Education – Almost a quarter of Romanias middle school pupils who should have graduated in 2021 never took the graduation exam. According to a survey published by the National Centre for Policies and Evaluation in Education, the main reasons for this situation are school drop-out, expulsions, migration and an incomplete academic record. In addition, several thousand pupils finished 8th grade but did not register for the national evaluation, while a few thousand registered but did not show up for the test. The authorities are considering measures to address the situation.
Visit — On the occasion of his official visit to Vilnius, the Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, on Monday had a meeting with the President of the Parliament, Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen, in which context he conveyed his appreciation for the very good level of the Romanian-Lithuanian relationship and highlighted the positive dynamics of the bilateral dialogue at all levels. He also appreciated the positive evolution of trade between the two countries. Regarding the unprovoked and unjustified aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, the two officials assessed the multiple consequences of the conflict on the security situation in the vicinity of NATOs Eastern Flank. The preparation of the NATO Summit in Vilnius, due in July 2023, was also examined.
Gambling – The Romanian Senate unanimously adopted a law limiting access to gambling. The document, initiated by the save Romania Union – USR (in opposition), provides for banning the operation of game rooms located less than 300 meters from educational institutions, childrens playgrounds, banking or non-banking institutions, art or health facilities. The Senate is the first Chamber referred to in this case.
Moldova – The Moldovan authorities said they disbanded a network coordinated from Moscow that sought to destabilize the situation in the Republic of Moldova, an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population. The network was made up of groups of 5-10 persons who were supposed to create chaos at the protests that took place in the capital Chişinău this weekend. The groups were coordinated by someone from the Russian special services and were given instructions to destabilize public order using persons with dual citizenship, Russian and Moldovan, instructions that came from Moscow. The protests were organized by the political party of the controversial businessman Ilan Şor.
Schengen – Romania is neither a source of migration, nor a transit country for migration, president Klaus Iohannis again emphasized. He is travelling this week to Bulgaria to discuss the Schengen accession with his counterpart in Sofia. We know how to protect our borders, but this is a European problem and its clear that we would also like to contribute to finding the best solutions, Iohannis also said. Bulgaria is making efforts to secure its borders with Turkey in collaboration with the European authorities and Turkey.
New Delhi – Romania’s National Robotics Team “AutoVortex” won the first place at the international robotics competition in India and qualified for the World Championship in the USA. At the beginning of the month, the young Romanians also won the First Tech Challenge National Robotics Championship, which took place in Bucharest, and, at the moment, they are the best team in the world. They also broke the world record of points accumulated by a team in such a competition.
Timişoara – As part of the “Timişoara – European Capital of Culture” program, a concert will be held on Tuesday by the Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra (Germany), under the baton of its main conductor, the Romanian Cristian Măcelaru. The event will take place at the Capitol Hall of the Banat Philharmonic. The program includes works by Johannes Brahms and Klaus Lang, a contemporary composer present for the first time on a Romanian stage. The channel Radio Romania Music, the specialized channel of the public radio station, will broadcast this concert live, starting at 7 p.m. local time.
Hospital – The future Regional Emergency Hospital in Iași (northeastern Romania) will ensure continuous hospitalization with 750 beds, grouped in six medical centers, the Health Minister Alexandru Rafila announced on Monday. He also said that the design of the medical unit would be completed this month. Next the procurement procedure will be launched for the start of the construction works. Separately, there will be an intensive care unit for surgery, third-degree burns, transplant and neonatology medical services. The hospital will also have a specialized outpatient clinic and an emergency department. The total amount of the investment, excluding the VAT, amounts to 2.4 billion lei (approximately half a billion Euros), the completion date being 2027. Alexandru Rafila also said that the deadline for the completion of the design phase of the Cluj Regional Hospital (north-west) is April-May, and for the hospital in Craiova (south), November or December this year. (CM, LS)
