September 6, 2024 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Vlad Palcu, 06.09.2024, 20:00
EDUCATION – Poverty is severely affecting school performance, internships are discriminatory, some students end up unmotivated and most of them would like to leave the country– a report drawn up by the Save the Children Romania organization states. According to European data, school dropout is affecting an increasing number of Romanian children. A 16% dropout rate was reported among students in Romania’s secondary education cycle in the 2022-2023 school year and 25% among high-school pupils. High dropout discrepancies have been reported in various environments, 3% in the big cities, 14% in the country’s smaller cities and 27% in the rural area. At national level, two in five students in the country’s secondary education system have failed to pass their final exams. Their number is 2.5% higher in the rural area.
EXPO – “As strategic partners and as NATO allies, we stand together in the face of Russia’s unprovoked and illegal aggression, to support Ukraine and strengthen collective deterrence and defense within the Alliance”, the ambassador of the United States in Bucharest, Kathleen Kavalec, said while attending the opening of a photo exhibition in Galați (east) marking 25 years of Strategic Partnership between the two countries. Titled “We, the people” the aforementioned photo exhibition explores the security, diplomatic, cultural and economic relations between the two countries.
ROMANIA-JAPAN RELATIONS – Romania’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIRR), has extensively promoted economic relations with Japan. Romania can represent a business opportunity for Japanese companies given the results obtained by the Romanian entrepreneurs in the fields of IT&C, green energy and innovative technologies, CCIRR president Mihai Daraban said. On Thursday, Mihai Daraban had an official meeting with the Japanese ambassador in Bucharest, Katae Takashi, who underlined the importance and potential of the economic cooperation between the two countries. Japan sees Romania as a strategic partner in Eastern Europe and encourages Japanese investors to explore the business and investment opportunities here, the Japanese ambassador pointed out.
AGRICULTURE – Romanian farmers whose crops were affected by this year’s draught will be compensated by October 15, Agriculture Minister Florin Barbu said. During a visit to Mehedinți (southwest), a county seriously impacted by the shortage of rainfall, the Romanian official said compensations will stand at 200 EUR per hectare. The wheat and corn harvest this year is enough for the upcoming year, the Romanian official gave assurances. The wheat yield this year is by 1.8 mln tons higher compared to 2023, while the corn harvest will cover both internal consumption and exports. The Agriculture Ministry is considering handing out loans with fixed interest rates of 1.95% to help struggling farmers, as well as the suspension of foreclosure procedures for farmers whose crops have been completely compromised.
MOLDOVA – Hungary unequivocally and firmly supports Moldova’s EU accession, Hungary’s Foreign Minister, Péter Szijjártó, said during a visit to Chişinău. On the sidelines of talks with his Moldovan counterpart, Mihai Popşoi, the Hungarian official said his country will do everything in its power during Hungary’s term at the helm of the EU Council to ensure EU enlargement proceeds as smoothly as possible. Each candidate state must be assessed individually, to prevent the stalling of countries that reported quicker progress, Minister Szijjártó explained. EU enlargement can provide new impetus to the community bloc, the Hungarian diplomat went on to say. Péter Szijjártó also met the president of Moldova, Maia Sandu, giving assurances Hungary will fully support Moldova’s EU accession. 50 public officials from Moldova with a key role in negotiations with the EU will travel to Hungary where they will be trained by Hungarian experts. The first 32 will arrive in Budapest next week.
HOUSING – Housing prices continue to go up faster than the EU or the Eurozone average, although the pace is slower compared to other states in the region, Florin Dragu, the head of the Financial Stability Department with the National Bank of Romania has said. Housing went up 5.5% in the first quarter, compared to nearly 18% in Poland or 16% in Bulgaria, the Central Bank official explained. The price hikes are also determined by higher construction costs, which went up 10% in the last year, while the work volume went down 13% across the sector. The demand for new housing continues to rise amidst Romanians’ higher purchasing power. The number of real estate transactions went down 11% at national level, with Bucharest, Iași, Cluj-Napoca, Timișoara, Brașov and Constanța accounting for nearly 60% of total transactions. (DB & VP)
