Radio România Internațional

Tag: summit

  • March 22, 2024 UPDATE

    March 22, 2024 UPDATE

     

    EUROPEAN COUNCIL Brussels hosted a European Council meeting on Thursday and Friday, in which Romania was represented by president Klaus Iohannis, who also attended the Euro Summit on Friday. He stated that Ukraine must remain a priority on the EU agenda, and welcomed the agreement on the support to be provided to this country. Mr. Iohannis reiterated that Romania remains one of Ukraine’s steadfast supporters and will continue to provide assistance particularly in the humanitarian and military areas, and in terms of grain transport. The Romanian official also highlighted the importance of continued European support for the Republic of Moldova, which is facing unprecedented hybrid threats from the Russian Federation during its pre-election period. The European Commission Friday proposed the introduction of tariffs for grain imports from Russia and Belarus, in a move to prevent Moscow and Minsk from distorting the markets. According to the Commission, the tariffs are also designed to contain Russia’s capacity to finance its war in Ukraine and to reduce Russia’s sales of grains stolen from Ukraine. EU leaders unanimously adopted a critical statement concerning Israel, calling for an immediate humanitarian pause and for full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access into and throughout the Gaza Strip via all routes. The European Council also urged Israel to refrain from carrying out a ground operation in Rafah, where over one million Palestinians are seeking safety.

    MOLDOVA The Parliament of Moldova has adopted a Declaration voicing confidence that the EU accession is the only way to secure its future as a sovereign, neutral, democratic and undivided state. Moldovan MPs call on the entire society to prove unity and solidarity in order to strengthen political and social dialogue in the name of the national interest and of this strategic goal-the EU accession. The document also emphasises that for decades the European Union has been a “reliable partner” for Chisinau, “selflessly” providing the country with logistic and financial support for solving its many domestic problems. In December 2023, the European Council decided the initiation of accession negotiations with the Republic of Moldova.

    FUGITIVES Sentenced offenders having left the country will have to cover the costs of their repatriation, under a draft order passed by the government and submitted to parliament for approval. The new provisions also apply for defendants under investigation, the justice minister Alina Gorghiu announced. She explained that the new legislation concerns 2 situations: when a fugitive flees from prosecution or trial, and when an offender having received a final sentence tries to avoid serving the sentence. The justice minister emphasised that last year the Romanian state spent some EUR 2 mln to bring 800 convicted fugitives back to the country. A list of famous Romanian fugitives includes the former mayor of Bucharest, Sorin Oprescu, the former head of Romania’s Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism Offences, Alina Bica, the son of the president of the Professional Football League, Mario Iorgulescu, and Paul Philippe of Romania.

    CLIMATE Climate change is an undeniable fact, which requires immediate measures, the Romanian minister of environment, waters and forestry Mircea Fechet said on Friday at a conference in Bucharest occasioned by World Water Day and World Meteorological Day. The Romanian official also mentioned the conflict near Romania’s borders, which also impacts the environment. “We are not living the easiest of times,” he said, and added that we should take this opportunity to think about what is happening near Romania and about what we have to do. The participants emphasised the importance of efficiently conveying the information provided by weather experts, by hydrologists and climatologists, and the need to manage water resources in a responsible and efficient manner. They also voiced concern with the already visible consequences of climate change.

    ELECTIONS The Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party in the ruling coalition in Romania have validated their candidates on the joint list for the European Parliament elections scheduled for June 9. Originally at the top of a list of 20 eligible positions, the independent candidate Ramona Chiriac, head of the European Commission Representation in Bucharest, has withdrawn her candidacy for personal reasons. Both parties are keeping most of the current MEPs, but new names also appear on the list. From the Social Democrats, the joint list includes, among others, the former Prime Minister Mihai Tudose, the former minister of family and equal opportunities Gabriela Firea, the incumbent state secretary with the Department for Romanians Everywhere Gheorghe Cârciu, and MEPs Dan Nica and Victor Negrescu. Among the Liberal candidates for the European Parliament are Adina Vălean, the current EU transport commissioner, Virgil Popescu, the former minister of energy, and the MEPs Rareş Bogdan, Siegfried Mureşan, Dan Motreanu, Gheorghe Falcă, and Daniel Buda. The list will be finalised next week. (AMP)

  • December 16, 2023 UPDATE

    December 16, 2023 UPDATE

    BUDGET The 2024 state budget and social security budget bills will be reviewed by Parliament’s specialist committees as of Monday. On Tuesday the draft laws will be discussed in a joint plenary
    meeting, with a final vote expected on Wednesday. The budget is based on a 3.4%
    economic growth rate, with investments amounting to 7% of GDP and the largest
    appropriations in history for public education. PM Marcel Ciolacu dismissed
    claims that the figures are over-optimistic, and voiced his confidence that budget
    revenues would be raised from 27% to 30% of GDP. Under the bill, as of June 1
    whole-economy minimum wages will be around EUR 745. Ciolacu also said he was
    counting on better EU fund absorption, on improved tax collection and on
    curbing tax evasion.


    EU President Klaus Iohannis says the EU winter summit, which came to an
    end in Brussels on Friday, will be remembered for the historic decision to
    initiate accession negotiations with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. The
    Romanian official encouraged the government of Moldova to step up the reforms
    required for EU integration. As for Ukraine, the president of the European
    Commission,Ursula von der Leyen, says
    the decision was a promise kept and an investment in stability and security. EU
    leaders also discussed the Israel-Hamas war, and condemned the continuing
    hostilities with growing numbers of victims among Palestinian civilians in Gaza
    and the West Bank. They argued that peace will only be achieved through a
    two-state solution. A revision of the 2021-2027 Multi-Annual Financial
    Framework, support for Ukraine, security and defence, migration and the future
    EU Strategic Agenda were also discussed at the European Council meeting on
    Thursday and Friday in Brussels.


    COMMEMORATION In Timişoara (west) events were organised to mark 34 years
    since the start of the 1989 Revolution which eventually led to the fall of
    dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu’s communist regime. The rally in support of the
    Reformed pastor László Tőkés, who was under political police (Securitate)
    surveillance, turned into an uprising against the communist dictatorship. In
    this context, the Revolution Memorial was opened to the public in Timişoara on
    Saturday. The organisers prepared a complex programme, providing information on
    the events of 1989. The commemoration also includes exhibitions, concerts, a
    special meeting of the Local Council, and a commemorative march. In this
    context, the Senate Speaker Nicolae Ciucă said in a message that the sacrifice
    and courage of Timişoara’s heroes were the foundation of today’s free and
    democratic Romania.


