Radio România Internațional

Tag: aid

June 22, 2023

AID In today’s
Cabinet meeting, the government is to pass a resolution concerning emergency
aid granted to the citizens affected by extreme weather conditions this year. The
emergency aid totals EUR 1.4 million. Households in the centre, south-west and
south of the country have been hit by heavy rainfalls and other extreme weather
conditions this month, requiring the intervention of military firefighters.

VISIT Economic cooperation and handling the crises
caused by Russia’s war in Ukraine were the main topics on the agenda of the
talks held in Chişinău on Wednesday by the PM of Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, and
of Moldova, Dorin Recean. The latter thanked Bucharest for the support given to
Moldova in its EU accession efforts, and mentioned that bilateral relations are
consolidated through the construction of roads, bridges and energy networks. During
his visit to Chișinău, Marcel Ciolacu was accompanied by the Senate speaker
Nicolae Ciucă.

NATURAL GAS The manager of OMV Petrom, Christina Verchere, Thursday
said that in 2027 the first amounts of natural gas would be extracted through
the Neptun Deep project, turning Romania into the largest natural gas producer
in the EU. The statements were made at the government’s headquarters in
Bucharest, where OMV Petrom and Romgaz made an announcement concerning the
development of Neptun Deep, the largest natural gas project in the Romanian
part of the Black Sea. Spanning 2 decades, the project is expected to generate
a gas output 30 times higher than the annual demand, which covers 4.3 million
households. The estimated revenues to the Romanian state will be around EUR 20
bln. Neptun Deep is a major step for our 2030 strategy, aimed at supporting
Romania’s and the region’s energy transition, the OMV Petrom executive added.

INVESTMENT The European Investment Bank Thursday announced new
funding for Romania. The total EUR 675 mln will go into transport, urban
development and small enterprises. EUR 600 mln will be earmarked for the
transport sector, to add to the EU recovery and resilience funding. The EIB
Group and Romania mark 30 years of partnership, with over EUR 17 bln granted by
the bank in more than 170 financing projects since the start of its operations
in the country. Given the progress of Romania’s economy over the past 30 years,
I am proud that the EIB Group was able to help, providing financing for better schools,
hospitals, public infrastructure, universities and transport, and supporting
climate action and small enterprises, said the EIB vice-president, Lilyana
Pavlova, in an event in Bucharest. In turn, Marjut Falkstedt, chief executive
of the European Investment Fund, emphasised that so far the EIF provided
financial support to more than 56,000 Romanian enterprises.

MAYOR The former
mayor of Bucharest’s districts 4 and 5, Cristian Popescu-Piedone, was released
from prison on Wednesday, after the supreme court admitted his appeal for
cancellation. The former mayor has served 1 year out of a 4-year prison
sentence for abuse of office in the Colectiv investigation. He is now entitled
to resume his office as mayor of district 5. The High Court of Cassation
however dismissed the appeals of the other individuals sentenced in the same
case. The head of the Colectiv Association, Eugen Iancu, said the release of
the ex-mayor was not surprising, given that the officials who authorised the
operation of the Colectiv night club had also been freed. Justice in Romania is
an overpaid embarrassment, Iancu said. On the night of 30 October 2015, 64 youth
died in a fire during a rock concert in the Colectiv night club. After legal
proceedings spanning several years, prison sentences were given to mayor
Piedone, the club owners, the firefighters who inspected the club without
taking the required fire safety measures and the pyrotechnicians in charge of
the fireworks during the show.

UKRAINE The US will provide USD 1.3 million worth of
additional aid for the Ukrainian economy, particularly its essential
infrastructure, the US State Secretary Antony Blinken announced at the
International Ukraine Recovery Conference in London. In turn, the European
Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, promised the bloc would create a
EUR 50 bln fund for Kyiv in the next 4 years. Scores of high-ranking
politicians and business people from around the world take part in the
conference. Romania is represented by its new foreign minister, Luminiţa
Odobescu.

FOOTBALL Romania lost 3-0 to Spain in Bucharest on Wednesday night, in the Under-21
European football championships that the country is hosting jointly with Georgia. Romania plays in B, alongside
Spain, Ukraine and Croatia. The final tournament takes place between 21 June
and 8 July and brings together 16 teams, divided into 4 groups. Two of them
play in Romania, in Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca, and the other 2 in Georgia. Romania
is also hosting 2 quarter-finals and a semi-final. The top 3 ranking teams in
the tournament qualify into the Olympic Games due in Paris next year. (AMP)

22 June 2023
Meeting for the reconstruction of Ukraine

The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, announced, on Wednesday, at the Conference for the reconstruction of Ukraine, organized in London, the creation of a European fund worth 50 billion Euros in the coming years, necessary for the reconstruction of the country invaded by Moscow’s troops on February 24, 2022. The head of the European Commission says that the European Union has an additional responsibility towards Kyiv, since the authorities there claim that they are determined to lead their country towards admission into the Union.

The community program will be financed in three ways: European grants, loans and money obtained from the confiscation of Russian assets. The experts’ estimates regarding the costs of reconstruction already exceed 300 billion pounds and continue to grow, so, the international media write, the contribution of the private sector will also be necessary. And the US will provide additional aid, worth 1.3 billion dollars, for the Ukrainian economy, especially for its essential infrastructure, the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, announced, also in London.

The meeting is attended by dozens of political leaders and businesspeople from around the world, and for the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, it was another opportunity to advocate for his country’s rapprochement to the European Union and NATO. The reconstruction of Ukraine, Zelensky added, must be based on trust between partners and a geopolitical context that guarantees that such conflicts will not occur again.

Meanwhile, the number of Ukrainian citizens who found employment in neighboring Romania after the outbreak of the war reached a new record on Wednesday, said the Romanian Labor Minister, Marius Budai. According to him, at the national level, 6,810 employment contracts were concluded for the Ukrainian citizens, the highest level since February 24, 2022 until now. Most Ukrainians employed in Romania, 1,452, are working in the manufacturing industry, and 1,181 in constructions. Another 737 are employed in the commercial field. From the point of view of the areas in which they chose to work, most Ukrainians, 2,770, found work in Bucharest, and 418 in Timiş county (west). More than four and a half million Ukrainians fled through Romania from the menace of the Russian invasion troops. Most of them continued their way to Western European countries, but over 85 thousand chose to stay here.

