TALKS – The presidents of Romania
and the Republic of Moldova, Klaus Iohannis and Maia Sandu, respectively, on
Tuesday held talks in Bucharest about Romania’s support for Moldova
with a view to helping this country overcome the energy crisis. Talks also
focused on consolidating the excellent and substantial bilateral relation at
political, economic and sectorial levels and furthering projects of joint
strategic interest in the fields of energy, transport, healthcare, education or
information society. President Sandu thanked Romania for its swift action in
order to provide electricity, natural gas, fuel oil and firewood to Moldovan
citizens. In turn, president Iohannis hailed the 41% increase in bilateral
trade in the first quarter of 2022 compared to the similar period of 2021. The
Moldovan president also met with Romania’s Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciucă. Talks focused on regional
security and energy developments caused by Russia destroying electricity
infrastructure objectives in Ukraine. The two officials underlined the need to
boost border traffic by expanding existing bridges and transport routes and by
building new bridges over the Prut River that would improve interconnection
between the two states and further develop economic and business ties. Also on
Tuesday, Maia Sandu attended the international conference entitled Women MPs
in Romania and promoting gender equality as a national top priority held in
Bucharest.
REFUGEES – The
National Border Police announced that some 76 thousand people entered Romania
on Monday, of whom some 7,500 were Ukrainian nationals, a 15% drop compared to
the previous day. According to a press release, some 2.7 million Ukrainians have
entered Romania since February 10, most of whom were in route to Western
countries. 86,500 Ukrainian citizens have chosen to stay.
ENERGY – Romania
has one of the five highest increases in the price of electricity and natural
gas in the European Union in the first half of the year – 55%. According to
Eurostat, some EU states even saw prices drop, like The Netherlands, Slovenia,
Poland and Hungary, where the price is regulated by the state. In the first
half of the year, Europeans paid on average over 25 euros per 100 KWh from 22
euros in the first half of 2021. Natural gas was also more expensive across the
EU, from 6.5 to 8.6 euros for 100 KWh. The increasingly high energy bills have
pushed the inflation upwards in the eurozone to a record level of 10.7%,
according to provisional estimates published by Eurostat. This is the first
time that the increase in prices reaches double-digits in the eurozone. The
previous record of 9.9% was reached last month. In its attempts to keep the
inflation rate in check, the European Central Bank last week decided to raise
its monetary policy interest rates by a further 0.75%, with yet more increases
expected in the coming months.
NATURAL GAS – Romania’s
gas storage level nears 97%, said energy minister Virgil Popescu. He again
promised there won’t be problems with the gas supply this winter. The minimum
mandatory storage filling level in the European Union is 80%, and was reached
as early as mid September. Gas storage facilities across the Union are almost
full.
INVESTMENT – The
Finnish company Nokian Tyres will invest 650 million EUR in a tire factory in
Oradea, northwestern Romania, with zero-carbon emissions. Construction will
start next year while production is expected to start in two years. Some 500
workers will be employed to ensure an annual production capacity of 600 million
tires per year. Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă has hailed the announcement,
stating that foreign investment in Romania has increased by over 46% in the
first months of 2022, standing at over 6.4 billion EUR.
PUBLIC RADIO
DAY
– Radio Romania turned 94 on Tuesday. November 1, 1928 saw the first broadcast
of the Society of Radiotelephonic Broadcasting, as the public radio service was
named in official documents when it was first established. Later becoming a
public autonomous service of national interest and with regional independence,
the station hosted, from as early as the 1920s, the first radio play, the first
children’s programme, the first live broadcast from the Romanian Opera House
and the first sports broadcast. In recognition of its role in the history of
Romania, Parliament in 2019 established 1st of November as National Radio Day
in Romania. (CM & VP)