FORUM
Ukraine’s post-war reconstruction and the EU accession efforts of that country
and of the Republic of Moldova are among the topics discussed in Bucharest in a
forum devoted to security challenges at the Black Sea and in the Balkans. The
2-day event comprises over 40 sessions, attended by senior civilian and
military officials, diplomats and experts from the European Union and NATO, as
well as partner states. Attending the event, PM Nicolae Ciucă pleaded for a
strengthened NATO presence at the Black Sea, where free maritime and air
traffic are jeopardised by Russia’s threats.
SOLAR
POWER Individual households in Bucharest and Ilfov County may enroll, as of
today, in a new session of the Photovoltaic Green Home programme, addressing
people who want to install solar panels using state assistance. According to
the environment ministry, the app used for enrolment is available for separate
development regions, in alphabetical order, with 3 working days earmarked for
each region. The programme has a budget of around EUR 35 mln, covering over 87,000
photovoltaic systems.
EDUCATION Members of the
Senate’s committee on education have today resumed discussions on the
undergraduate education bill. On Thursday the analysis of the higher education
bill was finalized and a positive report was issued, with certain amendments. The
Opposition criticized the final draft of the document, which they say fails to
ensure a true reform of the system. On the other hand, the representatives of
the ruling coalition, made up of the Social Democratic Party, National Liberal
Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, said the
amendments improved the bill. Parliament is scheduled to vote on both education
bills on Monday, when trade unions in the sector announced they would go on
all-out strike. Negociations continue today to avoid a strike, but
after the talks yesterday the unions announced they would not give up their
planned strike unless their salary demands were met.
UNESCO Codex Aureus, the
best-known and most important illuminated medieval manuscript, currently in Alba
Iulia, central Romania, has been included in the UNESCO heritage list. According
to the National Library of Romania, the famous manuscript is part of the Memory
of the World Register, which comprises 9 other 1,200-year old works from various
countries in Europe. Most
manuscripts are fragments of Latin gospel books, written in gold ink, and
featuring portraits of the 4 evangelists.
SANCTIONS The
US and their G7 allies Friday announced new sanctions to reduce Russia’s
ability to carry on its war in Ukraine. The sanctions, which target Russia’s
highly profitable diamond exports, were decided right ahead of the G7 Summit in
Hiroshima, Japan. Diamond exports, mainly to the UAE, India and EU member state
Belgium, earn Moscow several billion US dollars a year. A
EU official said India’s joining the new set of sanctions would be crucial. Invited to
attend the summit in Hiroshima is also the Indian PM Narendra Modi, whose
country has strong ties with Moscow and has been reluctant so far to condemning
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
RADIO The Romanian and
Bulgarian public radio broadcasters announced they would strengthen their
cooperation. The president and director general of the Romanian Radio
Broadcasting Corporation, Răzvan Ioan Dincă, and the head of the Bulgarian
National Radio Corporation, Milen Mitev, will sign an agreement in Sofia, under
which the 2 parties will exchange news and radio programmes free of charge,
will produce joint programmes and will provide access to archive recordings to
their respective listeners in the next 2 years.. Radio Romania International aired
Bulgarian-language programmes between 1946 and 1949, and again between 1995 and
2004. Since 2022 the Bulgarian National Radio has a Romanian-language web page.
(AMP)