April 11, 2023

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 11.04.2023, 13:55

Defence.
Romania continues to act firmly, united and efficiently alongside its allies
and partners to promote security and stability in the Black Sea region, an area
of strategic importance for Euro-Atlantic security. The announcement was made
by president Klaus Iohannis in a statement released after a meeting of the
Country’s Supreme Defence Council which he chaired today in Bucharest. The
fundamental aspect remains national security and supporting Ukraine and the
Republic of Moldova contributes directly to the consolidation of Romania’s
security, the statement also writes. Maintaining a consistent and
multidimensional support for the neighbouring Ukraine, as part of NATO and the
European Union, is of critical importance for ensuring the success of efforts
to defend this state. The meeting also analysed the development of Romania’s
air force. According to the statement, the modernisation of the air force will
continue with the purchase of latest generation F-35 aircraft. The achievement
of robust, credible, interoperable, flexible and efficient air defence
operational capabilities aimed both at fulfilling the commitments deriving from
the NATO and EU membership and at discouraging possible aggression, is an
essential condition for fulfilling Romania’s defence policy objectives, the
statement also reads.

Finance.
Finance minister Adrian Câciu is
invited by the Chamber of Deputies today to explain the situation of budget
revenues. The political debate was requested by the parliamentary group of the
Save Romania Union, in opposition, and is entitled The disaster of budget
revenues in the first three months of the year. The worrying situation of the
budget deficit. The representatives of the Save Romania Union asked the ruling
Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party that if they reached the
conclusion to reduce state expenses, then they should start with reducing special
pensions, which are costing Romanians more and more each month. They say that
in the first two months of the year, the state budget spent around 454 million
euros on special pensions, which accounts for a 13% increase compared with the
same period last year.

Moldova. The president of the Republic of
Moldova Maia Sandu last night called on the Moldovan people to show their
support for their country’s accession to the European Union by taking part on
21st May in a national assembly in the centre of the capital
Chișinău entitled European Moldova. She made this appeal in the context of
Russia’s attempts to destabilise the country in recent months, from state protests
paid by Moscow’s supporters to attempts to overthrow the republic’s
pro-European government.

Schools.
The Romanian education ministry and the General Child Protection Directorate are
working together on a procedure to allow for a quick solution of cases of
violence in schools, which, according to the authorities, have increased
post-pandemic. Education minister Ligia Deca said the ministry is also looking
into the possibility to introduce metal detectors when entering schools,
although she personally believes this measure does not solve the causes of violence.
Education trade unions are planning to submit a bill in Parliament to
discourage violence in schools. The proposal comes amid grave incidents that recently
took place in Romanian schools and which involved physical aggression against
or the humiliation of teachers. (CM)