The Ukrainians say that especially the language barrier – their Slavic language has very few similarities with Romance Romanian – prevents them from finding a job and enrolling their children in school, in order to benefit from the financial aid offered by the Romanian state. The new program adopted by the Romanian authorities to support the refugees obliges every member of the family to work, and the children to go to a Romanian school. (LS)

22 June 2023
May 21, 2023 UPDATE

EDUCATION On Monday the staff in Romania’s public undergraduate
education will go on strike, the trade unions in the sector announced after
Sunday’s talks with government officials. The protest will continue until
unions have received a credible solution from the government, the leader of
the Spiru Haret Trade Union Federation, Marius Nistor, said. The government put
forth a clear roadmap for the endorsement of the new salary law and promised pay
raises for non-teaching staff, which according to unionists would only amount
to EUR 20 a month. Financial incentives for entry-level teachers and experienced
staff teaching in underprivileged areas have also been proposed. The higher
education staff will also go on token strikes as of Monday, the head of the Alma
Mater National Trade Union Federation Anton Hadăr announced. Trade unions said
negotiations would continue in the coming days.

MOLDOVA
A large-scale rally was held in Chişinău on Sunday, at the initiative of
president Maia Sandu, in order to prove Moldovans’ support for the country’s EU
accession. Europe is the Republic of Moldova. The Republic of Moldova is
Europe. Moldova is not alone, the president of the European Parliament, Roberta
Metsola said in Romanian at the European Moldova National Assembly. Participants
adopted a resolution confirming the support of Moldovan citizens for the
country’s EU accession efforts. The rally takes place as the Republic of
Moldova, an EU accession candidate country, would like to begin accession
negotiations by the end of this year. For this stage to begin, Moldova must
complete 9 recommendations, which will be assessed by this autumn in a European
Commission report. In Bucharest, the Organisation of Moldovan Students
organised a similar rally in front of Moldova’s Embassy. Scores of people
watched the speeches in Chisinau jointly with the Moldovan Ambassador to
Bucharest, Victor Chirila.

DIPLOMACY The Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu takes part on
Monday in the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels. The EU
foreign ministers will discuss measures to mitigate the effects of Russia’s
aggression in Ukraine and the situation in the Horn of Africa. The EU officials
will also touch on the bloc’s commitment in Central Asia, developments in Tunisia,
the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan in the context of high-level EU
diplomatic contacts with both countries. According to the Romanian foreign
ministry, Bogdan Aurescu will reiterate Romania’s firm, multidimensional and
continuing support for Ukraine and will express hopes that an agreement will be
reached as soon as possible on the 8th support package for the
Ukrainian air forces under the EU Peace Facility. Minister Aurescu will also
highlight the importance of keeping pressure on Russia by consolidating
sanctions, and will reiterate the idea of setting up a special international tribunal
for the crime of aggression to prosecute Russian crimes of aggression during
the war in Ukraine.

RAILWAYS The president of Romania’s Competition Council, Bogdan
Chiriţoiu, made statements concerning Carpatica Feroviar, a new company that
will take over the operations of the state-owned railway freight corporation CFR
Marfă. The new company will take over the profitable contracts and the
equipment needed for completing them, while the other assets will be sold in order
to cover as much as possible of the old company’s debts to the state budget
Chiriţoiu explained. He emphasised that current operations will not be
discontinued. The financial performance of CFR Marfă improved slightly in 2022,
but the company still owes some EUR 400 mln to the state budget and social
security budget.

BEEKEEPERS Romanian beekeepers say they are left with large amounts
of unsold honey because of imports of cheaper and poorer-quality honey. The
head of the Romanian Beekeepers Association, Ioan Fetea, says the situation is
particularly serious as last year’s yield was a lot smaller than in previous
years. Last year beekeepers saw modest yields, but they could not even sell those,
precisely because of these dumping practices, obviously explained by the fact
that that honey is not in line with EU regulations. Almost half of the honey
imported into Europe is adulterated, counterfeit, and obviously sold very
cheaply, which puts tremendous pressure on local producers, Fetea explained. Beekeepers
are also struggling with a fall in the number of bee families, because of the
use of insecticides in agriculture.

UKRAINE The US president Joe Biden Sunday announced new military aid
measures for Ukraine, following talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima. The new aid package will
consist of ammunitions, artillery and armoured vehicles, Joe Biden explained, just
days after approving the provision of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. According
to Reuters, this new package is worth up to USD 375 mln and is designed to
strengthen Ukraine’s defence in the war against Russia. The British PM Rishi
Sunak also announced in Hiroshima that his country would start training
Ukrainian pilots this summer, to support Ukraine’s air forces in the conflict.
Rishi Sunak added that no one wants peace more than Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but
the terms for peace, he added, should be based on Ukraine’s principles. In the
3-day summit in Japan, the G7 nations voiced their willingness to stand by
Ukraine in the long run.

ROWING Romania won 2 gold and 3 silver medals at
the 2023 European Rowing Under 19 Championships in Brive-la-Gaillarde, France,
in which it took part with 11 boats. Romania came out second in the overall nations
tables, behind Italy and ahead of Turkey. In last year’s competition, Romania
had won 5 medals (3 gold, one silver and one bronze), and finished top of the
ranking by nations. (AMP)

21 May 2023
May 21, 2023

EDUCATION
In Bucharest, the Liberal PM Nicolae Ciucă, the Social Democratic leader Marcel
Ciolacu and the labour minister Marius Budăi invited trade unions in public
education to talks in order to avoid an all-out strike announced for tomorrow. Unionists
said protests could only end when the solutions to their demands, particularly
concerning salaries, were introduced in officially endorsed legislation. The
finance minister Adrian Câciu said the teaching staff’s demands could have been
solved, if Romania had received the money in the second disbursement round
under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, which is currently suspended
because of targets that have not been met in the field of energy, for which the
National Liberal Party is responsible. On the other hand, PM Nicolae Ciucă said
the solution to the unions’ demands has to do with the unified salary law that
the labour ministry headed by the Social Democrats has failed to finalise in
spite of the support of the entire ruling coalition. Amid these disagreements, the
president of the Social Democratic Party, Marcel Ciolacu, demanded that
negotiations on the new cabinet make-up following the PM rotation should be
suspended until the issue in the education sector has been solved, and the Democratic
Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, a junior partner in the ruling
coalition, agreed. The Liberals on the other hand argue that the government
transition should be completed quickly in order to maintain stability and
balance. Under a protocol signed by the 2 parties, on 26 May the Social
Democrats should take over the prime minister post from the Liberals, for the
next 1,5 years, until the next general elections.

MOLDOVA
A large-scale rally is held in Chişinău today, at the
initiative of president Maia Sandu, in order to prove Moldovans’ support for
the country’s EU accession. Europe is the Republic of Moldova. The Republic of
Moldova is Europe. Moldova is not alone, the president of the European
Parliament, Roberta Metsola said in Romanian at the European Moldova National
Assembly. Participants adopted a resolution confirming the support of Moldovan
citizens for the country’s EU accession efforts. The rally takes place as the Republic
of Moldova, an EU accession candidate country, would like to begin accession
negotiations by the end of this year. For this stage to begin, Moldova must
complete 9 recommendations, which will be assessed by this autumn in a European
Commission report. In Bucharest, the Organisation of Moldovan Students
organised a similar rally in front of Moldova’s Embassy. Scores of people
watched the speeches in Chisinau jointly with the Moldovan Ambassador to
Bucharest, Victor Chirila.

