February 14, 2024

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Newsroom, 14.02.2024, 13:55

VISIT A Romanian
delegation headed by PM Marcel Ciolacu is on a visit to Rome as of today. The
main item on the agenda is the 3rd joint meeting of the 2 countries’
governments, held 13 years
after the previous inter-governmental summit. An economic forum will also be organised,
attended by business people from the 2 countries. PM Ciolacu has meetings today with
members of the Romanian community in Italy, and is to be received by His
Holiness Pope Francis at the Vatican. Also today, the Romanian official has
talks with the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri. On Thursday Marcel Ciolcacu
will have an official meeting with the PM of Italy, Georgia Meloni, followed by
joint press statements. Italy is home to the largest Romanian community abroad,
comprising more than 1.1 million citizens, and is Romania’s second-largest
trade partner, with exchanges accounting for approx. 9.5% of the country’s
foreign trade.

CYBER ATTACK Several hospitals in Romania, including
in Bucharest, have been targeted by a cyber-attack that encrypted data on their
servers, the National Cyber Security Directorate (DNSC) announced. Most of the
healthcare units affected by the incident had safety copies of their data.
According to the health ministry, exceptional security measures have been
implemented, with many units in the healthcare system disconnected from the
internet for further inquiries. The Directorate Investigating Organised Crime
and Terrorism Offences has started a criminal investigation.

FARMERS The European Commission has officially endorsed a regulation which
grants a one-year exemption from the rule requiring farmers to keep 4% of their
arable land fallow. The rule, designed to help improve environment
conditions, had sparked protests across the EU, including in Romania. In exchange, farmers
are now required to grow nitrogen fixing crops such as lentils or peas. The new
regulation is intended to give farmers more flexibility, while also protecting
biodiversity and land quality. The measure is to be applied for the year 2024. Member
States have 15 days to notify the Commission of the implementation option that they
choose out of the 2 alternatives available.

STUDENTS Romanian schoolchildren may
have free of charge access to museums, concerts, theatre and opera shows,
movies and other cultural and sports events organised by public institutions,
within approved budgets, under a new bill passed in the Senate and backed by
all parliamentary parties. In a society threatened by the absence of role
models, museums and other informal learning venues should be available to
students free of charge, and this facility is an investment in their
educational future, the bill authors argue. The draft law is to be forwarded to
the Chamber of Deputies for the decisive vote.

TRANSPORTS Special lanes for EU and third-country lorries will be
operational in several Romanian checkpoints as of this week, the public road
company has announced. This is one of the measures agreed on with the carriers
that have been protesting in Romania over the past month, and it is designed to
reduce waiting times at the border. Moreover, carriers will no longer be
charged additional fees for weight 5% over the accepted ceiling. A new round of
talks on separate flows for EU and non-EU lorries was held on Tuesday by the
transport ministry, the public road company and road transport operators.

INTERESTS The
National Bank of Romania has decided to keep the monetary policy interest rate
at 7% per year, the institution announced. The key interest rate has not been
changed since last January, when the National Bank decided to raise it from
6.75% to 7% per year. A balanced mix of macroeconomic policies and structural
reforms, including the use of EU funding to encourage the country’s growth
potential in the long run, are vital to maintaining macroeconomic stability and
to strengthening the Romanian economy’s capacity to withstand negative
developments, the institution said.

NATO Eighteen NATO member states will reach the 2% of GDP defence allocation
target in 2024, the NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg announced on
Wednesday, ahead of a meeting of NATO defence ministers. According to Reuters, he
also said that EU member states will invest a combined USD 380 bln in defence
this year. The decision to earmark at least 2% of GDP to defence dates back to
2006, but only some member states have reached this target. After Russia
invaded Ukraine in February 2022, NATO member countries reiterated this
commitment. Romania has channelled over 2% of its GDP for defence for several
years, and after the start of the war in Ukraine it has committed to invest
2.5% of GDP in Army equipment. (AMP)