Schengen. The European Parliament votes, today, on a resolution recommending the admission of Romania and Bulgaria into Schengen. All large groups in the European Legislature expressed their support for this move initiated by the Romanian MEPs, who also requested a precise calendar for joining the free movement area. In the document, the Council is urged to take all the necessary measures to adopt the decision regarding the full application of the provisions of the Schengen acquis in Romania and Bulgaria and, thus, to eliminate border controls for both countries, starting next year. The resolution was signed by Romanian, Bulgarian and other European parliamentarians who belong to the groups of the European Peoples Party, the group of Socialists and Democrats, Renew Europe, the Greens and two other parliamentary groups and has every chance of being adopted. It is only a recommendation, but it could influence high-level political decisions in the member states. The Netherlands is the only country that still has reservations regarding the two countries accession, but the Czech presidency of the Council of the European Union expressed its hope that, at the meeting in December, it will obtain unanimity for the admission of Romania and Bulgaria into Schengen.
Trafficking. Human trafficking is a form of modern slavery for which the Romanian Government has zero tolerance, says Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, in a message conveyed on the European Anti-Trafficking Day, marked on October 18. It is an important moment at European and national level, of acceptance and awareness of the importance of the fight against this phenomenon of global crime, which affects the lives of the most vulnerable among us, says Nicolae Ciucă. He recalls that the problem of human trafficking has become, in the last two years, a priority for the Romanian Executive at the highest level, the inter-institutional coordination for the prevention and combating of this scourge, but also the assistance provided to the rescued victims being in his direct attention, at the level of the Prime Chancellery – the minister.
Strike. There is a general strike in France today. At the same time, there are demonstrations for salary increases, after the growing inflation has significantly reduced the purchasing power. Public transport is affected. The Radio Romania correspondent in Paris reports that a large part of the budgets have heeded the call to stop work. That is why the activity is partially stopped in public institutions, in Health and Education. The energy sector also joined the protest, so that in half of the nuclear power plants, employees will not work. In the private sector, the strike of Total oil group employees continues. Those from some industrial enterprises are also protesting, which did not reach a satisfactory agreement with their employers for the salary increase.
CarShow. Paris Motor Show, considered the largest event of its kind in the world, began on Monday after a four-year hiatus. The event last only one week, instead of two, as it was in the past, and big names such as BMW, Volkswagen, Jaguar, but also Japanese or South Korean manufacturers are missing. The stars of this years show are electric cars, in the context of the energy crisis and climate challenges. The Romanian car-maker Dacia is also present in the French capital with the first full-hybrid Jogger car, which will be available for sale at the beginning of 2023. In a world premiere, in Paris, the MANIFESTO concept, the full range of models with a new visual identity, is also presented, as well as a limited series of the Duster model, called Mat Edition. In Romania, Dacia is produced at the factory in Mioveni (south), opened in 1968 and taken over by the French group Renault in 1999.
Ukraine. The United States will hold Moscow accountable for war crimes, the White House said, after the Russian military attacked Ukrainian cities with waves of kamikaze drones, killing at least four people in an apartment building in Kyiv. In recent days, Russia has maintained a high rate of long-range strikes against targets in Ukraine, including with Iranian drones. Tehran denies supplying drones to Moscow, while the Kremlin has not commented. In another move, Russia has started sending heavy combat equipment to Belarus, the Ministry of Defense in Minsk claims. According to analysts, Moscow could once again use Belarus as a platform to launch an offensive on northern Ukraine, just as it did at the beginning of the invasion launched on February 24. This could, however, also be a tactic to force the Ukrainian army to deploy its troops in the north of the country, in order to weaken its potential in counter-offensives carried out on other fronts.
Accidents. Almost 20,000 people died in road accidents last year at European level, according to a report published in Brussels. The document shows a 6% increase compared to the previous year, reversing the downward trend recorded under the influence of the restrictions imposed during the pandemic. Romania, once again, is in the worst situation – 92 deaths per 1,000,000 inhabitants. At the opposite pole, Sweden has a rate of 20 per 1,000,000. The first data for the current year indicate an increase in the number of victims in traffic by more than 10% compared to the similar period in 2021. The European Commission announced in July that a new regulation on the general safety of vehicles would be applied. It is hoped that this will save over 25,000 lives and prevent at least 140,000 serious injuries by 2038. (MI)