UKRAINE The US president Joe Biden Sunday announced new military aid
measures for Ukraine, following talks with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy,
on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Hiroshima. The new aid package will
consist of ammunitions, artillery and armoured vehicles, Joe Biden explained, just
days after approving the provision of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine. According
to Reuters, this new package is worth up to USD 375 mln and is designed to
strengthen Ukraine’s defence in the war against Russia. The British PM Rishi
Sunak also announced in Hiroshima that his country would start training
Ukrainian pilots this summer, to support Ukraine’s air forces in the conflict.
Rishi Sunak added that no one wants peace more than Volodymyr Zelenskyy, but
the terms for peace, he added, should be based on Ukraine’s principles. In the
3-day summit in Japan, the G7 nations voiced their willingness to stand by
Ukraine in the long run.

FLOODING
In Italy, code red alerts for heavy rainfalls with landslide risks are valid
today as well, in the Emilia Romagna region in the north of the country, already
affected by unprecedented flash floods. Fourteen people died and 36,000 others
were evacuated by the authorities. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent
in Italy, in Ravenna province alone, the most severely hit by the floods, over 16%
of the territory has been evacuated. A preliminary estimate by Confagricoltura,
the association of Italian farmers, indicates that the flooding in Emilia
Romagna caused crop damages of over EUR 1.5 bln.

GREECE
Greece is holding elections today for its single-chamber 300-seat parliament, with
around 9.5 million people expected to take part in the vote. As many as 36 parties
and political associations are running for parliamentary seats, for which they
need at least 3% of the votes. The most likely to win is incumbent PM Kyriakos
Mitsotakis’s party, New Democracy, with 33% of the voting intentions in polls. The
left-of-centre Syriza party, headed by Alexis Tsipras, is predicted to carry
26% of the votes. A novelty in this election is the scrapping of the 50-seat
bonus for the winning party. Unless the parties manage to form a new
government, early elections will be held in July, with a return to the previous
bonus system. (AMP)

21 May 2023
April 30, 2023

Farmers. Until May 11, Romanian cereal producers can submit requests for financial support to make up for the losses suffered due to cheap cereal imports from neighboring Ukraine. The total amount is approximately 20 million euros, half from the European Union budget, and the other from the Romanian state budget. On Saturday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv said that the limitation of Ukrainian grain imports into the Union countries was categorically unacceptable and that such restrictions would not be in accordance with the association agreement between Ukraine and the EU and with the principles and rules of the European single market. Previously, the European Commission announced that an agreement in principle had been reached to allow the resumption of the transit of Ukrainian grain through Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania. In Bucharest, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă has welcomed the agreement that provides for a new support package worth 100 million euros for the affected farmers and stressed that Romanias strictly European position was a correct and balanced one.

Aid. The Romanian Government has changed the method of granting the financial support offered by the Romanian state to Ukrainian refugees. As of May 1st, the money is allocated directly to the refugees, and not to the families that host them, as has happened so far. The aid will be offered unconditionally for one month only. In the next three months, Ukrainian refugees will have to get a job and enroll their children in school or kindergarten. From the 5th month, they can benefit from the help of the Romanian state only if they find a job.

May 1st. For the current May 1 mini-holiday, Romanians have chosen, as usual, the mountain resorts on Prahova Valey and the seaside resorts. The seaside festivals have attracted tens of thousands of young people from the country and abroad, and the accommodation units have reported an occupancy rate of over 90%. About 400 festivals, concerts, fairs and sports activities are scheduled in Romania these days. The Ministry of Internal Affairs has announced that approximately 24 thousand policemen, gendarmes and firefighters are on duty, throughout the country, to prevent and combat illegal acts, to ensure the flow of road traffic, as well as for the safe conduct of public events. Also, the Border Police has announced that all the necessary measures have been taken to ensure an effective control and reduce waiting times at the border, in particular the crossing points on the borders with Hungary and Bulgaria.

Book Fair. Today is the last day of the Leipzig Book Fair, in Germany, where Romania is present with over 150 new titles, but also with numerous events. Famous writers such as Mircea Cărtărescu, Gabriela Adameșteanu or Ioana Pârvulescu participated in the fair. According to the organizers, the 2023 edition has enjoyed great success especially because its been the first since 2019, because of the pandemic, and the public is particularly interested in getting back in touch with the world of books and their authors. About 2,500 exhibitors from over 40 countries presented their new editorial productions. This year, Austria was the guest of honor at the Leipzig Book Fair.

Strike. Nurses in Great Britain are going on a one-day strike today, following a disagreement with the government over wage increases. They are demanding 10% higher salaries while the health minister has offered five percent and refuses to negotiate. According to the Radio Romania correspondent in London, the strike seriously affects the medical system, as, for the first time, the nurses who work in intensive care or in other wards where vulnerable patients are cared for are participating in the protest. In the following days, teachers will also go on strike, demanding higher salaries. Other union protests will take place at the end of next week, when the coronation of King Charles III takes place. Traffic officers and those who ensure regular parking will be on strike during the coronation.

Handball. CSM Bucharest meets, today, away from home, the Danish team Esbjerg, in the quarterfinals of the Womens Handball Champions League. The return is scheduled for next Sunday, in Bucharest. The two teams have met 10 times since 2017. CSM has won 5 games, Esbjerg 3 and 2 games ended in a draw. Also in the quarterfinals of the Champions League, CS Rapid Bucharest takes on, on home turf, the Norwegian team Vipers Kristiansand. The return match is scheduled for next Saturday, in Norway. The Romanian national mens handball team plays, this evening, in Gummersbach, in Germany, against the team of Ukraine, the last match in Group 4 of the preliminaries of the European Mens Handball Championship – EHF EURO 2024. (MI)

30 April 2023
Romania and the Ukrainian agricultural products

The Russian-Ukrainian war also creates controversy from the point of view of the agricultural products from the neighboring country. Due to the armed conflict that led to the blocking of some trading routes, Ukraine was forced to call for the help of European countries. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, as of February 2022 until now, Kiev has increased its exports through its three ports on the Danube up to 1.5 million tons of grains per month. The farmers from Romania as well as from other countries in Eastern Europe are affected by the cheap imports, stating that they are almost on the verge of bankruptcy, as they cannot face this competition. Romanian farmers, who have recently staged protests, accuse that their losses amount to more than 200 million Euros due to grain imports from Ukraine, which are cheaper by about 100 Euros per ton. In a letter addressed to the European Commission, five countries, namely Romania, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria, requested additional support for farmers affected by the cheap Ukrainian agricultural products, as well as the reintroduction of customs duties on agricultural products from Ukraine.

