May 25, 2022 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 25.05.2022, 19:21
Withdrawal. The Romanian Government has approved the bills on Romanias withdrawal from two banks with Russian capital: the International Bank for Economic Cooperation and the International Investment Bank, the Finance Minister Adrian Caciu has announced. He has also stated that the withdrawal negotiations will start soon, in parallel with Parliaments debates on the two bills. Both banks were set up in Moscow in 1963 and 1970, respectively, through international conventions, at a time when Romania, turned by force into a communist country after WW2, was one of the Soviet Unions satellites. Other former USSR satellites, such as Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Bulgaria, who are now part of the EU and NATO, will also withdraw from the International Bank for Economic Cooperation.
Aid. The Bucharest Government on Wednesday endorsed a draft order on granting the neighboring Moldova free humanitarian aid for a smooth running of its energy system. The aid consists in petrol, diesel and fuel oil worth around 4 million euros. Romania will also grant Ukraine humanitarian aid consisting in food and basic products, petrol and diesel fuel worth 2 million euros and will cover the cost of the transport.
Agreement. The National Gas Transmission Company Transgaz has signed a roadmap agreement with the Three Seas Initiative Investment Fund, a dedicated commercial fund targeting infrastructure investments in Central and Eastern Europe, to collaborate on the construction of planned greenfield gas infrastructure in Romania. According to a release by Transgaz, the roadmap agreement acknowledges the strategic and economic importance of investment in Romanias natural gas pipeline infrastructure, which is expected to drive economic development in the region, while also supporting European energy security and the energy transition in the Three Seas region.
Visit. The heir to the British throne, Prince Charles, was received on Wednesday in Bucharest by President Klaus Iohannis. The talks focused, among other things, on bilateral relations and the Romanian-British Strategic Partnership, Romanias assistance to Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees, as well as solutions to limit the effects of climate change and to preserve biodiversity. The British guest also met with Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca and the custodian of the Romanian Crown, Princess Margaret. He also visited a Ukrainian refugee center. Prince Charles has been visiting Romania for over 20 years now and is a great promoter of the unique heritage and biodiversity of its rural areas. He has also developed support programs for small farmers and a special program in support of wounded Romanian soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq. This is the Prince of Wales s first visit to Romania in three years due to the pandemic.
Protest. Three representative trade unions in education protested in Bucharest on Wednesday because the government has not yet enforced the payroll law, two years after the legally stipulated deadline. The unionists say that many schools are facing an acute shortage of non-teaching staff. Moreover, some teachers and union members say, this category of staff still does not benefit from the bonuses for working conditions. Also, despite working overtime due to the lack of staff, teachers are not paid for these extra hours. Employees from school clubs also took part in the protest. They are dissatisfied with the intention of the Ministry of Education to place these institutions, including the human resources, under the management of the local authorities.(MI)
