November 7, 2022 – UPDATE

Click here for a roundup of local and world news

Newsroom, 07.11.2022, 20:00

DROUGHT In Romania, the total area affected by drought is more than
one million hectares. According to the agriculture ministry, losses have been
reported in most counties. The most affected crops include wheat, barley, oats,
rye, rape, corn and sunflower.

ENVIRONMENT Romania fully supports the EU in spearheading the
efforts to limit climate change and the joint commitment of EU member states to
reducing net greenhouse gas emissions, president Klaus Iohannis said on Monday
at the Climate Implementation Summit held in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt as part of
the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27). We must ensure an orderly climate
transition, with multiple benefits, including investments in research-development-innovation,
green economy and job creation, the Romanian official also said. He emphasised
that access to affordable energy can be secured through investments in low-carbon production capacities, in resilient energy networks and
by creating a regulatory framework tailored for renewable energy. The cost of
climate inaction is much higher than the cost of action. Climate change
generates loss and economic as well as non-economic damages throughout the
world, Klaus Iohannis pointed out.

MOLDOVA Romania covers at present more than 90% of Moldova’s
electricity needs, Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, said at a TV
station. He also said the situation is serious in the neighbouring country,
given its full dependency on foreign natural gas and electricity resources.
According to Aurescu, Romania has also supported Moldova by supplying it with
fuel oil and firewood. Bucharest has called on the international community to provide
grants to Chisinau, so as the latter may purchase energy from the free market.

ANI Romania’s National Integrity Agency (ANI) has found that the mayor
of the capital city’s District 1, Clotilde Armand, has breached conflict of
interest rules. According to a news release issued by the institution, Armand
appointed herself as the manager of an EU-funded project, from which she
obtained material gains. ANI has also announced it notified the Prosecutor’s
Office and the Bucharest Prefect Office in this respect. A French citizen born
in 1973, Clotilde Armand settled in Bucharest in 1999, after marrying a
Romanian citizen. She was one of the founders of the current Save Romania Union
(USR) in 2015, which she represented at the local elections of 2020 when she
won the mayor seat of one of the capital’s richest districts.

REACTION The Romanian Foreign Ministry denies the allegations made by
Russian President Vladimir Putin in a recent Unity Day speech, which falsely
induce the idea that Romania would have territorial claims in Ukraine. In a news
release, the Foreign Ministry reaffirmed Romania’s firm commitment to the
independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its
internationally recognized borders. In his speech, Putin talked about
territories forcibly seized by Ukraine from Hungary, Romania and Poland.

THEATRE The National Theatre Festival (NTF) continues in Romania
until November 13. Theatre performances during this event will have in-person
attendance, after two years of pandemic with online performances. The NTF
includes over 60 theatre shows staged by public and independent companies from
Romania and abroad. The festival, held this year under the motto, ‘Fragile
borders. Fluid histories’ also includes an on-air section comprising a number
of exquisite radio drama shows. (AMP)