Subsequently, four of them, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Slovakia, announced the suspension of imports of cereals and other agricultural products from that country. Romania is the only country neighboring Ukraine that still allows the import of agricultural products from Ukraine. However, the Romanian authorities have started to control the quality of cereals entering the country, to seal and monitor the shipments in transit. The Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă said that Bucharest did not decide to block imports of agricultural products from Ukraine because, when adopting measures in the current context, we should take into account the entire set of consequences that these measures produce.

In his turn, the Romanian Agriculture Minister, Petre Daea, met, last week, with his Ukrainian counterpart, Mikola Solski, with whom he agreed to keep in touch, weekly, in relation to the amounts of cereals that are to leave Ukraine, in an attempt to limit imports. Petre Daea insisted that it is important that any decision regarding the restriction of Ukrainian imports be made by common agreement with Brussels and not unilaterally, as Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Bulgaria did. “These decisions had to be lifted so that the Commission could intervene to establish the rules to protect our farmers, and we have also shown solidarity with the farmers from other countries,” minister Daea added. The European Commission has announced that it will provide farmers in Central and Eastern Europe, affected by the inflow of cheap agricultural products from Ukraine, with an additional aid of 100 million Euros. The possibility of banning the import of certain categories of products from Ukraine was also mentioned. (LS)

24 April 2023
April 23, 2023 UPDATE

VISIT The international community has a
duty to support Ukraine, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis and his Chilean
counterpart Gabriel Boric said in Santiago de
Chile. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent, president Boric condemned
the war and expressed his country’s solidarity with Ukraine. Mr. Iohannis announced that the first Romanian language department in Latin
America will be established this year at Universidad de Chile. During the
visit, a memorandum was signed concerning cooperation in emergency situations,
such as earthquakes and wildfires. Previously, president Iohannis was in
Brazil, and the last stage of his south-American tour is Argentina.

SPENDING Romanian authorities are looking at a plan to
reduce public spending, which will be endorsed by the government in an
emergency order next week, after the
measures have been approved in a meeting of the ruling coalition made up of the
Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of
Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. Both the Liberal PM Nicolae Ciucă and the Social
Democratic finance minister, Adrian Câciu, promised that salaries and
investments would not be cut, nor would additional taxes and charges be
introduced. In the last government meeting, held a few days ago, PM Ciucă called
on large-scale taxpayers to meet their obligations to the budget, and urged fiscal
authorities to ensure tax collection.

REFUGEES Nearly 266,000 Romanian and foreign
citizens Saturday crossed in and out of Romania, the border police announced.
According to a news release issued on Sunday, out of the over 112,000 people
who entered Romania, 8,784 were Ukrainian nationals. Since February
10, 2022, two weeks before the start of the Russian invasion of that country,
more than 4 million Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania. Most of them
transited the country en route to Western Europe,
but over 100,000 have chosen to stay here. The government of Romania decided
that private citizens that host Ukrainian refugees will only be refunded
accommodation and meal expenses until the end of this month. As of May 1, the
people coming into Romania from Ukraine will receive directly a fixed amount to
cover immediate accommodation and food expenses for 4 months. The money will be
paid from the funds of emergency inspectorates. After this 4-month period,
financial aid will only be provided for accommodation, until the end of this
year, and the refugees are encouraged to enrol with Romanian employment
agencies in order to benefit from the same rights and benefits as Romanian
nationals.

EDUCATION Trade unions in the public education sector intend to step
up protests primarily concerning staff salaries, after the Government announced
plans to cut down budget spending, including a freeze on salaries and hiring in
the public sector. Major trade union federations in the sector threaten that
the current school year might be ended sooner than scheduled, as they are
considering an all-out strike as of May 22. Next Tuesday and Wednesday, they
will be picketing the government headquarters, and on May 10 a protest rally is
scheduled in Bucharest. The education minister, Ligia Deca, said she was
confident solutions would be found to avoid a strike.

HOLIDAY Christians Sunday celebrated St. George, who is also
the patron saint of the Romanian Land Forces. According to tradition, St.
George was a high-ranking soldier in the Roman Army under Emperor Diocletian, who
was tortured and sentenced to death for refusing to recant his Christian faith.
St George is one of the most venerated saints in Christianity, and a large
number of settlements have claimed him as a patron saint. Over 1 million
Romanians bear his name.

COIN The National Bank of Romania Monday releases a celebratory
silver coin on the occasion of the 90th birthday anniversary of the
great poet Nichita Stănescu. The coins will be accompanied by authenticity
certificates and presentation leaflets in Romanian, English and French. The 5,000
coins will be sold for EUR 90 per piece.

SPORTS The Romanian athlete Denis Florin Mihai won the
bronze in the 55 kg Greco-Roman wrestling category at the European championships
held in Zagreb, Croatia, after defeating Bulgaria’s Stefan Hristov Grigorov. Before
the last day of the competition, Romania had won a total of 5 medals, including
2 gold ones, for Andreea Beatrice Ana, in the 55 kg and Alexandra Nicoleta
Anghel in the 72 kg categories, and 3 bronze ones, won by Cătălina Axente in
the 76 kilo, Kriszta Tunde Incze in the 65 kg category, and Denis Florin Mihai.
At the previous edition, hosted by Budapest, Hungary, Romania won 4 medals, including
one gold (Andreea Ana – 55 kg), one silver (Nicu Ojog – 97 kg Greco-Roman), and
two bronze (Alina Vuc -55 kg and Kriszta Incze – 65 kg). (AMP)

23 April 2023
April 23, 2023

VISIT The international community has a
duty to support Ukraine, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis and his Chilean
counterpart Gabriel Boric said in Santiago de
Chile. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent, president Boric condemned
the war and expressed his country’s solidarity with Ukraine. Mr. Iohannis announced that the first Romanian language chair in Latin
America will be established this year at Universidad de Chile. During the
visit, a memorandum was signed concerning cooperation in emergency situations,
such as earthquakes and wildfires. Previously, president Iohannis was in
Brazil, and from Chile he is next to go to Argentina.

SPENDING Romanian authorities are looking at a plan to
reduce public spending, which will be endorsed by the government in an
emergency order next week, after the
measures have been approved in a meeting of the ruling coalition made up of the
Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of
Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. Both the Liberal PM Nicolae Ciucă and the Social
Democratic finance minister, Adrian Câciu, promised that salaries and
investments would not be cut, nor would additional taxes and charges be
introduced. In the last government meeting, held a few days ago, PM Ciucă called
on large-scale taxpayers to meet their obligations to the budget, and urged fiscal
authorities to ensure tax collection.

