May 12, 2023
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 12.05.2023, 14:11
AWARD — Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will receive the Franz Werfel Human Rights Award granted by the German Centre Against Expulsions, DPA reports. Aged 63 Iohannis will become the 11th winner of this award, granted to him for his tireless and multilateral commitment to defending human rights and minority rights in Romania and Europe. The award, granted every two years, comes along with a money prize of 10,000 euros. Among the previous laureates are former German president Joachim Gauck, the winner of Nobel prize in Literature, Herta Muller and historian Karl Schlögel. The prize will be awarded during a ceremony held on June 4 in Frankfurt, Germany, when a congratulatory speech will delivered by former European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker.
MEETING – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu is today attending in Stockholm, Sweden, an informal meeting of the foreign affairs ministers, hosted by the Swedish presidency of the EU Council. Ministers are expected to discuss Russia’s aggression, support to Ukraine and enhanced dialogue with third countries on the global consequences of Russia’s aggression. Also, they will have a strategic discussion on EU-China relations. An informal exchange of opinions will be held with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, Bogdan Aurescu will reaffirm the need to further support Ukraine on multiple levels and to ensure the coherence of the support granted to this country at EU and NATO levels.
GOVERNMENT — The Bucharest Government will pass today, during a special meeting, an emergency order on rebalancing the state budget. According to PM Nicolae Ciuca, the new fiscal measures will target expenses that can be postponed and will not affect salaries. Thus, the Government decided to cut by 10% the ministries’ expenses with goods and services and ban the purchase of cars and furniture, also suspending employment in public institutions. The number of jobs in the public dignitaries’ offices and chancelleries in central public administration will be reduced by half. Moreover, schools, healthcare and military units will purchase Romanian food products for their canteens, in keeping with clear rules in this respect.
MUSEUMS — The National Network of Romanian Museums has announced an absolute record number of cultural events enlisted as part of the Night of Museums — 297 from Romania and 14 from the Republic of Moldova. Bucharest will host around 60 events proposed by museums, art galleries, cultural centers, opera houses, choirs, palaces, institutes, high schools and music festivals. The special guest of the current edition is the War Childhood Museum, for the first time in Romania. The exhibition, entitled “Listen”, will be open at the Romanian Peasant Museum. Access is free of charge.
REPORT — The Governor of the National Bank of Romania (BNR) Mugur Isarescu, is today presenting a Report on inflation — May 2023. The BNR Board analyzed and green lighted the report in its Wednesday meeting. According to the report, the annual inflation rate will probably continue to drop, on a trajectory almost similar to the one forecast previously, to a one-figure level in the third quarter of 2023. BNR revised downwards to 7% the inflation forecast for end-2023 and estimates a 4.2% inflation rate for end-2024. The annual inflation rate went down to 11.23% in April, from 14.53% in March, according to the National Statistics Institute. (EE)
