NATO President Klaus Iohannis on
Thursday reiterated Romania’s decision to remain a strong and trustworthy NATO
member. After talks in Bucharest with the Alliance’s Secretary General, Jens
Stoltenberg, Iohannis underlined that Bucharest, which allots 2% of the GDP for
defence is a provider of security and stability in the region. Iohannis stood
for a solid transatlantic relationship, indispensable to the security of the
Euroatlantic area. Stoltenberg’s visit to Bucharest comes at a time when NATO
celebrates 7 decades since its foundation and Romania 15 years since its entry
into the alliance. On Wednesday, Stoltenberg attended the informal meeting of
the defence ministers in the EU member countries. The NATO official said the EU
cannot replace NATO and it is important that its efforts in the field of
defence should not compete with those of the Alliance’s, but be complementary. Stoltenberg
said that after Brexit, 80% of the Alliance’s military spending would come from
non-EU countries, while three of the four task forces based in Poland and the
Baltic countries would be led by non-EU countries. In turn, Federica Mogherini
the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy has said the
EU – NATO partnership is essential.
EMPLOYMENT Under the latest government decision, companies will be
able to hire up to 20 thousand foreign workers in an attempt to solve the
labour force crisis in Romania. The Labour Ministry in Bucharest has announced
the number of workers rises by 5 thousand as compared to last year. According
to a communiqué issued by the Labor Ministry, the measure has been taken in
order to respond to Romania’s potential of economic development, and its need
for workers in certain sectors, which cannot be covered from the local labour
force. The measure was also aimed at preventing illegal employment.
FLU The death toll of the latest flu
wave that hit Romania stands at 61 – sources in Bucharest have announced adding
that none of the victims was vaccinated. Schools remain open all over the
country in spite of a government’s decision on Wednesday to declare that the
country is presently being affected by a flu epidemic. Classes are suspended
only when 20% of the students are suffering from the disease. Only 14 schools
and kindergartens in Bucharest as well as several others across the country
have so far been closed down.
FINES The Council of Competition has fined 7 food retailers and
suppliers in Romania with 19 million Euros for price fixing. The sanctions have
been applied following an investigation into price fixing operations involving retailers
and suppliers between 2010 and 2016. The Council has found out that retail
prices were not being set according to market rules but the retailer and
supplier set a fixed or a minimum price to resell products to consumers, a
method that eventually translated into higher prices for consumers. In 2015 the
institution sanctioned other retailers and their suppliers with 35 million
euros in fines for the period between 2005 and 2009.
GYMNICH Today
and tomorrow, Bucharest is playing venue for a Gymnich meeting to be hosted by
Romania’s Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu and chaired by the EU High
Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini.
High on the talks agenda are topical international issues such as the Eastern
Partnership, Venezuela, Syria and China. The EU foreign ministers are also to
participate in a working session with foreign ministers from the EU-accession
candidates, Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro,
Serbia and Turkey. The Gymnich format was founded in 1974 with the view to
bringing together foreign ministers for informal talks. Every state that takes
over the EU rotating presidency is to stage such a meeting during its mandate.
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