February 16, 2024 UPDATE
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news.
Newsroom and Daniel Bilț, 16.02.2024, 20:15
FUNDS Romania presently ranks second in the European Union in terms of European funds absorption through the 2014-2020 Cohesion Policy, the Romanian Minister of Investment and European Projects, Adrian Câciu has announced. Romania has so far received over 23 billion Euros it requested from the Commission for this financial exercise and has reached a percentage of 98%. According to Câciu, Romania is presently sending 600 million Euros worth of expense statements to the European Commission and another expense statement also of 600 million Euros is to be sent in March.
FILM Holy Week, a feature film directed by Romanian Andrei Cohn will be premiered at the Forum section of the International Film Festival in Berlin. The film is based on Ion Luca Caragiale’s short story ‘The Easter Torch’ and is starring actors Iulian Postelnicu, Bogdan Farcas and Mihaela Sarbu. The 74th edition of the Berlinale kicked off on Thursday night and for the first time the jury is being presided by a black person, the Mexican-Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong’o. At the present edition, the great US director Martin Scorsese is to get ‘The Golden Bear’ award for his entire career.
FORECAST The National Bank of Romania (BNR) revised down, to 4.7%, the inflation forecast for the end of this year, from 4.8% in November, and believes it will hit 3.5% at the end of 2025, according to data presented on Thursday by Central Bank governor, Mugur Isărescu. The Central Bank decided, at the same time, to keep the key interest rate at 7%.
CONFERENCE Romania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminiţa Odobescu, is participating in the International Security Conference in Munich, Germany, until Sunday. She will be presenting Romania’s assessment as regards current security threats, especially those in its neighborhood. Odobescu will highlight the deterioration of the security situation in the Black Sea region, caused by Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, and will encourage NATO allies to increase their presence in Romania, as part of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s response to the threats to the Euro-Atlantic security. At the same time, she will emphasise the importance of the 2024 NATO Summit for the Alliance’s adjustment to the growing number of threats to the security environment. Luminiţa Odobescu will reaffirm Romania’s support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and will emphasize the need to continue providing solid support to the Republic of Moldova in order to counter the pressures on its stability. The Minister of Defense, Angel Tîlvăr, and the Chief of the Defense Staff, Gheorghiţă Vlad, also participate in the security conference. The international conference in Munich represents one of the most prestigious security forums, which brings together important leaders and decision-makers in the field of security and defense.
