November 21, 2024
A roundup of news from Romania and the world
Newsroom, 21.11.2024, 13:55
Election – The first round of the presidential election takes place in Romania on November 24. The second round is scheduled for December 8, and legislative elections are held on December 1. There are 13 candidates in the race for president, 10 supported by parties and 3 independents. There are 14 names on the ballots, but one of the candidates withdrew in favor of another. The authorities opened 950 polling stations for Romanians outside the borders, a record number. They can vote, in the first round of the presidential election, on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
Tractors – Small Romanian farms that own old and polluting tractors will be able to buy new ones by applying to the “Tractors Scrap” program. The budget allocated to the project by the administration of the environmental fund is 500 million lei (the equivalent of about 100 million Euros). The registration of the companies from which farmers can purchase the tractors starts on Friday and can be done until November 28 at the latest. The vouchers acquired by farmers will cover between 65% and 80% of the purchase value, which should not exceed 55,000 Euros.
Tourism fair – The autumn 2024 edition of the Romanian Tourism Fair has opened today in Bucharest. Visitors have access to a wide range of promotional packages, exclusive discounts and holiday ideas for all tastes and budgets, the organizers say. More than 100 participating companies offer destinations from all over the world, and discounts on vacation packages during the fair are up to 50%. Among the participants are tour operators from Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Greece, Israel, Austria, Hungary, Egypt, Vietnam and Italy.
EC – The right-wing, centrist and social democratic parties in the European Parliament reached, on Wednesday evening, a political agreement to approve the new team of the European Commission. The Romanian Roxana Mînzatu will thus become Executive Vice-president for People, Skills and Preparedness in the European Commission led by Ursula von der Leyen. The European Parliament will give its final vote on the makeup of the new European Commission on November 27, in a plenary session in Strasbourg.
Moldova – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Luminiţa Odobescu, paid an official visit to the neighboring Republic of Moldova (with a majority Romanian-speaking population) on Wednesday, together with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, David Lammy. The two were received by the pro-Western President Maia Sandu and had trilateral consultations with the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Mihai Popşoi. The discussions focused on long-term support for the stability and resilience of the Republic, the reform agenda for the continuation of Chișinău’s European integration process and the regional security situation in the context of the continuation of Russia’s aggression on Ukraine. Minister Luminiţa Odobescu also participated in the inauguration ceremony of the new building of the Mihai Eminescu Theoretical High School in Comrat (south, with a majority population of Gagauz – ethnic Turks of the Christian-Orthodox denomination), built with funding granted by the Government of Romania and the Moldovan Education Ministry. She emphasized that the support for the education sector and for studying in the Romanian language represents investments in the European, democratic and prosperous future of the Republic of Moldova.
Resignation – Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, signed the decree acknowledging the resignation of Adrian Veștea from the position of Minister of Development and the termination of his mandate as a member of the Government. Veștea’s portfolio was taken over by the finance minister, Marcel Boloş. He stated that his objectives include, among other things, the access of communities to a stable and functional heating system ahead of the winter season, as well as the support of water, sewerage and road projects. (LS)
