December 3, 2023

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 03.12.2023, 13:53

Solar energy.
Romania’s entering the International Solar Alliance shows its firm commitment
to become carbon neutral and use renewable energy sources, said president Klaus
Iohannis in Dubai. He added that Romania aims to expand its solar energy
production capacity and improve national access to solar electricity at
affordable prices. By 2030, Romania aims to surpass 6 gigawatts of installed
solar energy capacity, accounting for 24% of its end consumption of electricity
from renewable sources, the president explained. He went on to say that
Romania’s commitment to boost its installed solar energy capacity is fully
aligned with the EU solar energy strategy and will contribute to the
implementation of the Paris Agreement. Iohannis recalled that by September
2023, almost 97,000 Romanian users had installed over 1.2 gigawatts of
distributed energy sources interconnected to the electric grid, the majority
relying on photovoltaic solar technology. At the climate summit on Saturday,
the Romanian president said his country was firmly committed to step up
measures to mitigate the effects of climate change through a combination of
renewable sources and nuclear energy.

Visit.
Romanian prime minister Marcel Ciolacu begins a working visit to Washington DC
and New York. He will have talks with the American partners about advancing joint
economic projects, boosting American investments and consolidating political
and security support. Ciolacu is accompanied by the ministers of defence,
foreign affairs and the economy. On the first day of his visit, on Sunday, he
is scheduled to visit the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington and later
meet representatives of the Romanian community in the Washington, Virginia and
Maryland areas. On Monday, he will lay flowers at the National Arlington
Cemetery before meeting US defense secretary Lloyd Austin and US secretary of
state Antony Blinken. On Tuesday, Ciolacu will meet representatives from Lockheed
Martin and members of the House of Representatives and the Senate. On Wednesday
in New York, the Romanian prime minister will meet the president of the World Jewish
Congress Ronald S. Lauder, the UN secretary general Antonio Guterres and the
president of the UN General Assembly Dennis Frances.

Middle
East. The Israel Defence Forces on Friday night continued to strike terrorist
targets in the Gaza Strip and recommended the evacuation of six districts in
the southern city of Khan Yunis. The sirens also sounded in Tel Aviv on
Saturday night, and explosions were heard in the centre, in the first missile
attacks since the end of the ceasefire on Friday. Israeli prime minister Benjamin
Netanyahu said the would continue the war in spite of increasing international
pressure for a ceasefire amidst the worsening humanitarian situation in Gaza. He
also said he would not allow the Palestinian National Authority, which governs
over some parts of the West Bank, to take over control in Gaza if Israel succeeds
in ousting Hamas, a position which is opposed to that of US president Joe Biden
and other key international players, press agencies have noted.

Train. The first electric train
purchased by the Romanian authorities in the last 20 years was delivered on
Saturday. Bought with European funds, the high-speed train will enter into
circulation by the end of the year. It is the first delivery of a total order
of 37 electric trains purchased by Romania using European funds. The
operational programme Infrastructure, under which the funds were disbursed,
ends on 31st December this year, and putting the train in
circulation was a crucial condition for receiving the funding.

Football.
Following a draw hosted by Hamburg on Saturday Romania will play in Group E at
the European Football Championship in Germany, alongside Belgium, Slovakia and
the winner of the playoff winner B, either Bosnia and Herzegovina, Israel or
Iceland. The competition will be held between 14th of June and 14th
of July 2024. Romania will play for the sixth time at the European Football
Championship, after 1984, 1996, 2000, 2008 and 2016, their best result being
the quarterfinals in 2000. In the preliminary campaign for Euro 2024, Romania
won Group I without losing a match. (CM)