January 13, 2023 UPDATE
A news update
Newsroom, 13.01.2023, 20:00
Inflation – Romanias annual inflation rate dropped to 16.4% in December from 16.8% a month before against the background of the latest price hikes of more than 22% for food products of 14.95% for non-food products and of 9.78% for services, the national institute of statistics has announced. In November last year, the countrys central bank announced an inflation forecast of 16.3% for the end of last year and a 16.3% inflation rate for the end of 2023. The banks spokesman Dan Suciu announced yesterday that Romania was going to avoid recession, in spite of a lower economic growth than last year. According to him, a significant drop in the inflation rate has been forecast for the third quarter of the year and Romania is expected to have a one-digit inflation rate towards the end of 2023.
Humanitarian assistance – Romania was and will be a space of safety and tranquility for the waves of Ukrainian refugees, said the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, emphasizing that our country assumed from the first moment the role of a reliable European and international partner in the management of this crisis. He participated, on Friday, in Bucharest, in the presentation of the Report on Romanias efforts and achievements in the field of humanitarian assistance to refugees, childrens rights and other vulnerable categories for the year 2022. Ciucă showed that more than 3 million Ukrainian citizens crossed Romania’s borders in the last 12 months, of whom over 2.5 million benefited from direct support from the Romanian Government or from partners: free transport, food, clothing, shelter, long-term accommodation, emergency financial aid, tens of thousands of free medical and social interventions and services, access to the labor market and Romanian schools. At the same time, the Prime Minister reiterated that the fight against human trafficking remains a priority of him and of the Government and highlighted the efforts made regarding the rights of children and people with disabilities.
Culture Day — Culture personalities and institutions from Romania were decorated on the occasion of the National Culture Day, in a ceremony that took place at the Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest. In his address, President Klaus Iohannis spoke about the importance of consolidating and modernizing the institutions and mechanisms that contribute to the defense of the values that culture instills and develops in society. He welcomed the operationalization of funds from the National Recovery and Resilience Program targeting the field of culture and heritage. Romania’s National Culture Day, marked on January 15, the birth date of the poet Mihai Eminescu (1850 – 1889), is an occasion, this year as well, for the organization of numerous events all over the country, and also on the Internet. Several museums will offer free access on Sunday and extended visiting hours, and the Bucharest National Opera will host a special concert.
Frontex – The number of illegal entries into the EU increased, in 2022, by 64% compared to the previous year, reaching the highest level after 2016, the European border and coast guard agency, Frontex, announced on Friday, according to AFP. Last year, 330,000 illegal entries were registered, of which 45% were via the Western Balkans route. The number of Syrian citizens has doubled, reaching 94,000. On the Central Mediterranean route, the second most used, the number of border crossings exceeded 100,000, i.e. an increase of over 50%. On the other hand, almost 13 million Ukrainian refugees entered the EU, through the land borders, from Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova starting from February 24, when the war broke out, until the end of last year. This number was not included in the Frontex statistics on illegal entries into the EU. In the same period, ten million Ukrainian citizens are supposed to have left the EU through the same border sections. (LS)