    UNEMPLOYMENT Around 63% of the Romanians aged 15 to 64 had a job in
    July-September, according to the National Statistics Institute. The
    unemployment rate was 5%, but among youth aged 15 to 24 the rate reaches 22%. The
    economic analyst Constantin Rudniţchi says the INS data is not very different
    from previous reports and that the Romanian labour market is below its
    potential. As for unemployment, he believes the overall trend is to look for
    and to create jobs. Rudniţchi believes the most urgent issue to be the one
    million Romanians who are outside the social and employment system, i.e. who
    are neither in school nor employed.


    AGREEMENT Romania, Turkey and Bulgaria intend to sign an agreement on
    January 11, 2024, concerning a joint plan to remove mines floating in the Black
    Sea as a result of the war in Ukraine, the Turkish defence minister Yasar Guler
    said, according to Reuters. Officials from the 3 NATO member states met with
    the authorities of Georgia, Poland and Ukraine in April 2022 to discuss the
    issue, and also discussed the plan in a NATO meeting in Brussels in October and
    in Ankara, last month. Yasar Guler explained that the initiative will only
    include Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria for the time being, and the signing
    ceremony will take place in Istanbul.


    FAIR A special Christmas fair was opened at the Săvârşin Castle of
    Romania’s late King Michael I. The organiser, Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of
    the Crown of Romania, said the event was intended to promote and preserve the
    authenticity of Christmas traditions. It is something spiritual, and we often
    forget that Christmas has grown a little too commercial. So we are glad to have
    valuable people here, she said. On the estate in Arad County, western Romania,
    a Royal Automobile Museum, a souvenir shop, the auto repair shop of King
    Michael I and a Tea House are also opened to the public. During the event, carol
    performances and handicraft exhibitions are also organised for the visitors. (AMP)

  • December 14, 2023

    December 14, 2023

    BUDGET Romania’s draft 2024 budget is to be endorsed by the
    Cabinet in a meeting today. The document will subsequently be submitted for
    review in Parliament. The budget is based on a 3.4% economic growth rate, a
    budget deficit target of 5% of GDP and an estimated annual inflation rate of 6% of GDP. The
    draft law also includes the already announced salary and pension increases, as
    well as most of the measures in the Government’s new legislative package. The
    ministries that will receive more money than in 2023 are the education,
    development, environment and family ministries, while lower appropriations
    would be received by the energy ministry and the ministry for investments and
    EU projects.


    SUMMIT The president of
    Romania, Klaus Iohannis, takes part on Thursday and Friday in the European
    Council meeting in Brussels, where important and complex topics will be
    approached, according to the Romanian Presidency. These include the EU
    enlargement, a revision of the 2021-2027 Multi-Annual Financial Framework,
    support for Russia-invaded Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, security and
    defence, migration and the Union’s future Strategic Agenda. As far as the
    Multi-Annual Financial Framework for 2021-2027 is concerned, president Iohannis will plead
    for an approach that promotes financial balance between the already existing
    commitments and the new priorities on the EU agenda, and does not involve a cut
    in the funding of the Common Agricultural Policy and the Cohesion Policy, the
    Presidency says. As for the situation in the Middle East, Mr. Iohannis will
    insist on the need for increased involvement of the EU in the region, in view of protecting
    civilians, de-escalating the conflict and resuming the two-state peace process.


    UKRAINE The reconstruction of Ukraine and Romania’s strategic role
    in this process is the topic of an international conference held in the
    Romanian mountain resort of Sinaia. Taking part are Romanian and foreign
    officials, independent experts, business people, academia and diplomats. The
    head of the Romanian government, Marcel Ciolacu, and the Ukrainian prime
    minister Denys Shmyhal, sent a video message to the participants, highlighting
    the Romanian-Ukrainian partnership and Romania’s support for Ukraine.


    FUNDING On Friday, December 15, Romania will submit its 3rd
    payment request under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the PM Marcel
    Ciolacu said at a meeting of the inter-ministry coordination committee for this
    programme. The funding under the Plan amounts to EUR 2.7 bln and covers 74
    targets and benchmarks for the second half of the year 2022.


    ISRAEL The
    Romanian foreign ministry this morning announced the death of another person
    with Romanian and Israeli citizenship taken hostage in Gaza by the Islamist
    group Hamas. Tal Haimi was kidnapped on October 7, and his death had
    already been announced by the Israeli Embassy in Romania. According to a
    Facebook post by the Israeli diplomatic office, Tal Haimi’s wife had come to
    Bucharest in late October to request Romania’s assistance in the efforts to get
    the Hamas hostages freed. On December 2, the foreign ministry said the Israeli
    authorities announced the death of a person with dual, Romanian and Israeli
    citizenship, captive in Gaza. Two other people with Romanian and Israeli
    citizenship are currently held hostage by Hamas, and Romania’s foreign ministry
    reiterates the need for all hostages to be released. The Romanian Embassy in
    Tel Aviv stays in touch with the Israeli authorities, the foreign ministry also
    said.


    ALERT Alert
    messages were sent to the citizens in the counties of Galaţi and Tulcea, near Romania’s Ukrainian border, on Wednesday night. People
    were warned against objects falling from the airspace, were urged not to panic
    and take shelter if necessary. These were the first RO-ALERT messages sent to
    the population in nearly 3 months, in the context of the war in Ukraine. This
    year the defence ministry identified parts of 3 drones used by Russia in
    strikes on Ukrainian Danube ports, which had fallen in Tulcea County. (AMP)

  • Retrospectiva săptămânii 22 – 28.10.2023

    Retrospectiva săptămânii 22 – 28.10.2023

    Summit




    Agenda
    preşedintelui României, Klaus Iohannis, a inclus, joi şi vineri, participarea
    la reuniunea Consiliului European şi la Summitul Euro în format extins,
    organizate la Bruxelles. Șeful statului a anunțat că România va rămâne un
    susţinător ferm al Ucrainei vecine, invadată de armata rusă, şi a pledat pentru
    continuarea sprijinului acordat de blocul comunitar Kievului, atât timp cât
    este nevoie. România, a mai spus președintele, susţine deschiderea până, la sfârşitul
    acestui an, a negocierilor de aderare la Uniunea Europeană cu Ucraina şi
    Republica Moldova, majoritar românofonă. Şi premierul Marcel Ciolacu a fost,
    joi, la Bruxelles, pentru a se întâlni cu comisarul european pentru
    transporturi, românca Adina Vălean, şi cu cel pentru afaceri economice şi vamă,
    italianul Paolo Gentiloni. Discuţiile cu reprezentanţii Comisiei au avut loc
    după ce guvernul de la Bucureşti a transmis proiectul de lege pentru sistemul
    public de pensii, parte din angajamentul asumat de România în cadrul Planului
    Național de Redresare și Reziliență.





