January 25, 2023 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 25.01.2023, 19:42

GRECO — According to a follow-up report made public Wednesday by the Group of States against Corruption of the Council of Europe (GRECO) Romanias current level of compliance with the recommendations regarding anti-corruption measures in respect of parliamentarians, judges and prosecutors is satisfactory. However, according to the GRECO report, theres still work to be done, as the transparency of the parliamentary process needs further improvements, and the use of urgent procedures should be reduced. Also, “the adoption of the new Law on the Status of Judges and Prosecutors, the new Law on Judicial Organisation and the new Law on the Superior Council of Magistracy are important steps forward, which need to be followed by a number of implementing measures,” the report also reads.

DRILL — Around 600 French troops and 200 vehicles, part of the Battle Group dispatched in Romania after Ukraine’s invasion by Russia on Wednesday conducted a military drill at a training range near Romania’s eastern town of Smardan. The drill involved some military vehicles, including four French Leclerc battle tanks. The purpose of the military exercise was to test NATO readiness on its eastern flank amid Russia’s war in the neighboring Ukraine.

CARS — The Dacia-Renault plant in Mioveni, southern Romania, has started the series production of its first hybrid Jogger car, with an autonomy of over 900 km. More than 80 thousand vehicles have been produced in the classic versions, of which over 90% have been exported to Western Europe. The first car from the new range will be delivered to a customer in Romania.

SUPPORT – Romania will continue to support Ukraine, said foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu at a meeting by videoconference of G7 foreign ministers held on Tuesday. The meeting was co-chaired by the US and Japanese top diplomats and focused on assessing the situation of Ukraines critical infrastructure and the stage of the support granted to Ukraine by the international community to help it manage the consequences of the Russian attacks. This format of the G7 meeting was launched in Bucharest in November on the sidelines of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

TENNIS – The Romanian-Ukrainian pair Gabriela Ruse and Marta Kostyuk on Wednesday reached the womens doubles semifinals at the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year. Ruse and Kostyuk defeated the pair seeded fourth, Storm Hunter of Australia and Elise Mertens of Belgium, in three sets, 7-6, 2-6, 6-4. They will next be facing the all-Czech pair Barbora Krejcikova and Katerina Siniakova in the semis. (EE)