commission, Ursula von der Leyen announced. The 27 EU member states Monday
night agreed to open accession talks, after Skopje and Sofia signed a protocol
that eliminates the last remaining obstacles. North Macedonia has been a
candidate country since 2005, and Albania since 2014.

UKRAINE The president of Russia Vladimir Putin and the president of
Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, are attending a summit in Tehran today, together
with their Iranian counterpart Ibrahim Raisi. According to the BBC, following
the sanctions introduced by the West, Putin will use this opportunity to prove
that Moscow still has strong allies. Putin will also have separate meetings
with the leaders of the two states. Turkey negotiated with Russia and Ukraine
to unblock Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea, while Iran and Russia are
looking for new trade routes to bypass sanctions, the BBC also says. Meanwhile,
in Ukraine, Russian forces carried on the shelling of Nikopol, with scores of
attacks launched during the night. Several people, including a child, were also
wounded after Russian missiles hit Odessa.

DROUGHT Nearly half of the EU territory is facing drought risks, the
European Commission warns, as a new heat wave has hit the continent. France,
Romania, Spain, Portugal and Italy will likely have to handle a drop in
agricultural yield, especially grains, the Commission explains. Germany,
Poland, Hungary, Slovenia and Croatia will also be affected. In turn, the
European Commissioner for crisis management Janez Lenarčič said that the worst
is yet to come. Europe is struggling with an extreme heat wave these days, with
temperatures of over 40 degrees Celsius reported in France and the UK, and even
43 degrees in some areas in the north of Spain. Wildfires
also destroyed thousands of hectares of land in
France, Greece, Portugal and Spain, forcing thousands of residents and tourists
out of those regions. (AMP)

19 July 2022
July 13, 2022 UPDATE

NATO The
government of Romania approved Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO accession protocols,
signed in Brussels on July 5. The accession of the 2 countries, which are firm
supporters of the values of the Euro-Atlantic community and have substantial capacity
to strengthen the Alliance, will be a valuable strategic benefit for NATO and
implicitly for Romania, thanks to the security guarantees that it provides, reads
a news release. The Chamber of Deputies Speaker Marcel Ciolacu announced a week
ago that Parliament will complete the ratification process speedily, with a
special Parliament sitting to be organised to this end. Ciolacu added that the illegal
and unjustified war started by the Russian Federation against Ukraine has fundamentally
altered security parameters.

REPORT The European Commission recommends that Romania take measures
to address the remaining concerns regarding the investigation and prosecution
of offences in the judiciary and to make sure that the amendments to the
justice laws consolidate the guarantees of judicial independence, including by
means of reforms in the disciplinary rules for magistrates. These are some of
the conclusions of a report on Romania’s compliance with the rule of law, made
public on Wednesday. Brussels also calls on Bucharest to regulate lobby
activities in Parliament and to address the operational challenges faced by the
National Anti-Corruption Directorate, including in terms of recruiting new
prosecutors. Another recommendation has to do with efficient public
consultation before endorsing bills, enhanced transparency with respect to the
funding of political parties, and the improvement of the norms and mechanisms
to consolidate the editorial independence of public media. As far as the mass
media are concerned, the European Commission warns that there is not enough
transparency with respect to the broadcasting of content paid by political
parties, with the exception of election campaigns, and journalists’ access to
information remains difficult.

COVID-19 Over 3,000 new SARS-CoV-2 infections were reported over
the past 24 hours in Romania, 267 fewer than in the previous day, the health
ministry announced on Wednesday. Overall, since the start of the pandemic,
nearly 3 million coronavirus infections have been reported in Romania.

REFUGEES According to the Romanian Border Police Inspectorate, 9,808 Ukrainian nationals
crossed into Romania on Tuesday, a 10% drop compared to the previous day.
Starting February 10, 2022, some 1.5 million Ukrainian citizens have entered
Romania.

WHISTLEBLOWERS The Constitutional Court of Romania Wednesday ruled against a notification
submitted by USR party in opposition regarding the law on the protection of
whistleblowers. USR claims the bill passed by the government considerably reduces
the protection offered to people who report irregularities in public
institutions and raises major obstacles in securing Recovery and Resilience
(PNRR) funds. The notification mentions elements that come against the
Constitution of Romania, including the violation of certain commitments Romania
pledged to observe upon joining the EU and the lack of clarity and
predictability of some provisions.

JUDICIARY A cooperation agreement between the European Public
Prosecutor’s Office and the General Prosecutor’s Office of the R. of Moldova
was signed in Chişinăuon
Wednesday by the heads of the 2 institutions, Laura Codruţa Kövesi and Dumitru Robu.
The document is designed to facilitate the exchange of information and judicial
cooperation in criminal matters. Dumitru Robu pointed out that a priority is to
carry on investigations in corruption cases and financial offences against state
assets. In turn, Laura Codruţa Kövesi said that the European Public Prosecutor’s
Office would support the work of Moldova’s General
Prosecutor’s Office as much as its powers would allow it. (AMP

13 July 2022
July 5, 2022 UPDATE

PRESIDENCY Romania is a very involved actor in the European policy
and security policy, president Klaus Iohannis told a press conference on
Tuesday. He emphasised that the recent decisions at the European Council and
the NATO summit made Romania safer and more visible. Romanians are better
protected, Romania is better protected, the head of state pointed out.

