Radio România Internațional

Tag: meals

  • October 28, 2022

    October 28, 2022

    POPULATION Between July 2021 and July 2022, Romania lost over
    100,000 residents, according to data released today by the National Statistics
    Institute. From over 22
    million people with permanent residence in Romania, the number dropped to 21.9
    million. The urban and female population make up a majority, accounting for 56.2%, and 51.2% of the total,
    respectively. The average age was 42.1 years
    old, 0.1 years more than on July 1, 2021. Population ageing is also
    significant, as the proportion of old people has increased and the share of
    youth aged up to 14 has decreased slightly. The NSI data refers to individuals
    with Romanian citizenship and permanent residence in Romania, and it may
    include migrants as well. According to the Institute, in 2060 Romania may have between 16.3
    million inhabitants, in an optimistic scenario, and 12.5 million, in a
    pessimistic scenario.


    SOCIAL The government of Romania will simplify procedures for the
    migrants who work in Romania. A bill discussed in today’s Cabinet meeting
    stipulates a reduction in the number of documents required when migrants seek
    to change jobs. The government also intends to increase the number of
    education units in which students can receive hot meals from 350 to 450. And,
    under a separate emergency order, the government plans to create the legal
    framework for pensions valid in all EU member states. Based on EU standards,
    this kind of pension will primarily benefit citizens with employment contracts
    in several EU countries and who want a customised pension product with
    identical operation standards in all member states. The government is also
    working on a bill allowing Romania to pull out of an international convention
    on scientific information exchange, signed in Moscow in 1969.


    SCHENGEN PM
    Nicolae Ciucă was on an official working visit to Brussels, where he was
    promised full support for Romania’s Schengen accession. Positive signals were
    also received with respect to the lifting of the Cooperation and Verification
    Mechanism. The Romanian PM discussed the topics with the president of the
    European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, while the justice minister Cătălin
    Predoiu, who accompanied him to Brussels, had talks with the EC vice-president
    Vera Jourova and with the EU commissioner for justice, Didier Reynders.
    Romania’s and Bulgaria’s Schengen accession may be included in the agenda of
    the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting of December 8-9, 2022.


    PENSIONS
    Pensions in the Romanian public system may be raised as of January 1, 2023,
    with authorities planning the increase to be at least 10%. One of the
    obstacles, namely the pension expenditure ceiling stipulated under the National
    Recovery and Resilience Plan, would be replaced by an indicator related to
    budget capacity and other financial discipline criteria, the PM Nicolae Ciucă
    announced in Brussels. He had talks in this respect with the European
    Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, with technical details to be defined
    by experts.


    UKRAINE The International Atomic Energy
    Agency is set to visit 2 Ukrainian sites this week at Kyiv’s request, as the
    Russian president Vladimir Putin accuses Ukraine of destroying evidence that it
    was preparing a dirty bomb. Previously, Putin had requested an IAEA mission as
    soon as possible. According to him, Ukraine is planning to use radioactive
    weapons and to claim subsequently that Russia had launched a nuclear attack. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is sending Ukraine a new military and aid
    package amounting to USD 275 mln, to help efforts to drive Russian forces away
    from key areas in the south of the country. On the other hand, the US defence
    secretary Lloyd
    Austin Thursday warned Vladimir Putin that a nuclear attack would prompt a significant
    response from the international community. The US official said Russia using
    this type of weapons or even speaking about it was dangerous and irresponsible.
    Meanwhile, clashes continue in Ukraine, with Russian forces launching over 30
    drones in the past couple of days, and the Ukrainian Army destroying 23 of them,
    according to Kyiv. Since February, Russia has launched 4,500 missile attacks
    and over 8,000 air raids over Ukraine, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. (AMP)

  • Vouchers for vulnerable people

    Vouchers for vulnerable people

    The Bucharest Government approved on Monday the granting of meal vouchers to low income people. Half of their total cost, of around 620 million euro, will come from non-repayable European funds and the rest from the state budget. The amount of 50 euro will be put on the beneficiary’s bank card every two months. The distribution of bank cards, valid until the end of the year, starts on June 1st.



    The minister of investment, Marcel Bolos, has warned people that the cards’ distribution may take time, given that there are three million beneficiaries. He explained the entire process: The bank cards will be distributed by the Romanian Post National Company. They are issued by authorized units, by the Public Finance Ministry, then taken over by the Romanian Post and distributed to people, who do not need to do anything to get them.



    Most beneficiaries of these bank cards are pensioners – around some 2.3 million – with a net income below 300 euro. Disabled people, families with at least two children or single-parent families with a monthly net revenue of less than 120 euros per family member, families entitled to social aid and homeless persons will also benefit this measure.



    Under the project green-lighted by the Romanian Government, people who are part of more than one of the above-mentioned categories, will benefit the support granted to one category alone. Social vouchers can be used only for the purchase of food and warm meals, upon presenting an ID card. People who are part of any of these categories but who are undergoing military training, are imprisoned or reside abroad while this measure is in place, will not receive social vouchers.



    The agenda of the Bucharest Government also included, on Monday, measures to support investment. The almost uncontrollable rise in the price of construction materials made the Government adjust the price of projects with non-repayable foreign financing. According to minister Marcel Bolos, the measure is needed to support projects under way, such as projects related to transport infrastructure and water and waste systems. (EE)