ACCIDENTS – The number of road traffic deaths has increased across the European Union for the 2nd consecutive year, after falling during the pandemic. In 2022, over 20,500 deaths were registered, a 4% increase compared to 2021. The European average is 46 deaths per 1 million inhabitants. The safest roads are in Sweden, where there were 22 deaths per million inhabitants, 26 in Denmark and 31 in Ireland. At the opposite pole is Romania, which registered 86 deaths per 1 million inhabitants, followed by Bulgaria, 78 and Croatia, 71
INDUSTRY- Industrial output in Romania decreased in the first two months of the year by almost 2%, compared to the similar period in 2023, according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). The production and supply sectors of electricity and heat, gas and the extractive industry have been the most affected. Also according to INS data, the average net salary rose to 4,876 lei in February, an increase of 17 lei compared to the previous month. The smallest salaries are in the field of textile manufacturing – approximately 2,700 lei, and the biggest, in IT, of over 11,000 lei.
SEA SHIELD – The Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, on Thursday attended the multinational exercise ‘Sea Shield 24’, organized by the Romanian Naval Forces. More than 2,200 soldiers and 135 maritime and river vessels, aircraft and vehicles are participating, until April 21, in the training on the Black Sea, in the coastal area, as well as in the Danube Delta. Soldiers from Bulgaria, France, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Great Britain, the Republic of Moldova, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Turkey and the USA are participating in the exercise. The training consists of missions to combat illegal activities at sea and river, maritime and river control, search and rescue at sea, providing assistance to a ship in difficulty and ensuring security at the level of critical infrastructure. ‘Sea Shield 24’ is the most complex event conducted by the Romanian Naval Forces in 2024 and contributes to the promotion of Romania’s initiatives and interests at the regional and international levels, as well as to increasing the level of interoperability between the participating forces.
SUMMIT – The Summit of the Leaders of the World Congress of Ukrainians, organized by the Union of Ukrainians in Romania in partnership with the World Congress of Ukrainians, has been taking place at the Parliament Palace in Bucharest, starting on Friday. The event runs until April 15. Important for the Ukrainian diaspora, the meeting aims at establishing the major directions and priorities for the next years of the World Congress of Ukrainians, in the context of unprecedented new challenges for the Ukrainian people. The organizers also write, in a communiqué, that they are discussing the continuation of support for Ukraine – humanitarian, political, military, financial and educational – which is extremely necessary in the context of the war started by Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022. The event is being attended, among others, by officials and diplomats from Romania and Ukraine, representatives of Ukrainian organizations from over 70 countries, personalities of the academia and members of the Ukrainian community in Romania.
ELECTIONS – In Romania, 15 parties and electoral or political alliances and seven independents have registered their candidacies for the European Parliament elections at the Central Electoral Bureau within the term stipulated by law. Among them are the Social Democratic Party (PSD) – National Liberal Party (PNL) electoral alliance (made up of the governing parties), the United Right Alliance made up of the Save Romania Union (USR) – the People’s Movement Party (PMP) – The Force of the Right, the Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR, the S.O.S. Romania and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR. The deadline for submitting the lists of candidates for the European Parliament elections and their files was April 10. The European Parliament elections will take place on June 9, together with the local ones.
ATHENAEUM – The Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest on Friday hosted the opening of the photo exhibition “Festival tales”, an artistic initiative which promotes the ‘George Enescu’ International Festival from a new perspective. Therefore, by means of 48 photographs, visitors are invited on a visual foray into one of the most appreciated classical music festivals in the world. The festival was initiated in 1958 in memory of the great Romanian composer and violinist George Enescu and is held once every two years. In time, the Festival, hosted mainly by the Romanian Athenaeum and the Radio Hall, was attended by prestigious orchestras and musicians from all over the world. The next edition of the festival is scheduled in 2025. (EE)