October 7, 2024 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 07.10.2024, 19:48
Elections. 16 candidates were admitted to the race for the presidency of Romania. Mandatory documents must be submitted until October 10, when the list of competitors will become definitive. The first round of the presidential elections is scheduled for November 24, and the second for December 8. The presidential election campaign officially begins on October 25. More on this after the news.
State aid. The European Union announced on Monday that it approved a state aid scheme requested by Romania under which the government is to channel 500 million euros into investments in the local production of biofuel. The financing will be made through direct subsidy out of the EU Modernisation Fund and targets the production of advanced biofuels with a view to cutting greenhouse gas emissions. The aid, which can be granted by the end of 2025, will help step up the development of renewable energy and the fulfilment of the Union’s medium and energy objectives, the Commission also said.
Summit. Almost 800 professionals promoting the preservation of cultural heritage from Europe and Romania as well as officials gathered in Bucharest for the European Cultural Heritage Summit 2024, an event organised, between October 6 and 8, by Europa Nostra – the largest and most representative heritage network in Europe. The agenda of talks covers public policy priorities at the European level, as well as in the relationship with the Romanian authorities. Specialists in the field celebrate the best built heritage conservation projects that won the Europa Nostra competition. Among them are two projects from Romania – The Saxon Church in Alma Vii (center) and the Church of Saint Michael in Cluj-Napoca (north-west).
Tribute. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, On Monday paid tribute to the victims of the terrorist attack committed one year ago by the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas in southern Israel and reiterated the EU’s call for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the unconditional release of all hostages. The attack committed by Hamas “caused immense suffering not only to the people of Israel, but also to the innocent Palestinians”, said von der Leyen, who promised humanitarian and financial assistance for the Palestinian people and Lebanon. Bucharest hosted a ceremony on Monday to commemorate the victims of the Hamas attack one year ago. The Romanian foreign ministry and government again called for an immediate ceasefire and the foreign ministry said in a statement that Romania never stopped calling over the past year for the immediate release of the hostages held in Gaza, constantly reiterating the need to protect civilians. On October 7, 2023, Hamas commandos entered southern Israel, where they killed over 1,200 people and kidnapped some 250. The Israeli Defence Forces retaliated with an intense bombing campaign, followed by a complex ground operation against Hamas positions in the Gaza Strip.