    Salarii




    Guvernul
    Ciolacu a convenit cu sindicatele și patronatul noile valori ale salariilor
    minime în ramurile construcţii, agricultură şi industrie alimentară. Astfel,
    angajaţii din aceste domenii nu vor pierde bani atunci când vor fi obligaţi să
    plătească asigurările de sănătate, de care au fost scutiți până acum. Din
    partea patronatelor, Cristian Erbaşu afirmă că măsura era necesară, pentru a
    evita proliferarea muncii la negru sau la gri, precum şi pierderea forţei de
    muncă din construcţii, care este, oricum, insuficientă în raport cu nevoile
    pieței românești de profil.





    Ordonanță




    Guvernul de
    coaliție PSD-PNL susține că va continua să promoveze rigoarea în utilizarea banilor
    publici, cu scopul declarat de a reduce deficitul bugetar. Executivul a
    elaborat o nouă ordonanţă de urgenţă privind diminuarea cheltuielilor la
    sfârşit de an. Aceasta impune restricţii pentru instituţiile publice şi
    primării, inclusiv legate de organizarea de festivaluri şi competiţii.
    Ordonatorii de credite nu mai pot încheia angajamente legale pentru furnituri
    de birou, alte bunuri şi servicii pentru întreţinere şi funcţionare sau
    reparaţii curente. Actul normativ prevede şi că plata drepturilor salariale
    câştigate în instanţă de angajaţii de la stat va fi amânată pentru 2024.
    Premierul social-democrat Ciolacu spune, totuși, că nimeni nu trebuie să se
    îngrijoreze, pentru că sunt suficiente fonduri la buget pentru plata salariilor
    şi a celorlalte cheltuieli la care statul s-a angajat. Iar pensiile vor fi
    indexate de la 1 ianuarie 2024 cu indicele inflaţiei, 13,5%. Noile măsuri
    decise de Executiv survin la scurt timp după ce datele publicate de Oficiul European de Statistică (Eurostat)
    relevă că Ungaria (6,6%) şi România (6,3) sunt ţările cu cel mai ridicat nivel
    al deficitului guvernamental dintre toate cele 27 de membre ale Uniunii.





    Moțiune




    Din opoziție,
    USR şi Forţa Dreptei (o dizidență liberală) acuză, într-o moțiune simplă împotriva
    ministrului PNL al Finanțelor, Marcel Boloş, că în mandatul acestuia
    cheltuielile au explodat. Conform iniţiatorilor moţiunii, pentru a strânge bani
    în vistieria guvernamentală, Boloş şi Ciolacu au ales să taie veniturile
    contribuabililor cu încă o rundă de creşteri de taxe şi au lovit în micii
    antreprenori. Ei ar fi ales un câştig financiar pe termen scurt în detrimentul
    stabilităţii şi prosperităţii pe termen lung. Moţiunea simplă va fi dezbătută
    luni, urmând ca votul să fie dat a doua zi – a decis Biroul permanent al
    Camerei Deputaţilor.





    Penali




    Senatul
    României a adoptat, în calitate de primă cameră sesizată, proiectul de lege
    iniţiat de Guvern, potrivit căruia cei pe care presa-i numește fugari primesc
    suplimentar până la trei ani de închisoare, dacă nu se prezintă pentru
    executarea pedepsei în termen de o săptămână de la condamnare. Ministrul
    liberal al Justiţiei, Alina Gorghiu, afirmă că această modificare descurajează
    sustragerea de la executarea unei pedepse definitive privative de libertate.
    România încearcă, încă, să-și recupereze din străinătate fostele VIP-uri fugite
    de teama pușcăriei, pentru fapte de corupție. Din Italia, ar urma să revină
    acasă, ca să intre după gratii, însăși fosta șefă a DIICOT (Parchetul
    antimafia), Alina Bica, precum și președintele social-democrat al Consiliului
    Județean Neamț (nord-est), Ionel Arsene. Din Grecia – fostul primar de stânga
    al Bucureștiului, medicul-vedetă Sorin Oprescu. Din Serbia – afaceristul și
    politicianul Sebastian Ghiță, fost membru al comisiei parlamentare de control
    asupra activității SRI.





    Pelerinaj




    Zeci de mii
    de creștini ortodocși au trecut, în ultima săptămână, ca în fiecare an, pe la
    racla cu moaştele Sfântului Dimitrie cel Nou, considerat ocrotitorul
    Bucureştiului și sărbătorit pe data de 27 octombrie. În ajun, pe 26, a fost
    celebrat Sfântul Dimitrie Izvorătorul de Mir, ale cărui moaşte au fost aduse,
    marţi, din Grecia. Până duminică inclusiv, credincioşii se pot închina atât la
    moaştele acestora, cât şi la cele ale Sfinţilor Împăraţi Constantin şi Elena şi
    ale Sfântului Ierarh Nectarie, aşezate în baldachinul special amenajat în
    curtea Catedralei Patriarhale din Capitală. La recensământul populației de anul
    trecut din România, 85,3% dintre persoanele care și-au declarat religia – și
    implicit, notează media, dintre plătitorii de taxe și impozite – au spus că
    sunt creștini ortodocși. 4,5% s-au declarat de religie romano-catolică, 3,0% de
    religie reformată și 2,5 procente penticostali. Numărul persoanelor care s-au
    declarat atei sau fără religie e în jur de 0,3 la sută.


  • Romania and the Green Economy

    Romania and the Green Economy

    Bucharest has these days become a regional hub for debates on climate change, as the Romanian capital is hosting Climate Change Summit, the largest event of this kind in Central and Eastern Europe.