TAXES Amendments to Romania’s Fiscal Code are subject to the
decision transparency procedure until Friday, and scheduled for endorsement by
the government next week. The changes agreed by the ruling coalition made up of
the Social Democrats, the Liberals and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians
in Romania in order to improve collection to the state budget include increases
of the tobacco and alcohol excises, of the VAT for the hospitality industry and
of property owner’s taxes. Gambling revenues up to roughly EUR 600 will be
taxed by 10%, those between EUR 600 and 2,000 by 20% and those over EUR 2,000
by 40%. Government sources say another measure introduces a 5% VAT rate for
purchased houses of up to 120 square meters. Other amendments may increase
house owner’s taxes by 60%. Taxes in the hospitality industry may also change
so they may not be under 1% of the turnover starting next year.

NATO
Romania’s foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu hailed Tuesday’s
signing of Finland’s and Sweden’s NATO accession protocols in Brussels by the
standing representatives of the 2 countries and of the Allied states, including
Romania. According to the Romanian foreign ministry, in
the current security context marked by Russia’s illegal war of aggression
against Ukraine, the 2 countries’ move proves their commitment to the
democratic values and spirit that NATO safeguards and promotes. Romania, the
ministry also says in a news release, has been one of the main supporters of
the Open Door policy as central to NATO’s strategic approach in relation to its
partner states. The decision to join the organization, Bucharest adds, is an
option any state is free to take, based on meeting the criteria defined for the
process and on the consensus of the Allies. No third party may affect NATO’s
enlargement policy. Bucharest is also confident that Finland’s and Sweden’s
accession will contribute to strengthening NATO security. After the
representatives of the 2 countries signed the accession protocol, each NATO
country’s parliament must ratify the decision, which may take up to one year.
Turkey is the only NATO member to make ratification conditional on commitments
regarding terrorism on the part of the 2 Nordic countries.

CABINET Seven months into their term in office, all the ministers
in the Liberal Nicolae Ciucă’s Cabinet have been reconfirmed in office. The PM
talked to president Klaus Iohannis about the assessment of his cabinet members
and according to political sources they agreed reshuffling is not necessary. Ciucă
informed his ministers however that last-minute submissions of key projects
under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan funded by the EU would not be
acceptable. Following a 10-criteria assessment that took into account the
expectations of Romanian citizens and society, PM Ciucă also presented a report
on the work of his government, which included overcoming the health crisis,
stabilisation of the energy crisis and the management of the effects of the war
in neighbouring Ukraine. The report also mentions the largest investment budget
of the last 32 years, the new Offshore Act and strengthening security within NATO
and the EU.

AUTOMOTIVE The city of Craiova, in southern Romania, Tuesday hosted
a ceremony occasioned by the acquisition of the local Ford plant by Ford Otosan,
the largest producer of commercial vehicles in Europe. The US-Turkish company
announced investments of nearly EUR 500 million in the next 3 years, to
increase production. The plant will make the new generation of a freight and
passenger transport model, with a fully electric version as of 2024. Ford Puma,
the best-selling Ford automobile in Europe, will also have an electric version
as of 2024, to be produced in Craiova as well. Attending the event, PM Nicolae
Ciuca highlighted the commitment of the company’s American and Turkish
officials to strengthen and improve economic relations and strategic
partnership with Romania. He also added that Romania’s National Recovery and
Resilience Plan includes a commitment to have 18,000 EV charging stations ready
in Romania by the end of 2026.

SPORTS 494
swimmers from 42 countries are competing in the European Junior Swimming
Championships underway in Bucharest until July 10. The host country, Romania,
is represented by 26 athletes, 14 boys and 12 girls, including the world
champion in the 100m and 200m freestyle race, David Popovici. The 17 year old
champion has already qualified for the semifinals of the 200m freestyle race. In
turn, Cristian Lapadat qualified for the 200m butterfly semi-final. Aissia
Claudia Prisecariu and Rebecca-Aimee Diaconescu have qualified for the women’s
50m backstroke semi-finals, while Ana Maria Sibiseanu takes part in the
semifinals of the women’s 200m freestyle race. Romania’s men and women teams will
also compete in the 4×100 freestyle final.

TENNIS US
tennis player Amanda Anisimova will be playing Romanian Simona Halep in the
quarter finals of the Grand Slam tennis tournament in Wimbledon. In the round
of 16, Halep secured a 6-1, 6-2 win against Paola Badosa of Spain, while
Anisimova defeated Harmony Tan of France 6-2, 6-3. A former world leader, Halep
won the 2019 of Wimbledon and a year earlier the one in Roland Garros. (AMP)

5 July 2022