PROTEST – The National Trade Union Bloc and its 29 affiliated trade union federations are today staging a large-scale protest action against the government’s taxation policies. Romania currently has one of the biggest fiscal burdens on labor costs at EU level, trade unions say. Romania is arguably the only country in the world where social security contributions of businesses are the responsibility of employees, which is why these contributions have doubled their value. Romania reported the third-lowest employment rate in the EU in 2023 after Italy and Greece, mainly due to low salaries and soaring taxation, National Trade Union Bloc representatives say. Only 69% of Romanians aged 20-64 are currently active on the labor market, meaning nearly a third of Romanians are out of work, a Eurostat report shows.
FINANCE – Romania has so far received over 95 bln EUR from the EU since its EU accession, and contributed some 30 bln EUR to the EU budget, which shows a net balance of some 65 bln EUR, Finance Minister Marcel Boloș wrote in a Facebook post. “We’re talking about an opportunity to use the funding from Brussels to build modern infrastructure and create new opportunities for all Romanian citizens. I have been involved in this field ever since Romania’s EU accession, and this has convinced me that European funds can genuinely change lives”, Minister Boloș went on to say.
VISIT – EU Commissioner for Agriculture, Janusz Wojciechowski, is paying a two-day visit to Romania. Today, the EU official will meet Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and Agriculture Minister Florin Barbu. He will then meet representatives of farmers’ associations and of the University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine of Bucharest. Tomorrow, Commissioner Wojciechowski will visit the port of Constanța (southeast) in order to conduct an assessment of the transport of grain and other agricultural products from Ukraine. The agenda of his visit will end with a series of visits to projects funded by the EU. We recall the European Commission has recently disbursed 126 mln EUR worth of aid to Romania, to fund investment in the ports facing growing volumes of traded goods. Romania can also applying for funding under the Connecting Europe Facility – the Transport component, in order to boost investment in new and modern infrastructure.
EPIDEMIC – Romania continues to struggle with a measles epidemic, Health Minister Alexandru Rafila says. The disease particularly impacts counties with a low vaccination rate, which is why the Health Ministry urges parents to vaccinate their children, also by reaching out to family physicians. Measles is an infectious disease with a high rate of transmission among unvaccinated children. Its evolution can lead to serious complications. Some 78% of the population has taken the first shot of the vaccine, while the rate for the second shot stands at 62% nationwide.
LITHUANIA – Acting president Gitanas Nausėda will run against acting Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė in the presidential face-off in Lithuania, scheduled for May 26, a representative of the Lithuanian Election Authority announced earlier today. After counting nearly all the votes cast in Sunday’s first round of the presidential election, Gitanas Nausėda came in first with 46% of the vote, followed by Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė with 16% of the vote. The election campaign was marred by security threats, the AFP reports. With a population of 2.8 mln inhabitants, the former Soviet republic fears it could be next in line on Moscow’s list should the latter win the war in Ukraine. We recall Lithuania has been one of Ukraine’s staunch supporters as early as the start of Russia’s large-scale aggression in February 2022.
HANDBALL – Two Romanian handball teams, Gloria Bistrița and Dunărea Brăila, have grabbed historic results in the current edition of the EHF European League, where they ranked 2nd and 4th respectively. Gloria Bistrița lost the final on Sunday to Storhamar Handball Elite of Norway, after defeating Dunărea Brăila in the semi-finals on Saturday, 37-26. In the bronze final, Dunărea Brăila lost dramatically to Nantes of France at the end of a nerve-racking game. The two teams were tied 33-33, with the French team securing the win at the penalty shootout, 6-5.
TENNIS – Irina Begu (161 WTA) is today playing Danielle Collins (15 WTA) of the United States in the women’s round of 16 at the WTA 1000 tournament in Rome, offering some 4.8 mln EUR in total prizes. Collins leads 1-0 head-to-head after winning in 2018 in Miami. Also in the round of 16, Sorana Cîrstea (32 WTA) is playing Madison Keys (16 WTA) of the United States. Cîrstea leads 2-0 head-to-head, having defeated Keys in 2019 in Madrid and in 2023 at Indian Wells. (VP)
