June 2, 2023 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 02.06.2023, 19:45

King. The British monarch
King Charles III was received with military honours by Romanian president Klaus
Iohannis at the Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest on Friday. On behalf of all
Romanians, I convey to Your Majesty our appreciation and gratitude for the
genuine contribution in protecting and celebrating the values which are a core
part of our national identity: nature, our country’s rural landscape and our
rich cultural heritage, president Iohannis told King Charles. I’ve come to love Romania: your culture and art,
your heritage and history, your sweeping landscapes and priceless
biodiversity, said the British monarch. He spoke about Romania’s pristine
forests and rural landscapes and sustainable farming methods. He also spoke
about his Romanian friends and how Ukrainian refugees were welcomed here. The
British ambassador to Romania Andrew Noble earlier told AGERPRES news agency
that the king’s visit to Romania was private and that the meeting with
president Iohannis was a gesture of courtesy. This is the first time that a
British monarch visits Romania. King Charles III was crowned on 6th
May, having become king in September last year after the passing of his mother,
Queen Elizabeth II. As heir to the throne, Charles visited Romania a number of
times, the first time in 1998 and said he was an admirer of this country. He
became involved in the conservation of Romanian cultural heritage, purchasing
and restoring old rural houses, which he saved from destruction. In 2017, the
president of Romania awarded Charles the Star of Romania National Order in rank
of Grand Cross.

Strike.
The Romanian Education Minister, Ligia Deca, emphasised, on Friday, that all
salaries in the education system will increase. She said that, through an
emergency order, a gross sum of about 200 euros per month will be guaranteed to
the teaching and auxiliary teaching staff and about 80 euros per month for the
non-teaching staff. On Thursday, after another round of negotiations with the
government, union leaders announced that the all-out strike in the Romanian education
system would continue. They again rejected the increases proposed by the
Government, increases transposed in an emergency ordinance adopted on the same
day. President Klaus Iohannis, who said he was willing to broker a political
agreement aimed at ending the strike, believes that the government has given
the education system employees everything they asked for and that they no
longer have reasons to protest.

Moldova. On
June 1, the Republic of Moldova hosted the second summit of the European
Political Community. The meeting was attended by 48 heads of state and
government, who discussed security and peace, the development of economic and
social infrastructure in Europe and resilience in the face of the threats
caused by the war in Ukraine. At the same time, the European officials
reiterated their support for the Republic of Moldova in meeting the commitments
made as a candidate state for EU accession. The European Political Community is
a new political coordination platform aimed at promoting political dialogue and
cooperation to address issues of common interest and at strengthening the
security, stability and prosperity of the European continent. The idea of ​​the
initiative of a European political community belongs to the French President
Emmanuel Macron, who, on May 9, 2022, presented this project to the European
Parliament, in Strasbourg, during the debates on the launch of Ukraine’s
accession process. Five months later, the first summit of the European
Political Community took place in Prague.

Bridges. Three bridges over the river
Prut will be rehabilitated after the Moldovan government approved a bilateral
agreement with Romania in this respect. Works are to be finalised by 2027 and
the costs, amounting to around 40 million euros, will be covered by Romania.
The Moldovan government will cover the cost of access infrastructure and the
equipping of the three customs offices. The bridges were built between 1958 and
1964, but they are all in need in rehabilitation work.

Gardens. The European programme Meetings in the
Gardens that has now reached the 20th edition and which is
organised by the French Ministry of Culture and coordinated, in Romania, by the
National Heritage Institute, is taking place between June 2 and 4. The
initiative aims to capitalise on the cultural and natural assets of each
country and takes place in more than 2,300 parks and gardens across Europe. (CM)