    In a message conveyed in the onset of the event, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis has said that no country or nation is safe from climate change effects. “We have to work together, beyond national and sectoral borders, to step up the process of global decarbonisation,” Iohannis went on to say. The Romanian official hails the fact that part of the event is being housed by universities and said that young people must be given authority and opportunities to participate in the process of stepping up the green transition. In turn the Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja, has announced the number of prosumers, those who arent only consumers but also produce energy by means of renewable sources, is estimated to reach 236 thousand by the end of 2025 and to go over 350 thousand by 2030.



    “This is a good thing that translates as decarbonisation, system decentralization and better resilience”, Burduja has also added. According to the minister, Romania has the big chance of an optimum position to benefit the energy revolution and the budget available for investment in the field, which presently stands at 18 billion euros, will enable the development of fresh projects in the area.



    The transformation of Romanias economy in one digital and green is a long-term process, which requires solid national planning that has to be accepted by all the political forces, by businesses and civic groups alike, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu says. According to him the process of reducing climate change effects is a priority for the present cabinet. He pointed out that the Executive intends to both increase the resilience and sustainability of the energy system and agriculture and improve the management of water and mineral resources. Ciolacu added that future solutions will be developed through both the National Recovery and Resilience Plan and the other national and European financial instruments so that Romania of the year 2030 may be better prepared to face climate challenges.



    Another step forward in the process of decarbonising the economy has been announced at the aforementioned summit by the Environment Ministry. According to state secretary, Ionuţ Banciu, Romania has succeeded in decoupling the economic growth and gas emissions and managed to curb their volume by two thirds. He says that Romania has reached the climate targets set in 2020 and the governments strategy to reach climate neutrality by 2050 is being debated upon and is expected to get the green light by the end of November.


    (bill)

  • România 43

    România 43

    Peste
    450 de lideri de afaceri români din întreaga lume s-au reunit la București
    pentru cea de-a 8-a ediție a Summit-ului Repatriot 2023, o ediţie cu multe
    evenimente speciale, care a culminat cu dezbaterile pe teme economice și
    strategice, organizate la Parlamentul României.

    Declaraţie Sandra Pralong,
    Consilier de Stat în cadrul Administraţiei Prezidenţiale.


  • Informal European Summit

    Informal European Summit

    The EUs informal summit hosted in Granada by the Spanish presidency of the EU Council, ended with a limited joint statement, which made no reference to the thorny issues. The statement should have included elements regarding migration, EU enlargement, national and cyber security and the EUs industrial autonomy from third countries such as China, Russia and the United States. The main divergences arose, as expected, in relation to the common European migration pact. Hungary and Poland vehemently opposed its inclusion in the final statement, and the press reports that the two leaders from Budapest and Warsaw, respectively, used very harsh words. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Hungary feels violated and attacked when EU member states impose a threshold on migration, while Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said such a measure was a dictate from Brussels which he will never accept.




    However, the EU law says that in order to take a decision on the pact for migration, unanimity is not necessary, but only a majority of votes, so, in the end, there will be such a pact in the EU, despite the staunch opposition of Hungary and Poland. Another important topic, which stirred the waters at the Granada summit, was the expansion of the community bloc. The 2030 deadline for taking in new EU members, launched by the High EU Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, has been rejected. European leaders, including Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, deem it unrealistic. The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jose Manuel Albares, said that the candidate states will enter the Union depending on effort and merit, a statement reinforced by the head of the European Commission. Ursula von der Leyen said that EU enlargement must remain a process based on individual merit. Therefore, the final declaration only mentions that the EU will have more than 30 members.




    Among the candidate states are the Republic of Moldova, Ukraine, the countries of the Western Balkans and even Turkey. A decision that could generate effects is expected to be taken at the European summit scheduled for December. The President of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, voiced optimism in this respect, especially after the European Parliament passed a resolution demanding the start of accession negotiations with Chisinau by the end of the year. Until then, however, the Granada Declaration maintains the commitment of the 27 heads of state and government from the EU bloc to a strong, dynamic, competitive and cohesive Europe in a changing world. (EE)


  • Polimlu dronelor

    Polimlu dronelor



    Aţeali trei amări, andămusiti tru summit București, aestă stămână, suntu Aamarea Baltică, Aamarea Lae și Amarea Adriatică. Easti, neise, un ţerclliu di di mari complexitate ţi dipuni ditu zona baltică, pritu spațiul pontic și s’agiundzi tu ţentrulu ali Europă, pi amealurile adriatiţi. Inițiativa fu lansată, aoa shi optu ani, di prezidentţălli ditu limitele aluştui arcu di ţerclliu, ali Poloniei și Croației. “Inițiativa datiloru Trei Amări” spuni, tru prezent, la 12 state, tute membre ale Uniunii Europene, difinite di ieșearea la una ditu aesti amări ică pi ninga aesti zone. Di la nord cată sud și, deapoa, cată vest, avem Polonia și aţeali trei republici baltice foste sovietice – Lituania, Letonia și Estonia, România și Vargario, di la Aamarea Lae, deapoa Croația, Slovenia, Austria, Ungaria, Cehia și Slovacia.


    La București, tru aestă săptămână, Gărţillea agiumsi XIII-lu membru ali Inițiativa. Tutunăoară, ears prezente un singiru di țări și organizații cari colaborează cu organizația, di cari Ucraina și Republica Moldova. Cadealihea, Inițiativa agiumsi un mecanism di lucru tut ma eficient și ma ghini structurat, tră țările ditu zona di contactu a Europăllei cu spațiul exterior, rusesc tru special. Noulu context tru cari s-isvărti summitul di la București fu dictat di polimlu di agresiune dus cntra ali Ucraina di Rusia. Țările participante napoi şi spusira minduita, conformă cu politica Uniunillei Europene și a NATO, organizații ditu cari tute statele Inițiativei fac parte, ta s’ndrupasca Ucraina tru aestu greu polimu și ta s’agiută ti znuearea a llei, anda alumtili va danaseasca.


    Peisajul informației publice fu acătatu intempestiv tru aesti dzăli di incidintul ditu nordul Diltei Dunării, limitată di sinurlu româno-ucraineană, și iu dronele rusești, di fabricație iraniană, pitrundu tut cama multu și bombardeadză porturile ucrainene di pe brațul Dunării. Aesti porturi, Izmail și Reni, suntu pi șenalul strimtu a brațlui Chilia, nai ma nordic ditu aţeali cari formeadză Delta di vărsare a Dunării tru Aamarea Lae. Di partea cabaia populată, cu multe localități, easti Ucraina, țară tru polimu cu Rusia, di partea sălbatică a rezervației naturale, cu slabu bănaticu, easti România, țară membră a NATO.


