February 14, 2025 UPDATE 1
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Newsroom, 14.02.2025, 18:43
IAEA – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) announced that during the night an explosion was heard followed by a fire at the new sarcophagus that protects the remains of reactor four of the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine. Fire security personnel responded in a few minutes and no casualties were reported. The radiation levels inside and outside remain normal and stable, the IAEA also reports. The Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced, in turn, that Russian drones hit the radiation protection shield at Chernobyl. According to the Ukrainian president, after a first assessment, it was found that the attack substantially damaged the shield. On the other hand, in Bucharest, the National Agency for Environmental Protection announced that the Chernobyl incident does not represent a danger for Romania. They have given assurances that they constantly monitor the evolution of environmental radioactivity at national level, and the values recorded after this event are within the usual limits, specific to this period.
Appointment – The interim president of Romania, Ilie Bolojan, appointed Cristian Diaconescu, a former foreign minister, to the position of presidential advisor for defense and security, who will also take over the coordination of the presidential chancellery. Also, Bogdan Mazuru will hold the position of presidential adviser for foreign policy, and Simona-Livia Maftei and Bianca-Teodora Firezar were appointed advisers to the interim president’s office. Bolojan declared that ensuring the economic, social and political stability of Romania is the top priority on his agenda during the three months of his mandate. In his first message after replacing the outgoing president Klaus Iohannis at the Cotroceni Palace, Bolojan promised that the presidential election in May will be fair and transparent.
Bank – The Board of Directors of the National Bank of Romania (BNR) decided on Friday to maintain the monetary policy interest rate at the level of 6.5% per year. Also, the BNR decided to maintain the interest rate for crediting facility at 7.50% per year and the interest rate for the deposit facility at 5.50% per year and to maintain the current levels of the minimum statutory reserve ratio for the liabilities in lei and in foreign currency of credit institutions. The central bank in Bucharest decided last year, twice, to lower the key interest rate, in July, from 7% per year to 6.75% per year, and in August to 6.5% per year. The key rate had been unchanged since January 2023.