REFUGEES Nearly 266,000 Romanian and foreign
citizens Saturday crossed in and out of Romania, the border police announced.
According to a news release issued on Sunday, out of the over 112,000 people
who entered Romania, 8,784 were Ukrainian nationals. Since February
10, 2022, two weeks before the start of the Russian invasion of that country,
more than 4 million Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania. Most of them
transited the country en route to Western Europe,
but over 100,000 have chosen to stay here. The government of Romania decided
that private citizens that host Ukrainian refugees will only be refunded
accommodation and meal expenses until the end of this month. As of May 1, the
people coming into Romania from Ukraine will receive directly a fixed amount to
cover immediate accommodation and food expenses for 4 months. The money will be
paid from the funds of emergency inspectorates. After this 4-month period,
financial aid will only be provided for accommodation, until the end of this
year, and the refugees are encouraged to enrol with Romanian employment
agencies in order to benefit from the same rights and benefits as Romanian
nationals.

HOLIDAY Christians are celebrating St. George today, who is
also the patron saint of the Romanian Land Forces. According to tradition, St.
George was a high-ranking soldier in the Roman Army under Emperor Diocletian, who
was tortured and sentenced to death for refusing to recant his Christian faith.
St George is one of the most venerated saints in Christianity, and a large
number of settlements have claimed him as a patron saint. Over 1 million
Romanians bear his name.

SPORTS The Romanian athlete Denis Florin Mihai won the
bronze in the 55 kg Greco-Roman wrestling category at the European championships
held in Zagreb, Croatia, after defeating Bulgaria’s Stefan Hristov Grigorov. Before
the last day of the competition, Romania had won a total of 5 medals, including
2 gold ones, for Andreea Beatrice Ana, in the 55 kg and Alexandra Nicoleta
Anghel in the 72 kg categories, and 3 bronze ones, won by Cătălina Axente in
the 76 kilo, Kriszta Tunde Incze in the 65 kg category, and Denis Florin Mihai.
At the previous edition, hosted by Budapest, Hungary, Romania won 4 medals, including
one gold (Andreea Ana – 55 kg), one silver (Nicu Ojog – 97 kg Greco-Roman), and
two bronze (Alina Vuc -55 kg and Kriszta Incze – 65 kg). (AMP)

23 April 2023
April 20, 2023

Aid. The Romanian Government is preparing to provide its own support to farmers who grow cereals, in addition to the compensation offered by the European Commission in the context of the cereal crisis in Ukraine. A draft decision in this regard is on the agenda of todays meeting, when the executive would discuss other measures related to the situation created by the import and transit of grain from the neighboring country at war. Yesterday, Romania decided to continue allowing the transit of grains from Ukraine, but introduced additional control measures to protect farmers. The decisions were announced after the discussions that the relevant Romanian minister Petre Daea had with his Ukrainian counterpart, Mikola Solski. On the same day, the ministers responsible for trade and agriculture from Poland, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania analyzed the situation together with the vice-president of the European Commission, Valdis Dombrovskis, and the European commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski. The head of the EC, Ursula von der Leyen, has announced that integrated measures will be taken and promised a new financial aid of 100 million euros for farmers affected by the facilities offered to grain producers in Ukraine.

Moldova. The European Parliament adopted, on Wednesday, in Strasbourg, with a large majority, a resolution stating that the accession of the Republic of Moldova would represent a strategic investment in a united and strong Europe and pleading for the start of accession negotiations with Chisinau by the end of the year. The document states that Moldova remains exposed to Russian pressure and energy blackmail, the economic turmoil caused by the war in neighboring Ukraine, as well as the attempts supported by the Kremlin to destabilize the countrys pro-European government.

Expulsion. The Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet, predominantly Romanian-speaking) has expelled a Russian diplomat who was accompanying the president of Tatarstan, Rustam Minnihanov, in his attempt to enter the territory of the republic. The diplomat, declared persona non grata, and another employee of the Russian embassy were accused of inappropriate behavior towards the border police, who did not allow the Tatarstan leader to enter the Republic of Moldova. Tatarstan is an autonomous Russian republic, and its president is a supporter of Russias war in Ukraine. Prime Minister Dorin Recean has stated that those who help to kill children and women in Ukraine have no business in the Republic of Moldova. The head of government also stated that the Chisinau authorities will not accept any association between the Republic of Moldova and the atrocities of the war in Ukraine.

Visit. On a formal visit to Brazil, the president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, met with the vice-governor of the state of Rio de Janeiro and the vice-mayor of the city and signed a memorandum of understanding aimed at cooperation in the field of environment. Radio Romania reports that in the discussions with the local authorities in Rio de Janeiro, President Iohannis presented the economic opportunities offered by Romania and invited investors from the region to come here, mentioning the fact that joint projects can be developed in several fields. The head of state appreciated the intense involvement of the authorities in aspects related to environmental protection and encouraged the intensification of collaboration in this field, which can become one of the pillars of sectoral cooperation between the two countries. This was the last item on the agenda of the Romanian presidents visit to Brazil. His South American tour will continue with official visits to Chile and Argentina.

Ukraine. A Ukrainian military spokesman accused Moscow of “provocation” after its allied separatist forces it said the Ukrainian military blew up four buildings in the eastern mining town of Bakhmut, killing 20 civilians. He has stated that the Ukrainian troops never target civilians. Russia also denies involvement in the explosions. The Russian invasion army has been besieging Bakhmut for more than half a year. Ukraine sees the fighting there as essential to block the Russian forces on the entire eastern front, while military analysts say the citys strategic importance is limited.

Navy. The maritime surveillance vessel MAI 1106 of the Romanian Border Police participates in Italian waters in the joint operation “THEMIS” 2023, organized by the FRONTEX Agency. The Romanian crew, made up of 28 members, performs patrol, search and rescue missions in the Mediterranean Sea, as the ships commander, police commissioner Nicolae Stignei, told the Radio Romania correspondent in Italy.

Dance. The Sibiu Ballet Theater (central Romania) was invited to participate in the third edition of the Poznan International Theater-Dance Festival called ” Poland – The boundaries of nature – The boundaries of culture”, organized by the Polish Dance Theater . The Sibiu Ballet will present in Poznan on April 25 for the general public and on April 26 in a closed-circuit event, the newest contemporary dance production made in Sibiu – the show “One way ticket”, created by choreographer Sandra Mavhima. The show is a choreographic essay about the challenges faced by Eastern Europeans who choose to emigrate to the West in search of a better life. Guest performances juxtapose different styles and understandings of the border concept. Along with the Sibiu Ballet Theatre, artists and dance companies from Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Poland will perform on the stage of the festival. (MI)

20 April 2023
April 12, 2023

Budget. The public spending reform bill should be ready next week, the Romanian Minister of Finance, Adrian Câciu has announced. Until then, members of the Government are presenting in todays meeting solutions to reduce expenses in their areas of responsibility. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă asked them not to plan salary or investment cuts. He also said that he wants to improve the collection of taxes, not to increase them. In total, the saving should amount to 20 billion lei by the end of the year. On the agenda of todays Government meeting are also two emergency ordinances, one on humanitarian assistance that the Romanian state grants to refugees from Ukraine and another that simplifies and digitizes the management of European funds.