    S’pare că asistăm la un “Polimu al dronelor”, cari nu easti vără film di succes, di tip “Star War”, că modalitatea Rusiei ta ş-ducă polimlu criminal di distrudzeari ali Ucrainei și a oamenilor cari băneadză aoa. Tru aest context, Kievul ș-pripune să dimonstreze că dronele rusești au explodat și pe teritoriul României, sperând să genereze o reacție militară a NATO. Fără trudoială, o astfel di reacție nu poate avea dicât efecte divastatoare, chiar nucleare, și nu poate fi genearată dicât di un atac direct, efectiv, o agresiune cari să implice activarea garanțiilor di securitate pe cari NATO le acordă membrilor săi. Se vorbeasti di articolul 5, al apărării colective, cari face ditutr-un atac împotriva unei țări membre a NATO, un atac împotriva tuturor și fiecărui stat ditu NATO, cari va proceda ca atare.


    Neise, tută filosofie NATO spuni ti apărarea colectivă, la acțiunea comună di apărare a țărilor membre NATO, tru cazul unui atac ditu exterior. Și Aliații, și lidirii ruși știu ce ar trusemna o astfel di reacție, o distrugere uriașă tră omenire, dacă nu a omenirii. Disigur, Kievul își dorește intrarea efectivă și directă a NATO tru polimlu său di apărare împotriva agresiunii ruse, dar această perspectivă easti periculoasă și diparte di a fi dorită.


    Românii și Aliații lucreadză ti situația ditu teren, alăncită tru kirolu anda liderlli a statilor ţi conlucreadză tru cadrul “Inițiativei datiloru trei amări” s’andamausea la București. Easti evidentu, ama, că Moscova va ta s’alăxească Aamarea Lae tru un lac arusesc, iar istoriţlli spun că easti ună vreari cama veaclle, țaristă. Cara surparea a niscăntoru drone ică fragmente di dronă tru spațiul NATO poati s’hibă lugursitu ună acțiune accidentală, s’aduţemu aminti că, tora ma ninti, marina militară rusă dănăsi cu zoreaa armatloru și control ună pampori ţivilă nturţească, cari naviga di-a mardzina di coasta vestica ali Amarea Lae. Turcia easti membră NATO di dzăţ di ani și ari relații privilegiate la nivel analt cu Rusia, acă hăirea a loru scădzu dramatic tru aestu an.


    Autoru: Marius Tiţa


    Armânipsearea: Taşcu Lala







  • Războiul dronelor

    Războiul dronelor

    Cele trei mări,
    întrunite în summit la București, în această săptămână, sunt Marea Baltică,
    Marea Neagră și Marea Adriatică. Este, de fapt, un arc de cerc de mare
    complexitate ce coboară din zona baltică, prin spațiul pontic și se ajunge în
    centrul Europei, pe malurile adriatice. Inițiativa a fost lansată, acum opt
    ani, de președinții din limitele acestui arc de cerc, ai Poloniei și
    Croației. Inițiativa celor Trei
    Mări se referă, în prezent, la 12 state, toate membre ale Uniunii
    Europene, definite de ieșirea la una dintre aceste mări sau alăturate acestei
    zone. De la nord spre sud și, apoi, spre vest, avem Polonia și cele trei republici
    baltice foste sovietice – Lituania, Letonia și Estonia, România și Bulgaria, de
    la Marea Neagră, apoi Croația, Slovenia, Austria, Ungaria, Cehia și Slovacia.

    La București, în această săptămână, Grecia a devenit al XIII-lea membru al
    Inițiativei. De asemenea, au fost prezente o serie de țări și organizații care
    colaborează cu organizația, printre care Ucraina și Republica Moldova. În mod
    evident, Inițiativa a devenit un mecanism de lucru tot mai eficient și mai bine
    structurat, pentru țările din zona de contact a Europei cu spațiul exterior,
    rusesc în special. Noul context în care s-a desfășurat summitul de la București
    a fost dictat de războiul de agresiune dus împotriva Ucrainei de Rusia. Țările
    participante și-au reafirmat poziția, conformă politicii Uniunii Europene și a
    NATO, organizații din care toate statele Inițiativei fac parte, de au susține
    Ucraina în acest greu război și de a se angaja la refacerea sa, odată ce
    luptele vor înceta.

    Peisajul informației publice a fost ocupat intempestiv în
    aceste zile de incidentul din nordul Deltei Dunării, limitată de frontiera
    româno-ucraineană, și unde dronele rusești, de fabricație iraniană, pătrund din
    ce în ce mai des și bombardează porturile ucrainene de pe brațul Dunării. Aceste
    porturi, Izmail și Reni, se află pe șenalul îngust al brațului Chilia, cel mai
    nordic dintre cele care formează Delta de vărsare a Dunării în Marea Neagră. De
    partea intens populată, cu multe localități, este Ucraina, țară în război cu
    Rusia, de partea sălbatică a rezervației naturare, cu slabă locuire, este
    România, țară membră a NATO.

    Pare că asistăm la un Război al dronelor, care
    nu este vreun film de succes, de tip Star War, ci modalitatea Rusiei de a-și
    duce războiul criminal de distrugere a Ucrainei și a oamenilor care locuiesc
    aici. În acest context, Kievul își propune să demonstreze că dronele rusești au
    explodat și pe teritoriul României, sperând să genereze o reacție militară a
    NATO. Fără îndoială, o astfel de reacție nu poate avea decât efecte
    devastatoare, chiar nucleare, și nu poate fi generată decât de un atac direct,
    efectiv, o agresiune care să implice activarea garanțiilor de securitate pe
    care NATO le acordă membrilor săi. Se vorbește de articolul 5, al apărării
    colective, care face dintr-un atac împotriva unei țări membre a NATO, un atac
    împotriva tuturor și fiecărui stat din NATO, care va proceda ca atare.

    De fapt,
    întreaga filosofie NATO se referă la apărarea colectivă, la acțiunea comună de
    apărare a țărilor membre NATO, în cazul unui atac din exterior.     Și Aliații, și
    liderii ruși știu ce ar însemna o astfel de reacție, o distrugere uriașă pentru
    omenire, dacă nu a omenirii. Desigur, Kievul își dorește intrarea efectivă și
    directă a NATO în războiul său de apărare împotriva agresiunii ruse, dar
    această perspectivă este periculoasă și departe de a fi dorită.

