May 18, 2023 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 18.05.2023, 20:00

FORUM The world has changed and everything in the area of security
has been rewritten and must be revised in our Black Sea region, where a large
part of the components of Russia’s large scale war of aggression in Ukraine are
taking place, said Romanian prime minister Nicolae Ciucă in Bucharest at the
7th edition of the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum. Ciucă went on to say
that the region must cope with a long and high-intensity war that is exhausting
the resources of both the country in conflict and those of the countries of
Europe. The two-day forum hosts over 40 sessions. Attending are top civilian
and military officials, diplomats and experts from the European Union and NATO,
as well as partner states. The themes discussed include support for the
European integration of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, the reconstruction
of Ukraine and the European security architecture after the war, as well as the
food crisis caused by Russia’s invasion, security energy in Europe, the
security of the Western Balkans and cyber resilience.

FLOODING Prime minister Nicolae Ciucă said the Romanian authorities
are ready to provide assistance with rescue operations following the floods in
Italy. The region of Emilia Romagna in the north of Italy is on high alert as a
result of heavy rain that caused massive floods and left victims. According to
Radio Romania’s correspondent, thousands of people have already been evacuated,
but several tens of thousands are still stranded in areas that have been left
without electricity. Some trains are still stationary, traffic is disrupted and
sections of the motorway are closed.

AGREEMENT The government of Romania and of the UK Thursday
signed a joint action plan in Bucharest on fighting human trafficking. The
document is part of the vision and strategy that Bucharest has embraced for the
past 2 years to turn Romania into a country hostile to people traffickers but
safe and friendly to the victims of this phenomenon, reads a news release
issued by the Romanian government. Signing the document also proves our
government’s concern and care for its more vulnerable citizens, those more
exposed to the risks of human trafficking, who live either in Romania or in one
of the largest Romanian diaspora communities, namely in the UK. It is absolutely vital for us to keep our
firm commitment of fighting this scourge and our capacity and willingness to
tackle this issue on all three key levels-prevention, combating and victim
protection. (…) My message is quite clear: trafficking in human beings is a
form of crime for which the government of Romania has zero tolerance, PM
Nicolae Ciucă said.

WB In order to solve external imbalances, Romania
needs a mix of fiscal consolidation and structural reforms, reads a World Bank
analysis. Political measures aimed at improving its fiscal situation include
broadening taxable revenues, improving tax compliance, introducing critical
reforms in public pensions and salaries and cutting inefficient expenditure. A
consolidation of public investment management would help release significant EU
funding and would improve critical sectors lagging behind in Romania, such as
the public education and healthcare, reforming state-owned enterprises, or
infrastructure. In turn, the latter would contribute to improved productivity
and competitiveness, with a positive impact on Romania’s foreign position. Romania’s
external imbalances have deepened lately. Since 2018, the country has seen
deepening fiscal and current account deficits, jointly with an expansionary
fiscal policy. The two major external shocks, the Covid-19 pandemic and the war
in Ukraine, have strengthened these imbalances. (AMP)