Visit. The European Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton, is visiting Romania today. After meeting with Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, the Brussels official stated that Romania will be able to play an even more important role in the defense industry, in the context of the war in neighboring Ukraine. Thierry Breton highlighted the fact that Bucharest increased the budget allocated to Defense from 2 to 2.5% of the GDP, stressing it is an example to be followed. The discussions with Nicolae Ciucă also focused on cyber security, the European Commissioner appreciating that there must be competitiveness in this field. In fact, today he is visiting the future headquarters, in Bucharest, of the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre, together with the Romanian Minister of Research, Innovation and Digitization, Sebastian Burduja, as well as two important defense equipment factories, together with the Minister of Economy, Florin Spătaru.

NATO. To Romania, NATO remains the basic pillar of the national security policy, said the Chief of Staff Daniel Petrescu, during a joint press conference with the President of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Robert Bauer, who is on a visit to Romania until April 14^th. Daniel Petrescu stated that the defensive capacity of the NATO shield in Romania has been increased and that, currently, there are over 30 defense endowment programs, one of the priorities being the endowment of the naval forces. For his part, Robert Bauer said that Romania has proven that it understands the true value of collective defense since the first day it joined the Alliance. He pointed out that Ukraine must be supported as much as necessary, adding that if Russia defeats Ukraine, it will not stop there.

Aid. The Romanian government will grant a first installment of the financial aid intended to compensate the losses caused by the conflict in Ukraine to cow breeders and the dairy market. More than 21 million euros will be granted starting on May 15, with a second tranche, worth 22 million euros, to be allocated to the sector in the second semester. Following the consultations on Tuesday evening, between the government team led by Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă and the representatives of processors and large store chains, a reduction of the price of milk in the next six months was agreed upon. Also to support the consumption of milk produced in Romania, the Government wants to expand the “Warm Meal in Schools” Program starting next year. Thus, the children will receive milk every day when they are at school, not just three times a week, as it is now.

Salary. In Romania, the average net salary in February reached approx. 865 euros, by 3 euro more compared to the previous month, according to the data published today by the National Institute of Statistics. The highest values were recorded, as before, in the IT area, approx. 2,000 euros, and the lowest in hotels and restaurants, approx. 475 euros. The increases in average net salary earnings compared to the previous month were determined by the granting of occasional bonuses (annual bonuses or special performance bonuses) in February, rights in kind and cash benefits, amounts from net profit and other funds.

Gymnastics. The Romanian mens team ranked 11th on Tuesday at the European Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Antalya (Turkey), thus qualifying for the World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. The tricolors needed a ranking in the first 13 teams to succeed in qualifying for the World Cup, a competition that will decide the teams that will participate in the 2024 Olympics. Italy won the gold medals, the silver went to Turkey, and Great Britain got the bronze. (MI)

12 April 2023
EU decisions regarding Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova

Eurosceptics and pro-Europeans less confident in the solidity and cohesion of the community bloc, put to the test over the past year, were proven wrong. Despite the inherent hesitations, when national interests were at stake, and the marginal opposition of Hungary, the countries of the European Union positioned themselves correctly towards the Russian aggression in Ukraine. The harsh sanctions against Moscow and the unconditional support given to Ukraine on multiple levels bear witness. And the EU members made another difficult decision: they considerably reduced their dependence on Russian gas and oil, assuming the consequences of the energy crisis getting deeper.

Russia’s aggression on Ukraine has dominated, since its debut, a year ago, the meetings of the EU foreign ministers. It was also the case on Monday, when the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, announced a tenth package of sanctions against Russia. The measures would target four more Russian banks, as well as imports from Russia, including of rubber, and exports to Russia, including, among other things, heavy machinery.

Borrell said that Russia has intensified its attacks and, as such, Ukraine needs more substantial arms deliveries at a faster pace. He believes that, given that the European production of armaments cannot increase from one day to the next, one of the solutions would be the delivery of the armaments already stockpiled in the member countries. On the other hand, the European Union wants to sanction the entities that deliver weapons to Russia, as is the case with Iran.

Present at the meeting, the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan Aurescu, proposed to his EU counterparts to draw up a separate package of sanctions targeting entities or persons who try to destabilize the Republic of Moldova, as part of the hybrid war waged by Russia in the area of Ukraine. Among these pro-Russian entities are politicians and oligarchs from Chisinau. Aurescu mentioned the need for establishing a civilian EU mission for Moldova and supporting the setting-up of a center to combat disinformation.

As regards European integration, the Romanian minister stressed the need for the irreversible anchoring of the Republic of Moldova into the EU, with an emphasis on the creation of an action plan for integration on the internal market and interconnection with the EU in the field of electricity, through Romania. As for Ukraine, Aurescu recalled the multidimensional support that Romania provided over the past year – the transit of approximately 13 million tons of exported Ukrainian grain, economic facilities, the opening of new border points to increase connectivity, support for refugees and humanitarian aid, bilateral assistance to support the European path of Ukraine.

Bucharest stands for a rapid adoption of new sanctions against Russia, the continuation of financial assistance and the intensification of efforts to find legal ways to hold accountable those guilty of the atrocities committed in Ukraine. (MI)

21 February 2023
February 15, 2023

MOLDOVA President Klaus Iohannis says Romania has stood and will
stand by the R. of Moldova and firmly condemns any foreign attempt at destabilising
this country. It is highly alarming to see public signs of attempts by the
Russian Federation to step in illegitimately and upset the democratic and
constitutional order of the R. of Moldova, a sovereign state that has chosen
its political direction through a free vote, the Romanian president said in a statement
issued on Wednesday. Klaus Iohannis reiterated that Moldova is not alone in facing
these challenges, and reconfirmed Romania’s unwavering support for the
sovereignty and territorial integrity of this country, within its
internationally recognised borders, and for its pro-European future. The
Romanian official also pointed out that Moldova belongs in the EU family, and
that this path is irreversible and must be followed with determination, courage
and ambition. The statement comes after on Monday the pro-Western president of
Moldova Maia Sandu announced Moscow was planning to force a change of the
political power in Moldova, using violence to destabilise the country.

AID Romania is sending further humanitarian
aid to Turkey and Syria in the wake of last week’s devastating earthquakes that
killed some 40,000 people. A new humanitarian flight by 3 Romanian Air Forces
aircraft today takes around 22 tonnes of goods donated by the Romanian
government to the people affected by the tremors in the 2 countries. Another 2
trains with basic necessity products have been already sent to Turkey, and 2
planes with humanitarian aid were sent to Syria on Tuesday. According to the UN,
9 million Syrian and 2.2 million Turkish nationals need aid. The Turkish Confederation
of Enterprises and Businesses says the disaster might cost the country 84 billion
US dollars.