    Românii și
    Aliații lucrează asupra situației din teren, ivită în timp ce liderii statelor
    ce conlucrează în cadrul Inițiativei celor trei mări se întâlneau la
    București. Este evident, totuși, că Moscova vrea să transforme Marea Neagră
    într-un lac rusesc, iar istoricii spun că este o aspirație veche, țaristă. Dacă
    prăbușirea unor drone sau fragmente de dronă în spațiul NATO poate fi
    considerat o acțiune accidentală, să amintim că, recent, marina militară rusă a
    oprit cu forța armelor și a controlat un vas civil turc, care naviga de-a
    lungul țărmului vestic al Mării Negre. Turcia este membră NATO de zeci de ani
    și are relații privilegiate la nivel înalt cu Rusia, deși eficiența lor a
    scăzut dramatic în acest an.

  • The Summit of the Three Seas Initiative

    The Summit of the Three Seas Initiative

    Romania reached its targets at the Summit of the Three Seas Initiative, said, Wednesday, Romanias President Klaus Iohannis, who was the host, in Bucharest, of the leaders of the European Union countries located between the Baltic, Black and Adriatic seas. During the meeting, two permanent objectives of the Initiative were reconfirmed: reducing the development gaps between the region of the three seas and the rest of the Union, as well as increasing the regional contribution of the Initiative to the process of strengthening transatlantic ties. The talks in Bucharest mainly focused on three key fields of cooperation: transport, energy and digitization.



    Also in Bucharest, Greece became the 13th member country of the Three Seas Initiative, while Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova received the status of associated states. In a joint final statement, the leaders participating in the summit reiterated their unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, again condemning Russia’s aggression. They have pledged to play a key role in the reconstruction of Ukraine, taking due account of all the efforts made at the international and European Union levels.



    The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who made a video speech at the opening of the Three Seas Initiative summit, said he was strongly opposed to any further restrictions on Ukrainian grain exports, because his country still needs funds, in the context in which they have to survive after the multiple Russian attacks. From this perspective, at the meeting in Bucharest, the issue of creating new transport routes for grain from Ukraine was also addressed.



    After the summit, the 5th edition of the Business Forum of the Three Seas Initiative has been scheduled for Thursday. An opportunity for the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu to have several meetings with delegations of important American companies on the sidelines of the Forum. Besides the digitization of the administrative system, the discussions focused on the development of research and innovation projects in such fields as artificial intelligence and cyber security. Also in Bucharest, the US special presidential envoy for climate, John Kerry, recalled that Romania is among the first countries in the world and the first in Europe to introduce the innovative technology of small modular reactors. The American official warned that the goal of zero emissions by 2050 cannot be achieved without nuclear energy, and the technology of these reactors can contribute to accelerating the achievement of environmental targets. (LS)

  • September 6, 2023 UPDATE

    September 6, 2023 UPDATE

    Drone — Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, said that he was informed “in real time” by the Defense Ministry about the discovery on Romanian territory of some components that appear to be of a drone. At the opening of the Summit of the Three Seas Initiative, which is taking place in Bucharest, Iohannis said that he requested an urgent and professional investigation of the origin of these components, as well as the moment and circumstances in which they arrived on Romanian territory. If it is confirmed that these elements belong to a Russian drone, the Romanian president said, then the situation is “unacceptable” and is “a serious violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Romania, a NATO ally state”. He showed that the Romanian authorities are in permanent contact with the other NATO allies and emphasized that Romania benefits from extremely strong security guarantees, the strongest in its entire history. Previously, the Romanian Defense Minister, Angel Tîlvăr, stated that in Tulcea county (south-east) fragments were found of a piece of equipment “that could be assimilated to a drone”. The elements in question were identified near the village of Plauru, at a distance of 70-80 meters from the Danube, in an area very difficult to access, with abundant vegetation.



    Summit — The Summit of the Three Seas Initiative, a political platform of the member countries of the European Union from Central and Eastern Europe, started in Bucharest. At this 8th edition, Greece will become the 13th participating country, while Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, neighbors of Romania, will receive the status of associated states. In the opening of the proceedings, when the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenski also spoke via video conference, the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said that granting the status of an associated participating state to the Three Seas Initiative will allow Ukraine to get involved in all the tools of the organization, respectively to access investments for strategic interconnection projects. The Romanian president believes that, in this way, “Ukraine will be closer to the EU and will prepare better for reconstruction and recovery”. Currently, the Three Seas Initiative includes 12 member states of the European Union between the Baltic, Adriatic and Black Seas. The organization also benefits from the support of the United States, whose delegation in Bucharest is led by the White House special envoy for climate, former Secretary of State John Kerry.



    Schools – With school starting in Romania on 11th September, the authorities are planning tougher measures to prevent trafficking in and consumption of psychoactive substances among pupils. They also aim to crack down on bullying and reduce the risk of pupils exposure to crime, especially violence. These are some of the most important elements of a national safety plan signed on Tuesday by a number of cabinet ministers. Referring to the controversial issue of pupils drug testing, education minister Ligia Deca said a system would be devised to provide and finance such tests in the event of reasonable suspicion, but only with parental approval and avoiding the stigmatization of children.



    IT – Romanians have been waiting for modern and efficient public services for a long time, and the digital reform is the most important component of the administrative reform that the Romanian Government intends to undertake, the Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Wednesday during the meeting with the representatives of the Apple, Amazon and IBM companies. The three American giants in the technology industry will participate in the Business Forum organized on Thursday, on the sidelines of the Summit of the Three Seas Initiative. Besides the digitization of the administrative system, the discussions also focused on the development of research and innovation projects in fields such as artificial intelligence, data analysis and cyber security. Present at the meeting, the Romanian Minister of Research, Bogdan Ivan, said that the future collaborations with the three companies will make a real difference in the daily life of Romanians, allowing the development of the IT sector in Romania and bringing the citizen to one click away from the public administration. (LS)


  • September 6, 2023

    September 6, 2023

    Summit.
    The Three Seas Initiative Summit is getting under way in Bucharest today,
    bringing together EU member states from Central and Eastern Europe. This year,
    Greece will become the 13th country to participate in the Initiative, while Romania’s
    neighbours Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova will be awarded the status of
    associate countries. A declaration will be adopted at the end of the summit,
    which will become an important guideline for the Initiative’s future activities
    aimed at boosting cross-border interconnection in the field of transport
    infrastructure, energy and digitalisation. The United States has reiterated its
    support for the Three Seas Initiative objectives and its availability to work
    closely with its partner states to advance this format. The US delegation at
    the summit in Bucharest is led by the US special presidential envoy for
    climate, John Kerry, who is also scheduled to meet prime minister Marcel
    Ciolacu.




