July 23, 2024 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 23.07.2024, 20:00
DROUGHT – Against the background of the severe drought affecting Romania, water supply is restricted in about 450 cities, towns and villages, most of them in the eastern part of the country. Many farmers say that they have lost their crops, especially where irrigation is not possible. In trying to support those affected, the Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, had a first meeting on Monday with commercial banks representatives, whom he asked for solutions to cover rates and interests on loans for farmers facing drought. The affected area so far is almost 2 million hectares for corn and sunflower and 100,000 hectares for wheat and rapeseed. Water levels continue to drop.
MEETING – Romania is committed to implementing green transition in a pragmatic and viable way, an example for the region and the world, and that means using natural gas in the short- and medium-term, but also nuclear energy, Romania’s Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said on the sidelines of the Business Forum of the Partnership for Energy and Climate Trans-Atlantic Cooperation hosted by Bucharest. In turn, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu pointed out that only through energy security and competitiveness and by making energy available to the economy and the population can Romania take the next step towards fulfilling a key objective – obtaining clean, green energy. Romania will negotiate with the new European Commission a seven-year deal for meeting the 3% budget deficit target, the Romanian Prime Minister said, adding that Romania is currently in a “fast-track” development phase, highlighting the need for more investments.
SUPPORT – The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminiţa Odobescu, reiterated Romania’s support for neighboring Ukraine, invaded by Russian troops, and emphasized the need to speed up the European Union’s assistance to Kyiv, including military aid. On the sidelines of Monday’s meeting in Brussels with European counterparts, Minister Odobescu reaffirmed Romania’s support for the peace plan proposed by Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, which she believes is capable of guaranteeing sustainable peace, the observance of territorial integrity and the principles of the UN Charter.
REPRESENTATION – Only 6.5% of mayors are women and just 9% local councilwomen, according to data conducted by a local NGO, analyzing the results of the June 9 local election in Romania. The data, which has so far prompted no reactions from political parties, shows that politics remains an exclusive playground of men. At Parliament level, the situation is slightly better, although women representation stands at merely 18%. The NGO calls on parliamentary parties to unlock legislative initiatives to boost women representation to at least 30% and to block access to public funds for all parties that fail to meet this requirement.
CONCERT – The Orchestra and Choir of the Bucharest National Opera on Wednesday will perform a sacred music concert at the “Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael” Orthodox Cathedral in Paris. The Romanian Opera tour ends on July 25, at the Romanian Embassy in Paris, with another concert, marking the inauguration of the Romanian House at the Olympic Games. On Monday, Romanian artists performed in the gardens of the Versailles Palace, an event also held in the context of the Summer Olympics. According to Radio Romania’s Paris correspondent, the extraordinary concert entitled “Éthos Roumain” is a project financed by the Government of Romania, through the Department for Romanians Worldwide, in partnership with the Romanian Cultural Institute in Paris. The event aims to boost the visibility of Romanian culture and its promotion abroad, as well as to strengthen cultural ties between Romania and France. (EE & VP)
