March 28, 2023 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 28.03.2023, 20:00

VISIT The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, received the
PM of Poland Mateusz Morawiecki in Bucharest on Tuesday. Klaus Iohannis said
Poland was a close and long-standing friend, a key strategic partner and a
reliable ally for Romania. We are connected by sound shared strategic and
security interests, which are further consolidated by today’s rather tense
regional security context, the Romanian official said. Mr. Iohannis added that
the 2 countries will maintain their unequivocal support for Ukraine for as long
as necessary, and will boost their support for the most vulnerable and most
severely affected partners in the region, especially the Republic of Moldova.
In turn, PM Morawiecki said Romania and Poland were the pillars of the
North-Atlantic Alliance in this part of Europe and highlighted the Allies’
willingness to reinforce it through improved military cooperation. Previously,
the PM of Romania Nicolae Ciuca had a meeting with his Polish counterpart, and
together they attended the Romania-Poland Economic Forum organised by the
Romanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Mr. Ciuca said bilateral trade had
increased by 20% in 2022 compared to the previous year, reaching EUR 11bln.

MOLDOVA The EU will
prepare a support package for the Rep. Moldova before summer, the president of
the European Council Charles Michel said in Chişinău on Tuesday, at a joint
press conference together with Moldova’s president Maia Sandu. Chişinău has a
lot of strong friends in Brussels, who want the Republic of Moldova to become a
part of the EU family as soon as possible, Charles Michel also said, and added
that this is a historic opportunity for Moldova and for its people. In turn, president
Maia Sandu emphasised the importance of Moldova’s EU integration. European
integration is the only path that ensures the survival of Moldova, its becoming
a free and prosperous country. It is the only chance for its citizens to live
in peace at home. We must withstand the hybrid attacks targeting our determination
to be part of the free world, Maia Sandu said.

DEFENCE The Romanian
state secretary for defence policy, planning and international relations,
Simona Cojocaru, is on an official visit to India until March 31, at the
invitation of defence secretary Giridhar Aramane. According to the Romanian
defence ministry, the two parties Tuesday signed an inter-governmental defence
cooperation agreement. The document creates the framework for the development
and consolidation of bilateral relations, through enhanced cooperation. The
Romanian defence ministry also notes that it is for the first time in the
history of the 2 countries’ bilateral relations that a cooperation agreement in
this sector has been signed.

PENSIONS The Senate’s
specialist committees Tuesday issued a positive report on the bill on special
pensions. The amendments tabled by the ruling coalition made up of the Social
Democratic Party, National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic
Hungarians in Romania were passed, although USR in opposition voted against and
AUR party’s MPs abstained from voting. One of the changes accepted by the
committees was that beneficiaries of multiple special pensions must choose only
one of them within 30 days after the law takes effect. Other provisions in the
bill are that pension benefits will be adjusted to inflation on a yearly basis,
and that special pensions cannot be higher than the salary received while in
office. As of Wednesday the bill will be discussed in plenary session by the
Senate, the first parliamentary chamber to vote on it. (AMP)