    Moldova. Romania supports the request of the Republic of Moldova to
    become an associate country of the cooperation format within the Three Seas
    Initiative, said prime minister Marcel Ciolacu today during talks with the president
    of neighbouring Moldova, Maia Sandu. Talks also looked at the stage of
    bilateral relations, with the prime minister saying Romania recently
    transferred the first tranche worth 10 million euros aimed at funding priority
    projects, such as the purchase of school minibuses and infrastructure and local
    development projects. Prime minister Ciolacu reiterated Romania’s support for
    the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the European Union and said the
    priority right now is securing a decision on opening accession talks at the
    European Council in December.




    Schools. With school starting in Romania on 11th
    September, the authorities are planning tougher measures to prevent trafficking
    in and consumption of psychoactive substances among pupils. They also aim to
    crack down on bullying and reduce the risk of pupils’ exposure to crime,
    especially violence. These are some of the most important elements of a
    national safety plan signed on Tuesday by a number of cabinet ministers. Referring
    to the controversial issue of pupils’ drug testing, education minister Ligia
    Deca said a system would be devised to provide and finance such tests in the
    event of reasonable suspicion, but only with parental approval and avoiding the
    stigmatisation of children.






    Economy. The Romanian minister for the economy,
    entrepreneurship and tourism Ştefan Radu Oprea called, during a meeting with
    the vice-president of the European Commission and EU commissioner for trade Valdis
    Dombrovskis, for flexibility from the Commission during talks on the budget
    deficit, given that Romania’s budget was affected by the direct and indirect
    costs of the war in Ukraine. The Romanian official was in Brussels on 4th
    and 5th September. His talks with the EU official focused on trade
    relations with Ukraine, with emphasis on measures related to grain exports, as
    well as on the need to find ways to support Romanian farmers.








    Tennis. The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea
    missed qualifying for the US Open semifinals, as she lost on Wednesday in
    straight sets to the Czech player Karolina Muchova. Seeded 30, Cîrstea, aged
    33, reached the US Open quarterfinals for the first time in her career. The
    last time she reached this round was at the French Open in 2009, aged 19. From
    Monday, she will go up to number 26 in the WTA ranking, being the
    highest-ranked Romanian player. (CM)

  • September 2, 2023 UPDATE

    September 2, 2023 UPDATE

    Budget — The European Commission might agree to a higher budget deficit than the one originally assumed by Romania for this year, says the Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, after the meeting, in Brussels, on Friday, with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. Romania assumed a deficit of 4.4%, but it wants to increase it to over 5%. He said that the fact that Romania was not accepted in the Schengen Area contributed to the increase of the countrys budget deficit by almost 2%. Ciolacu added that the plan to combat evasion, the reform of the administration and the measures to reduce the deficit will be included in a law for which the Romanian Government will take responsibility in Parliament in the autumn parliamentary session, which starts on Monday. He said that the value added tax for goods and services will not exceed 19%, and for foodstuffs and medicines it will be maintained at 9%.



    Summit — The US President Joe Bidens special envoy on climate issues, John Kerry, is coming to Bucharest. The US State Department announces that, on Wednesday, he will participate in the Summit of the Three Seas Initiative, a diplomatic format that includes 12 member states of the European Union located between the Baltic, Black and Adriatic seas. John Kerry will talk about how an accelerated transition to clean energy strengthens energy security and resilience in Central and Eastern Europe, as well as about new nuclear technologies, including Romanias role in the construction of small modular reactors. John Kerry was Secretary of State between 2013 and 2017, during the second term of President Barack Obama.



    Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea qualified, for the first time, in the round of 16 of the US Open tournament, the last Grand Slam competition of the year, on Friday, in New York, after her surprise victory over Kazakhstans Elena Rîbakina, with the score 6 -3, 6-7, 6-4. The Romanian (30 WTA) achieved her best performance at Flushing Meadows. In the round of 16, Sorana Cîrstea will face the Swiss Belinda Bencic. Also in New York, in the womens doubles, the Romanian-Ukrainian pair Gabriela Ruse/Marta Kostiuk qualified for the round of 16, after defeating the Russian-Australian pair Irina Hromaceva/Daria Saville 6-2, 6-2. Ruse and Kostiuk reached the semifinals of the doubles event at the Australian Open this year, stopped in the round of 16 at Roland Garros and in the second round at Wimbledon.



    Statistics – Romania imported in the first half of this year over a third less than in the same period of last year, show data provided by the National Institute of Statistics. Domestic production increased in the first six months of this year by 6%. According to the estimates of the National Strategy and Forecast Commission, natural gas production is estimated to rise at an average annual rate of 3.6% in the period 2023-2026, after a decrease of approximately 1% in 2022. As regards imports of natural gas, for this year a sharp decrease of almost a quarter is forecast, a trend that will be maintained until 2026. According to the National Institute of Statistics the import of natural gas registered a decrease of 16.5% last year.



    Air traffic – Air traffic for passengers in Romania increased in the first half of this year by over 26%, compared to the same period of last year. According to the National Institute of Statistics, from almost 9 million passengers in 2022, 2023 saw more than 11 million passengers. The largest flows were recorded at “Henri Coandă” Airport in Bucharest, “Avram Iancu” in Cluj-Napoca (north-west) and Iasi International Airport (north-east). In international passenger transport, most passengers disembarked in Romania took off from Luton airport in London, Bergamo in Milan and Ben Gurion in Tel Aviv. Most passengers from Romania boarded planes heading for London, Milan and Brussels. The passengers disembarked in Romania mainly came from such countries as Italy, Great Britain, Germany and Spain.



    Covid – The number of people sick with COVID-19 has increased at a “quite alarming” rate, warned the manager of the “Sfânta Parascheva” Infectious Diseases Hospital in Iasi (northeast). He said that this is due to the people’s crowing during the holidays and to the small number of tests for Covid. Wearing a protective mask remains the most effective method of prevention, according to physicians. They also recommend testing at the first signs of illness, avoiding crowded spaces, avoiding contact with infected people, washing hands and vaccination to avoid severe forms of the disease.



