October 4, 2023 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 04.10.2023, 20:00
VISIT – Romania’s president, Klaus
Iohannis, is paying an official visit to Portugal this weekend, in response to
an invitation extended by his Portuguese counterpart, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa.
According to the Presidency, the president will attend the anniversary meeting
of the Arraiolos Group, hosted by Portugal’s president on Friday in Porto. The Group
marks 20 years since the launch of this informal platform for presidential
dialogue, comprising 16 EU Member States. As a keynote speaker, president
Iohannis will talk about challenges facing the EU in the context of Russia’s
aggression against Ukraine and measures needed to continue multidimensional
support for Ukraine. On Saturday, president Iohannis will meet his Portuguese
counterpart in Lisbon.
TROOPS – Romania will deploy additional troops to Kosovo, after the North
Atlantic Council greenlit the presence of more forces to manage the situation
in the Western Balkans. Romania already has around 250 soldiers in Bosnia Herzegovina
and 80 in Kosovo. On Tuesday, on the sidelines of the Security Forum in Warsaw,
the Romanian Minister of Defense, Angel Tîlvăr, said his country remains firmly
committed to ensuring stability and security in the region.
IMF – The International Monetary Fund estimates a 2.3% economic growth for
Romania in 2023 and a budget deficit of 6% of the GDP. In a press briefing held
at the end of talks with members of the government, the head of the IMF mission
to Romania, Jan Kees Martijn, said the package of fiscal measures recently passed
by the government is a step forward, although more reforms are required in this
field. A 2% increase in revenues, others than those related to the recently
adopted fiscal package, will be necessary in the next couple of years, the IMF
official pointed out. According to the financial institution, Romanian economy
will reach a 3% economic growth target in the medium-term as long as
consumption and sustained investment using National Recovery and Resilience
Program funds remain robust. The inflation rate will drop from 7% to 4% by the
end of 2024, although it will remain above the target set by the Central Bank,
the IMF also believes. In turn, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said the
government is strongly committed to supporting economic growth, cutting public
spending and combating tax evasion. The IMF delegation praised perception on
the Romanian economy, which continues to grow and plays a key role in the
region, the Prime Minister went on to say.
NOBEL -
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry has this year been awarded to American researchers
Moungi Bawendi, Louis Brus and Alexei Ekimov for the discovery and synthesis
of quantum dots. These tiny particles have unique properties and now spread
their light from television screens and LED lamps. They catalyze chemical
reactions and their clear light can illuminate tumor tissue for a surgeon. (EE
& VP)
