ENERGY -
The Government on Friday passed an emergency decree capping centralized
purchases of electricity at some 90 EUR/megawatt. The Government thus wants to
protect end users and the economy as a whole. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă explained that electricity
prices are capped at 0.68 Lei for household users with a total monthly
consumption under 100 kilowatts, at 0.80 Lei for household users with a total
consumption between 100 and 255 kilowatts per month, and at 1 Leu for SMEs.
Parliament will also pass a number of amendments whereby electricity prices
will be set at 1.3 Lei for large energy consumers. Household users with electricity
consumption above 255 kilowatts are also targeted by this measure, although the
price for the first 255 kilowatts will be 0.80 Lei. The provisions are
temporary and apply starting next year until March 31, 2025.
PEACE FORUM
– Paris plays host to the fifth edition of the Peace Forum. Amidst multiple crises,
the forum this year focuses on hot topics on the global agenda, such as
geopolitical conflicts with global effects, the growing impact of climate
change, the waves of COVID pandemic and growing social inequality. Representing
Romania will be president Klaus Iohannis, who will address the consequences of
the Russian aggression in Ukraine on European and global security and in a
number of fields, as well as the impact of the war on post-pandemic recovery
efforts and other global priorities, such as combating climate change.
INFLATION
– The European Commission has upgraded its forecast on Romanian economic growth
this year, from 3.9% in July to 5.8% this autumn. After a solid 2022, Romanian
economy is expected to slow down by 2% in the following years, due to soaring
inflation, the difficult financial context and the economic fallout from the
war in Ukraine. According to the Commission, inflation is expected to peak at the
end of 2022 and remain high over the course of 2023, before starting to drop in
2024. On Friday, the National Statistics Institute announced that the annual
inflation rate dropped to 15.32% in October, from 15.88% in September,
considering that prices for foodstuffs went up by 20.58% while prices for
non-food products increased by 14.37%. Prices for services also went up by
8.31%.
BORDERS
– The fourth checkpoint on the Romanian-Ukrainian border was opened on Thursday
in a ceremony attended by the Prime Ministers of Romania and Ukraine, Nicolae
Ciucă and Denys Shmyhal, respectively. The new checkpoint, Vicovu de sus -
Krasnoilsk, will help facilitate the transit of people and goods between the
two states , the Romanian Prime Minister said. This is the first checkpoint to
open since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Since
then, some 2.8 million Ukrainians have entered Romania, most of whom were in
route to Western Europe. A few thousand filed for and received asylum in
Romania, benefiting from every right under Romanian law. Some 70,000 Ukrainians
now have stay permits.
SCHOOL
VIOLENCE – School violence is high on the agenda for talks hosted by the
Education Ministry in Bucharest with representatives of school inspectorates
and social workers in the education system. The debate is expected to continue
early next week, involving members of NGOs. The Ministry will analyze proposals
to improve the legal framework in this field and increase the level of security
of students and teaching staff. Another
priority is to identify schooling units that are particularly exposed to acts
of violence. The Ministry of the Interior will also conduct actions with a view
to preventing and combating acts of violence and supporting victims of school
violence. The Ministry of Education launched a video as part of its
awareness-raising campaign, criticizing the repeated acts of violence in schools
across Romania over the recent years.
VETERANS
– Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, today conveyed a message marking the Day
of Veterans in Theatres of Operations, whom he described as genuine examples
of devotion for one’s homeland, fighting for national ideals and self-denial
role models for the future generations. President Iohannis said that Romanian
servicemen command the respect and devotion of their peers in allied and
partner states due to their sense of duty and professionalism on the
battlefield. The Romanian president recalled that, on November 11, 1918, the
Entente and Germany signed the ceasefire that ended the Great War. On this
day, we are also grateful to the veterans of the Second World War, as well as
the servicemen currently engaged in international operations led by NATO, the
EU, the UN and other coalitions Romania is part of, the head of state also
said. (VP)