    Swimmer – The Romanian librarian Avram Iancu finished, on Friday, his swimming race on the Rhine, through which he wanted to support, in his own way, the importance of Romanias accession to the Schengen Area. A multi-sport athlete, he managed to cover the 1,032 kilometers of the river in 48 days, without a neoprene suit or other aids, making an effort that he described as titanic and unimaginable. In the summer of 2017, Avram Iancu became the first man in the world who managed to cross the Danube River using only the strength of his arms. (LS)

  • August 7, 2023

    August 7, 2023

    Spending. The government is this week planning
    to adopt an emergency order to cut public spending. The fifty measures
    envisaged include reducing the number of management and under-secretary positions,
    the merger of various institutions and eliminating holiday vouchers for some
    budget employees. According to estimates from the finance ministry, this would
    save the state budget more than 1.2 billion euros by the end of the year. The
    government is also planning an emergency order introducing a number of tax
    changes aimed at increasing budget revenues. Talks on the subject are still
    ongoing between the two parties in the ruling coalition, the Social Democratic
    Party and the National Liberal Party, amid criticism from the business
    community.








    Summit. Romania will continue to
    stand by Ukraine as long as it takes to win this war, said the presidential
    advisor and former foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu at the Ukraine peace talks
    in Saudi Arabia. Any future solution for peace must guarantee Ukraine’s security
    within its internationally recognised borders and the freedom to hold sovereign
    elections, free of interference, the Romanian official also said. According to
    the BBC, the summit’s final declaration only refers to the decision to hold
    further peace talks. The summit was attended by senior officials from dozens of
    countries, including Brazil, India, China and South Africa, with Russia not
    invited.










    Defence. The Romanian defence
    minister Angel Tîlvăr is today making an official visit to the Republic of
    Moldova following an invitation from his counterpart in Chişinău, Anatolie
    Nosatîi. According to the defence ministry in Bucharest, the agenda of talks
    features the stage of bilateral cooperation in the area of defence, as well as
    issues related to cooperation in a NATO and EU context and in the region, from
    a security perspective and amid the challenges arising from Russia’s war of
    aggression against Ukraine.






    Pensions. Romanian senators and
    deputies are to return to Parliament this week to again amend a bill adopted at
    the end of June on the special pensions enjoyed by a number of professional
    categories in Romania, such as magistrates, the military and the police. Prime
    minister Marcel Ciolacu said he summoned a special session of Parliament as a
    number of articles of the bill were declared unconstitutional last week.
    According to official figures, the number of special pensions is growing, with
    over 10,000 recorded in July, up from the previous month. The highest special
    pension amounted to around 4,300 euros. Romania has committed to reforming the
    special pensions system in order to receive the recovery and resilience funds
    allocated by the European Union.




    Bank. The board of the National Bank of Romania
    is meeting today to discuss issues of monetary policy. At last month’s meeting,
    it maintained the monetary policy interest rate at 7% a year and said it
    expected the inflation rate to drop over the coming months. On Friday, the
    ROBOR three-month index used to calculate variable interest rates in the national
    currency went up to 6.43% from 6.41%, according to data published by the
    National Bank.






    Travel. The Romanian foreign ministry has warned
    Romanian citizens currently in Norway or planning to travel there that the Norwegian
    authorities have issued a series of weather alerts until 10th
    August. Red and orange codes are in place warning of heavy rain, strong winds,
    flooding, landslides and fires. The storms that hit southern Norway are estimated
    to be the strongest in the last 25 years. (CM)

  • August 1, 2023 UPDATE

    August 1, 2023 UPDATE

    FOODSTUFFS The markup for 14 categories of
    foodstuffs is curbed for a limited period of three months under a
    government order passed in late June. Prices for dairy products, meat,
    vegetable and fruit are therefore expected to go down. Farmers will not have to
    set a cap on prices, government officials say. Failure to observe the new
    legislation will incur fines up to EUR 400,000.


    VEHICLES The local segment of the car
    scrapping programme Rablaˮ started in Romania, in an effort to get
    heavily polluting vehicles out of circulation. Apart from the funds provided by
    the Environment Ministry, local authorities contribute 20% of the vouchers
    granted to citizens who de-register cars older than 15 years. In a first stage
    in April, town halls enrolled in this programme, and between August 1 and 31
    citizens may apply for the funds available in the programme. The number of
    beneficiaries for each administrative unit was set according to its population.
    The programme was originally scheduled for 2022, but it was postponed several
    times.


    3SI Bucharest will host a new summit of the
    Three Seas Initiative (3SI) on September 6, held under the high patronage of
    president Klaus Iohannis. The summit will be followed by a 3SI Business Forum.
    Attending will be Senate Speaker Nicolae Ciucă and Prime Minister Marcel
    Ciolacu. The 3SI brings together 12 EU member states from the Baltic, Black and
    Adriatic Seas – Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia,
    Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia. Political
    and economic support for Ukraine will rank high on the summit’s agenda.


    FORESTS The surface areas in Romania where forest
    clearing is banned will be increased approx. 10 fold, to nearly half of
    Romania’s forests, the environment minister Mircea Fechet announced at a press
    conference releasing the new draft Forestry Code for public consultation. The
    document will enable the government to take over the task of reforesting land
    that has been cleared and subsequently abandoned by its owners. Concurrently,
    the Criminal Code will also be amended, to include penalties of up to 5 years
    of imprisonment for false statements concerning the transport of wood. Vehicles
    that carry wood illegally will also be seized. An updated Forestry Code is
    necessary given the infringement procedure initiated by the European Commission
    against Romania for failure to meet its environment protection obligations. Critics
    warn however that the bill might have the exact opposite effect to the desired
    one.


    TENNIS Romania currently has 4 athletes among
    the WTA top 100 players. Sorana Cîrstea stays on the 32nd position
    and Irina Begu on 41st. Ana Bogdan has lost 8 places and currently
    ranks 47th. Simona Halep, who was provisionally suspended after
    testing positive for a prohibited substance at the US Open in 2022, dropped 2
    places, to 56. In the doubles ranking, Gabriela Ruse and Monica Niculescu keep
    their positions as 39th and 48th players in the world,
    respectively. (AMP)