May 27, 2023

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 27.05.2023, 14:00

STRIKE – The all-out strike in the education system will continue
next week as well. Union leaders are preparing a new rally in Bucharest,
following Friday’s protest actions in a number of cities across the country.
Education employees are disgruntled with the Government’s offer of €500
bonuses. The government has accepted to increase salaries for auxiliary staff
by 9%, also providing them with bonuses of €200. Trade unions have called for a
25% increase in salaries, raising the entry level salary to some €600. The
strike action started on May 22, education employees voicing discontentment
regarding salaries and work conditions. Union leaders have warned that the
strike will continue unless their demands are met.

HEALTH – The Government has adopted a new framework agreement for
health insurances, to take effect starting July 1. The underlying feature of
the new contract is prevention. Family physicians travelling to rural areas
will receive bonuses. The agreement for the first time regulates
performance-related payments. Family physicians will also be provided with new
instruments to make pre-emptive consultations for patients of various ages. The
agreement also stipulates the legal framework for employees’ access to
vocational medicine and outpatient rehabilitation services. In the case of
hospitals, the agreement introduced some 100 new medical services that can be
provided in the case of one-day hospital admissions.

PILGRIMAGE – Some 300,000 Roman-Catholic Christians from all over
the world, including the president of Hungary, Novak Katalin, on Saturday took
part in the Catholic Pentecost pilgrimage in Șumuleu Ciuc (central Romania). Organizers expect Catholics from all
over Europe, particularly Hungary, but also Australia and the USA to attend. Considered
the largest of its kind in Central and Eastern Europe, the pilgrimage has a
history of over 450 years and is devoted to the miracle-working statue to the
Virgin Mary in the local Franciscan church. According to legend, in 1567,
Transylvanian prince John Sigismund tried to forcefully convert the local
Romanian-Catholic population of Ciuc, Gheorgheni and Cașin to Unitarianism. Only with the help of
the miracle-working statue were the people able to resist and keep their
ancestral faith. Since then, every Pentecost Eve, Catholics from all over the
world go on pilgrimage to the Church of the Holy Virgin Mary in Șumuleu Ciuc, home to the miracle-working statue.

SUMMIT – Germany will be moving its Patriot anti-missile defense
system currently deployed to Slovakia to Lithuania, to protect the NATO Summit
of July in Vilnius, the German Defense Minister said. Germany has stationed two
Patriot units in Slovakia and another three in Poland. Germany’s Chancellor,
Olaf Scholz, said the summit will be particularly devoted to clear-cut
assistance to Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg a few days ago
admitted Allies are divided over Ukraine’s bid to join NATO, a topic which will
be addressed at the summit in Vilnius. Stoltenberg recalled that all NATO
decisions need to be unanimous.

ELECTION – Tens of thousands of supporters of Turkey’s acting
president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, took part in a support rally in Istanbul,
ahead of Sunday’s presidential run-off. President Erdoğan called on his
supporters to vote for a united Parliament and presidency. His opposition
rival, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu,
the leader of the People’s Republican Party, addressed his own supporters in
Istanbul, highlighting the economic problems facing Turkey at present. We
recall Recep Tayyip Erdoğan obtained nearly 50% of the
vote in the first round, while Kemal
Kılıçdaroğlu grabbed 45% of the vote. Kılıçdaroğlu is leading a coalition of
opposition parties. In power for the last 20 years, Erdoğan appears to be close to securing a new five-year term
as president, although many expect to be a close call. Over 64 mln Turks are
expected to hit the polls on Sunday, of which 3.4 mln in the Diaspora. According
to estimates, voter turnout in the Diaspora is expected to be higher compared
to the first round. (VP)