April 18, 2023

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 18.04.2023, 13:47

Visit. Romanian president Klaus Iohannis today begins an official visit
to Brazil as part of a Latin American tour that will also take him to Chile and
Argentina. The aim of the trip is to relaunch high-level dialogue with these
states and to present Romania’s position, as a member of the European Union and
NATO, on the war begun by Russia in the neighbouring Ukraine. The visit to
Brazil is the first at this level in the last 23 years. Iohannis will have
talks with his counterpart Luiz
Inácio Lula da Silva about the stage and prospects of bilateral relations and
topical issues on the regional and international agenda. The main purpose of
the visit is to instil more dynamism into the relationship with Brazil,
Romania’s biggest trading partner in Latin America, with the two presidents
expected to adopt a joint declaration in this respect. In the document, the two
countries will commit to boost bilateral relations by means of enhanced
political dialogue and more dynamic cooperation in areas such as trade,
investments, industry, research and scientific innovation, cyber security,
digitalisation, climate change, sustainable agriculture, education and culture.

Motion. Romanian deputies are today
debating a simple no-confidence motion submitted by the opposition against
agriculture minister Petre Daea, with a vote expected tomorrow. The Save
Romania Union and the Force of the Right Party call for the minister’s
dismissal, saying he is unprepared, overwhelmed by the problems of the
agriculture sector and responsible for Romania missing out on European funding
for the farmers affected by cheaper imports from Ukraine. Daea says more money
is expected from the European Commission apart from the 10 million euros
Romania has already received as compensation. At the end of March, Poland,
Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria asked for additional assistance to
support local farmers who suffered losses. In the meantime, Poland and Hungary
have decided to ban grain imports from Ukraine, a move the European Commission
considers unacceptable. Slovakia’s government also moved to halt imports of a
number of agricultural products from Ukraine, and Bulgaria complains its
farmers are faced with major difficulties as their prices cannot compete with
the lower prices of grain from Ukraine, who was exempt from taxes by the
European Union in the wake of the Russian invasion.

Cuts. The Romanian government is this
week analysing the proposals of ministries to cut budget expenses, at the
request of prime minister Nicolae Ciucă as a result of the budget deficit exceeding
the forecast level. Cuts are expected on goods and services, travel and acquisitions,
with the prime minister emphasising there will be no cuts in salaries and
investments. According to finance minister Adrian Câciu, the finance ministry
is also working on a package of measures that may include a ban on receiving
both a state pension and salary at the same time or on freezing salaries and
new employment in the public sector. He said the collection of budget revenues
should also be improved.

Investigation. The European Union is
looking into whether the support measures granted by the Romanian government in
favour of the airline Blue Air is in line with EU state aid rules, the European
Commission has announced. Blue Air received assistance from the Romanian
authorities in 2020 to overcome the difficulties caused by the Covid pandemic.
Since November 2022, the company has not been operating because the Romanian
authorities temporarily suspended its operating licence due to its financial
situation. Instead of trying to recover the assistance granted and to
restructure the company, the Romanian state continued to help Blue Air, even
paying its debts and taking over 75% of its shares, which prompted the Commission
to launch an in-depth investigation.

Sports. On the second day of the
European Wrestling Championships in Zagreb, Romania’s Ştefan Ionuţ Coman is
today competing for a bronze medal in the freestyle 65 kg category. 17 Romanian
wrestlers are competing in Zagreb. At the 2022 edition hosted by Budapest,
Romania won four medals, with Andreea Ana winning a gold, Nicu Ojog winning a
silver and Alina Vuc and Kriszta Incze winning a bronze medal each. Romanian
athletes are also taking part these days in the European Weightlifting
Championships under way in the Armenian capital Yerevan until the 23rd
April. They have already won 11 medals, including six gold. (CM)