LAWS Parliament
is due to convene for a new session in Bucharest on February 1. Until then, the
Romanian MPs are working on new bills, focusing, among other things,
on regulating gambling and curbing drug consumption. The new legislation
includes several measures such as the relocation of casinos and betting houses
outside towns and cities, limiting gambling commercials and banning gambling
ads near schools, parks or hospitals. According to the authors of the bills,
some of them introduced as early as in 2022, the amendments come in the context
of the latest expert warnings on the
younger generation’s alarmingly growing addiction to gambling and drug consumption
as well as their vulnerability to various advertising campaigns. Drug
trafficking is punished with up to 10-year prison sentences. Other draft laws ban
minors’ access to energy drinks and restrict commercials to vaping products and
accessories.
INVESTMENTS
According to data released by the National Institute for Statistics, in the
first nine months of 2023 Romania’s construction sector reported over RON 74
billion worth of investment, which accounts for 62.6% out of the total
investment in the country’s economy. In the same period, investments in
Romania’s national economy stood at roughly RON 118.5 billion, a 14.4% rise as
compared to the period between January and September 2022.
CYBER SECURITY A
new EU Cyber Security Regulation has taken effect in the EU, introducing a
minimal set of measures for public institutions in EU member countries to
protect themselves from online attacks. In Romania, just like in most EU
countries, the number of cyber-attacks from Russia has increased since the
start of the war in Ukraine. Under the Regulation, an EU Cyber Security Board
will also be set up, which will monitor the implementation of security
measures. Member state institutions are to initiate a security enhancement
process this year and to introduce protocols to manage information networks. Under
the Orange Business Internet Security Report, 31% of the attacks against
Romania targeted the energy sector, 22% transports and 19% the governmental and
public services sector. The attacks caused losses of billions of US dollars,
and the institutions targeted in the past 2 years include the National Cyber
Security Directorate, the Defence Ministry, the Border Police and the Passenger
Railway Corporation (CFR).
SCHOOLS Students
resumed classes on Monday in the third module of the academic year in
Romania. The next school holiday is to be decided by county inspectorates and
most likely will kick off on February 19th. In another development, against the
background of a new wave of respiratory infections, medical authorities are
urging parents not to send their children to school if they show any symptoms
of a respiratory disease.
TENNIS Romanian
tennis player Ana Bogdan on Monday qualified for the round of sixteen of the
WTA 500 tournament in Adelaide, Australia with over 900 thousand dollars in
prize money. The Romanian secured a 6-3, 6-4 win against Katie Boulter of
Britain. Also on Monday the all-Romanian pair Ana Bogdan/Monica Niculescu was
defeated by the US-Dutch pair Asia Muhammad/Demi Schuurs 7-6, 6-4 in the
doubles first round. (AMP, bill)
