February 29, 2024
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 29.02.2024, 13:55
Transnistria – The Speaker of the Romanian Senate, Nicolae Ciucă, this morning had a meeting in Bucharest with the Deputy Prime Minister for Reintegration of the neighboring Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian speaking population), Oleg Serebrian. On the eve, he had declared that the pro-Russian separatist region of Transnistria, in the east of the republic, benefits from the policies promoted by the pro-Western government in Chișinău for peace, security and economic integration with the European Union, advantageous for all citizens. Previously, the so-called congress of deputies from Tiraspol adopted a resolution in which it addresses the Russian Parliament, asking it to take the necessary measures to protect Transnistria, in the context of the amplification of what the signatories called the pressure from the Republic of Moldova. The Russian Foreign Ministry claims that for Moscow it is a “priority to protect” the inhabitants of Transnistria. Russia will “carefully examine” Tiraspol’s request – the Russian Foreign Ministry stated, without providing more details. The United States firmly supports the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Moldova within its internationally recognized borders – said, in response, the spokesperson for the State Department, Matthew Miller. Transnistria de facto went out of the control of the central authorities after an armed conflict that resulted in hundreds of deaths and which ended following the intervention of Moscow’s troops on the side of the secessionist rebels in 1992, less than a year after Chișinău proclaimed its independence. The former Russian president, Boris Yeltsin, pledged to withdraw troops from Transnistria since the OSCE summit in Istanbul in 1999. About 1,500 soldiers and important Russian arsenals are said to still be there. According to analysts, the break-away region of Transnistria inaugurated the scenario for the subsequent separation, also with Russian support, of South Ossetia and Abkhazia from Georgia and Donbass from Ukraine.
Jobs – 1,200 young and adult Ukrainian refugees, asylum seekers in neighboring Romania, as well as Romanians from vulnerable categories will be helped to find a job, to be independent from an economic and social point of view. The “World Vision Romania” foundation is launching a project through which people will be advised, will learn the Romanian language, receive support for equating their studies, benefit from grants to support entrepreneurial initiatives and support vouchers to stimulate integration on the labor market. Almost 160,000 Ukrainians requested a form of legal protection from the Romanian state, and at the beginning of the month there were almost 80,000 in the country. Half of them say that they want to get a job or open a business in Romania.
Awards – 51 Romanian journalists, who have participated in missions in conflict zones in the last two years, are receiving awards today at the gala for excellence in journalism. The event, organized by the National Audiovisual Council at the National Theater in Bucharest, is part of the Council of Europe’s campaign aimed at promoting the protection and safety of media professionals. The journalists attending the gala will talk, on this occasion, about their experiences as war correspondents in Ukraine, neighboring Romania, and in Israel.
Elections – The first round of the presidential election in Romania will take place on September 15, and the second, if necessary, on September 29. The leaders of the governing coalition (PSD and PNL) also decided that the European Parliament elections will take place together with the local ones, on June 9, and the general ones, for the Romanian Parliament, on December 8. Initially, the social democrats and liberals wanted to organize the European Parliament elections during two days for the Romanians abroad, but they gave up this option. Such a measure would have violated the constitutional right of Romanians inside the country, who would have had only one day to vote.
February 29 – About 12,000 Romanians are celebrating their birthday today. Those born on February 29, i.e. in a leap year, can celebrate their birthday only once every four years. Leap years are important because they help synchronize the calendar year with the astronomical year. The Earth takes about 365.24 days to revolve around the Sun. Because of this extra time of 0.24 days, it is necessary to add February 29 every four years. For the first time, the extra day began being added to the Julian calendar in 46 BC, by the Roman emperor Julius Caesar, on the advice of an astronomer. Mathematically speaking, the chances of a person being born on February 29 are 1 in 1,461. Worldwide, more than four million people celebrate their birthday on February 29.
Electronic cigarettes – The Romanian Chamber of Deputies adopted the draft law that prohibits the sale of electronic cigarettes to minors, after it had previously been passed by the Senate. Also, products containing tobacco, electronic cigarettes and refill bottles for electronic cigarettes can no longer be sold through vending machines. Selling via easy-box-type devices is also prohibited. The project introduces sanctions of up to 100,000 lei (20,000 Euros). Romania is one of the first countries in the EU to prohibit the sale to minors of all products with nicotine, as well as of electronic cigarettes without nicotine. Parliament has also recently passed a ban on selling energy drinks to under-18s. (LS)