UN The Romanian foreign minister
Bogdan Aurescu Tuesday had talks with the UN secretary general António
Guterres. The Romanian official was at the UN headquarters in New York, where
he was a speaker at the UN Security Council debate on Threats to international peace and
security: Sea-level rise: implications for international peace and security.
According to the foreign ministry, the 2 officials discussed climate change and
its consequences, as well as the situation in Ukraine one year after the start
of Russia’s illegal war of aggression. Bogdan Aurescu pointed out
that Russia’s irresponsible conduct, which violates the core principles of international
order, must end, and that it is particularly serious for a member of the UN
Security Council to have started this war. The Romanian foreign minister also
highlighted Romania’s support efforts, including the receiving of over 3.5
million Ukrainian refugees who have transited Romania. Current developments in
the R. of Moldova were also discussed.

DEFENCE Romania’s defence minister Angel Tîlvăr and the chief of
general staff Daniel Petrescu Tuesday took part in a meeting of the Ukraine Defence Contact Group, held in Brussels
on the sidelines of the meeting of NATO defence ministers. According to the
Romanian defence ministry, since the start of Russia’s war of aggression
against Ukraine, Romania has provided shelter and aid to over 3.5 million
Ukrainian nationals who have transited the country, and has taken part in facilitating
the transit of nearly 12 million tonnes of grains from Ukraine to global
markets. Romania has stated repeatedly that the scope and regularity of the support
given to Ukraine must be maintained. Also on the sidelines of the meeting of
NATO defence ministers, Angel Tîlvăr had bilateral talks with his counterparts
from the UK, Ben Wallace, and Spain, Margarita Robles Fernandez. They discussed
the security situation in the Black Sea region and emphasised the need for
substantial Allied contribution to ensuring the effectiveness and credibility
of NATO’s defence posture on the eastern flank.

INFLATION The National Bank of Romania has revised its inflation
forecast for the end of this year from 11.2% estimated previously to 7%. According
to the Quarterly Inflation Report made public today by the central bank
governor Mugur Isarescu, at the end of 2024 the indicator will stand at 4.2%. Romania
has consolidated its position in the EU in terms of inflation, with the 9th
highest rate in the Union. Mugur Isărescu also said a balance must be achieved
between fighting inflation and avoiding a possible recession, and added that
the inflation forecast is marked by many uncertainties.

FOOTBALL CFR Cluj, the only Romanian team still
playing in the European competitions, Thursday takes on the Italian side Lazio Rome, away from home, in the
playoffs for the Conference League’s eighth-finals. The second leg of this
round is scheduled next week in Cluj-Napoca. According to a UEFA poll, the
Romanians are most likely to win. This season CFR Cluj finished the group stage 2nd in a group that also
included Sivasspor (Turkey), Slavia Prague (Czech Republic) and Ballkani
(Kosovo), while Lazio ended up in the Conference League playoffs after
finishing 3rd in its group, after Feyenoord (the Netherlands) and
Midtjylland (Denmark). (AMP)

15 February 2023
February 8, 2023 UPDATE

EARTHQUAKE The massive earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria on Monday killed around
12,000 people, according to the latest reports. Two-thirds of the total
casualties are reported in Turkey. Tens of thousands of people were injured. In
spite of the freezing cold, rescuers are struggling to find survivors. President Tayyip Erdogan declared
disaster areas in the 10 provinces affected by the quakes, and introduced a
3-month state of emergency. Seventy countries have so far provided support in
the search and rescue operations. Romania joined the international aid efforts
and sent nearly 120 search and
rescue specialists, doctors and nurses, as well as search and rescue dogs.
Many Romanian nationals have contacted the Embassy in Ankara to report the situation there, but few of them
requested to be repatriated. Turkey is located in one of the world’s
main seismic areas. In 1999, an
earthquake occurring in Düzce, in the north of the country, killed over 17,000 people. As regards Syria, Romania is going to provide mostly humanitarian aid,
following that country’s request to the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.

PATRIOT Romania has received a second Patriot system, out of the total
four, that were contracted for the first stage of the country’s Air Force
equipping programme. According to the defence minister Angel Tilvar, the four
systems represent the first stage in achieving state-of-the-art ground-based
air defence capability, which can be fully integrated into the NATO system.
Patriot systems were first delivered to Romania in 2020, and 2023 is the year
when the first stage of the equipping programme is to be fully completed,
according to the Defence Ministry. The Patriot system is one of the most
advanced air protection systems of the US military arsenal. It is a mobile
system that usually includes a powerful radar, a control station, a power
generator, launch stations and support vehicles.

EU The European Council on Thursday will hold a summit in Brussels to
discuss the war in Ukraine, the EU economy and migration. A video-conference
chaired by the European Council President, Charles Michel, was held on Tuesday
and was also attended by Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, who said talks
focused on the support granted to Ukraine, consolidating the competitiveness of
the EU economy and implementing concrete measures of combating illegal
migration. Although Schengen enlargement is not officially on the agenda,
President Iohannis might approach it informally in the plenary or during
bilateral meetings with his counterparts.

MOTION The Chamber of
Deputies Wednesday dismissed the simple motion tabled by the opposition against
the interior minister Lucian Bode. The document signatories accuse Bode of plagiarism
and blame him for Romania’s failure to join the Schengen area. In Monday’s
debates on the motion, Lucian Bode argued that the opposition’s claims were
untrue and prompted by the forthcoming elections.This is the
second failed motion against minister Bode, after the one in October.

PROTESTS Members of the Sanitas Trade Union Federation Wednesday held
protest rallies in Bucharest, for the 3rd consecutive day, picketing
political party offices. Several hundred unionists from around the country
protested against the Salaries Law and the under-financing of healthcare
institutions and social assistance in Romania. The list of demands includes a
minimum 15% pay raise. The unionists warned that unless the authorities meet
their demands, further protests may be planned. (E.E., A.M.P.)

8 February 2023
Children facing the risk of separation from their families

The
Romanian Government as of late has endorsed a bill meant to regulate the prevention
activity targeting children’s separation from their families. The text mainly
deals with the vulnerable communities, in need of permanent support because of that. Such families live on very limited means, which prompts quite a few members of
those families to leave Romania for a better-paid job. But that has dramatic emotional
implications for the children that have been left behind.

Many
parents opt for sacrificing their children’s emotional balance and leave Romania
for a job abroad. Crippled by their parents’ lack of affection, some of the
children develop abnormal patterns of behaviour. They have school problems,
they’re quick to rebel for no reason. The school is unable to manage such crises
and neither are the other members of the family. Upon their return home, the children
the parents find are totally different from the ones they’ d left behind when
they left the country.

