DEFENSE – Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, on Tuesday said that
the presence of Portuguese military with the South-East Multinational Brigade
in Caracal alongside other servicemen from North Macedonia and other NATO
states plays a key role to strengthening Romania’s defense and security. During
a visit paid by his Portuguese counterpart, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa in Caracal,
the Romanian president said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has once again
highlighted NATO’s capacity to act firmly, unitarily and coherently to support
the Ukrainian people and to strengthen and reinforce allies on the eastern
flank. Talks between the two heads of state focused on security developments in
Ukraine and providing humanitarian assistance to this country ahead of the cold
season, as well as on facilitating grain exports. At bilateral level, the two
officials tackled the possibility of boosting Romanian-Portuguese cooperation
in the fields of defense, economy, trade, digitization, renewable energy,
healthcare and education.
STRATEGY – The Government of Romania has adopted the 2022-2027
National Strategy on promoting equal opportunities and combating domestic
violence. The document stipulates measures and actions in such fields as
healthcare, education and the labor market, by making national policies reflect
gender prospects. To prevent and combat domestic violence, the government seeks
to create more safe housing and to provide psychological and legal counseling to
the victims. Other measures target marginalized groups such as Roma women,
women in rural areas and women with disabilities.
REVOLUTION – The city of Timișoara in western Romania on Tuesday marked a solemn moment
celebrating the day when Timișoara became
the first city in Romania free of communism. In line with recent tradition, a
group of former participants in the revolution stepped on the balcony of the
Opera building to reenact the events of 1989, when on December 20, tens of
thousands of people took to the streets of Timișoara to protest against Nicolae Ceaușescu’s dictatorship. The anti-communist revolution quickly spread
to Bucharest and other cities. 1,000 people were killed and another 3,000 were
wounded in clashes with security forces. Romania is the only country in Eastern
Europe where the transition from communism resulted in bloodshed.
EUROSTAT – The EU’s natural gas consumption dropped by 20.1% over
August-November 2022 compared to average for the 2017-2021 period, the Eurostat
reports. The EU plans to cut by 15% its natural gas consumption over August
2022 – March 2023, compared to the average of the last five years, in order to
curb the bloc’s dependency on fossil fuels from Russia. According to Eurostat,
over August-November 2022, natural gas consumption went down in most EU member
states. The sharpest decline, 40%, was reported in Finland, Latvia and
Lithuania. Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Romania and Estonia reported a 30%
decrease. Despite curbing their consumption, six EU members have failed to meet
the target, while consumption actually went up in Malta and Slovakia.
TOURISM – The village of Rășinari in central Romania was
shortlisted by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) among the
best tourism villages of 2022. Rășinari
was included on a list of 32 villages in 18 countries across the world
that are embracing tourism as a driver of development and new opportunities for
jobs and income. The mayor of Rășinari
said the village is located at the foot of the mountain. The air here is
clean, the village is surrounded by fir tree forests, and there are many
guesthouses and guided tours. There are plenty of things to do and see, the
official added. The Best Tourism Villages award ceremony will take place in
February, and comes in recognition of the villages’ commitment to innovation
and sustainability in all its aspects – economic, social and environmental. (VP)