And
at this point, the law intervenes, or is supposed to intervene. According to
the Government’s spokesperson, Dan Carbunaru, the bill will enable the
implementation of a set of measures meant to prevent separation. Therefore,
such families will be granted emergency aid. The aforementioned bill is the
foundation act for the National Child Observer. It is an informatics module, to
be included in the National Informatics System. In plain speak, the local
public authorities will be able to access the updated situation of the families
whose children face the risk of separation. The bill also stipulates measures
targeting the rehabilitation of children with disabilities, psychological and psychotherapy
intervention services for these children.

And
that, because our children’s psychological and emotional development should be
treated very seriously. We’re highly likely to run the risk of dragging behind childhood
traumas all our lives. If we don’t do anything about it in time, we’ll find it
even harder to do something about it later.

Psychologists
are capable of telling the fear of separation from the separation anxiety. Elena
Maria Dumitrescu is a psychotherapist in cognitive-behavioural problems. Here she
is, explaining the difference between the separation fear and the separation anxiety.

I believe it is important for us to be able to tell the fear
of separation from the separation anxiety. Ever since we are born, we need
safety, which makes the newly-born and the infant, respectively, to manifest
the fear of separation from the attachment person. The process we all go
through in our early experience is a natural one. The thing is how we go through
that stage, and that is connected to the way significant people in our lives
fulfil our emotional, but also our material needs.

Therefore,
the fear of abandonment is the newly-born and the infant’s greatest fear. The
way the parents express their affection is vital for their balanced development.

We’re
well aware of how vulnerable children in such communities are, given that
parents go at all lengths to be able to face the conundrum: should they first
provide for their children, sacrificing them emotionally, or should they first
give them love but have them feel the pinch and the discomfort or a life in
poverty? So strong may be the ensuing emotional outburst, that nobody is capable
to sort it out.

Psycho-therapist Elena Maria Dumitrescu tells us
how the children’s behaviour may degenerate, when they do not receive their
parents’ affection.

Certain events, but also failing to properly fulfil such needs, can be
perceived by children as unsafety, so they’re sure to move from the fear of separation
to the separation anxiety, thus generating a low-grade control of perceived reality.
You can see that happening with the children who limit their own opportunities
to explore the environment, to develop new abilities, to cope with certain new
challenges or to ask for help. In certain situations, the children are separated
from their families and they will perceive the physical but also the emotional distancing
from people in their lives whom they hold most dear. And that leads up to an
increasingly low tolerance of uncertainty, a mechanism underlying the state of
anxiety and its symptoms.

How
the programs the Government seeks to implement in the vulnerable communities, that
still remains to be seen. For the time being, please note that is the south-eastern
county of Tulcea alone, over 300 children on the brink of separation have been offered
aid through a European project carried by the Romania SERA Foundation. The
figure of 300 exceeds the initially-envisaged number of children, which only
stands proof of the fact that such programs must develop in our country. (EN)

1 February 2023
January 26, 2023 UPDATE

Growth. Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă has announced that,
according to data from the National Commission for Strategy and Prognosis, the
Gross Domestic Product in 2022 increased by 49 billion euros compared to 2021.
He added that, regarding the economy, the forecast for 2022 is also favorable,
with an increase of 2.8%. The Prime Minister has also appreciated the role that foreign investments played
in the Romanian economy last year and the effective absorption of European
funds. Nicolae Ciucă highlighted the importance of dialogue with the
entrepreneurial environment in the country and supporting Romanian capital. The
Prime Minister has announced that farmers will have more than 100 million euros
available under the state aid scheme for reducing the excise duty on diesel
fuel used in agriculture. In turn, the
Minister of Finance, Adrian Câciu, has stated that Romania has changed the type
of economic engine, moving from a ‘slow’ one from the period of the COVID-19
pandemic, to a sustainable one, based on economic incentives.

Aid. This year, the state will
grant aid worth 1,400 lei for the payment of energy, heat, gas or wood bills to
certain vulnerable categories in Romania: pensioners, people with disabilities
who have low incomes, beneficiaries of social aid and families receiving
support allowance. There is only one condition: the net income of a family
member should not exceed 2,000 lei (approx. 410 Euros). This aid will be
granted as of February, by means of energy cards, which will be printed and
distributed through the Romanian Post, based on lists submitted by the Ministry
of Labor and Social Solidarity. According to the authorities, there are
approximately four million beneficiaries of these cards.

Kyiv. Ukrainian authorities have announced the intention to
open new crossing points on the border with Romania, in the Chernivtsi region,
to facilitate the transport of goods and the movement of people, after the latest
traffic jams. According to the Ukrainian authorities, in addition to the
Dyakivtsi-Rackovets crossing point, which will be put into use in the coming
period, two more new customs points are being prepared: the one between Sepit
and Izvoarele Sucevei and another between Rusca and Ulma. They have not been
operating since 2010. The traffic through the Siret border crossing, which had
recorded unprecedented values, is much smoother than at the end of last year,
when there were queues of over 40 kilometers on the Ukrainian side, but there
are still problems due to power cuts
caused by the situation in neighboring Ukraine.

Military. Less than 20 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, the
Leclerc tanks, the main means of attack of the French battle group deployed in
Romania, have arrived at the Smârdan shooting ground in Galati (south-east).
The place is hosting an extensive training exercise, for which approximately
600 French soldiers have been mobilized, with 200 combat vehicles. The
Smârdan exercise is the largest currently carried out by NATO on the eastern
border of the EU. On Friday, the Romanian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bogdan
Aurescu, and his counterparts from France and the Netherlands, Catherine
Colonna and Wopke Hoekstra respectively, will visit the Getica National
Training Center in Cincu (center). According to the MFA, the program of the
ministers’ visit will include interactions with military personnel, especially
French and Dutch, and visits to several military facilities jointly used by the
allied troops deployed in Romania.

Ukraine. Now that the United States and Germany have pledged to send
advanced tanks to Ukraine, their rapid delivery in sufficient numbers is vital
for defense against Russia, President Volodymyr Zelensky said, thanking the allies for their decision. The United
States and Germany announced on Wednesday that they would send Abrams and
Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine. The decision, long awaited in Kyiv, would help the
Ukrainian army in a potential spring counteroffensive against the Russian
forces in the occupied territories. Moscow said that sending tanks to Ukraine would
be a dangerous provocation.

Infections. In Romania, last week the number of cases
of respiratory infections decreased to a quarter the number recorded the
previous week, down to 103 thousand. This number is, however, 21% higher than
the weekly average between 2015 and 2020. The National Institute of Public
Health announced that over 4,500 cases of influenza were registered, most of
them in Bucharest. Since the start of the winter season, 36 people have died
from the flu, and nearly 1.5 million have gotten flu shots. Some hospitals are
still overcrowded, even though the number of cases has decreased. (MI)

26 January 2023