September 9, 2022
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 09.09.2022, 13:55
Queen. The death of Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning monarch in English history, brought her eldest son Charles to the throne, who will reign as King Charles III. The protocol for the enthronement of a new monarch provides for the speedy convening of an Accession Council made up of high-ranking politicians, bishops of the Anglican Church, together with secular representatives of the Kingdom. Queen Elizabeth II died on Thursday, aged 96, at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She is to be transported to London, at Westminster Hall, and the public will have a few days to say goodbye. The funerals will take place at Westminster Abbey, the church where British kings are crowned. The BBC notes that the last funeral of a monarch at Westminster Abbey took place in the 18th century. After the funeral, which is expected to be attended by heads of state and government from around the world, the Queen will be transported to Windsor Castle and will be buried in the Saint George Chapel within its premises.
Deficit. Romanias trade balance deficit in the first seven months of this year increased by almost 5.9 billion euros, to 18.77 billion, as exports rose by 23.9% and imports increased by 29%, according to data provided by the National Institute of Statistics, published on Friday. Between January and July 2022, exports totaled 52.67 billion euros, and imports 71.44 billion euros,. On the other hand, net investments in the national economy totaled 57.25 billion lei (over 11 billion euros), in the first six months of this year, down 0.8% compared to the similar period in 2021, NIS data show.
EU Council. The Romanian Minister of Energy, Virgil Popescu, was mandated to represent the government, today, at EU Energy Council in Brussels. According to the spokesperson of the executive, the minister will support a unitary approach at European level in order to ensure the supply of gas and electricity at an affordable price for all citizens of the Union. Before the meeting, Virgil Popescu had a bilateral meeting with his Bulgarian counterpart. Hristov Rossen. The two discussed the importance of regional cooperation for the joint purchase of natural gas, as well as for ensuring increased energy stability in the region. Romania and Bulgaria will join forces to prepare for winter from the point of view of energy supply, the Romanian minister wrote on social media. In another move, in Bucharest, the energy operators have called on the Government to reconsider the ordinance issued last week, which provides for the capping and compensation of gas and electricity bills, as well as the over taxation of companies in the field. The representatives of the Association of Energy Suppliers warn that the document was developed without consulting the participants in the field, thus jeopardizing the security of gas and electricity supply to consumers. They say that the government changes the rules while playing and thus upsets the calculations for the business plan or even those of the household consumers.
Cohesion. The Romanian Government has adopted a package of measures for the operationalization of one third of the cohesion fund, amounting to 16 billion Euro, the Minister for Investment and European Projects, Marcel Bolos, has announced. He has explained that the money can be used to access and develop investment projects in transport infrastructure, health, water supply and waste management. Under the cohesion policy, Romania has a 43 billion Euro budget until December 31st, 2029, the minister has stated. The projects mainly focus on the building of 600 km of highway and 3 regional emergency hospitals, in Craiova, Iasi and Cluj-Napoca.
Aid. The European Commission has approved an aid scheme for Romania, worth four billion euros, in order to support businesses in all sectors in the context of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia – according to a press release of the community executive. According to the EC, Romanias aid scheme is necessary, adequate and proportionate to remedy a serious disruption to a member states economy, in accordance with EU state aid rules. Under this measure, the aid will take the form of guarantees for loans, with a maximum budget of 3.6 billion euros, and the rest in direct grants. Support under the scheme will be granted until 31 December 2022 at the latest.
Accident. A Romanian maritime dredger suffered, on Thursday evening, minor damage following the explosion of a sea mine, in the Black Sea, over 40 kilometers away from the port of Constanţa (south-east), with no casualties reported, the General Staff of the Naval Forces informs. The 75 soldiers of the crew are not in danger, the ships buoyancy was not affected, and there are no major damages on board. After the launch of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation in Ukraine, this is the third mine reaching the area of responsibility of the Romanian Naval Forces. From the beginning of the war until now, 28 sea mines have been destroyed in the western part of the Black Sea, of which three are from Turkey, two from Romania, one from Bulgaria and 22 from Ukraine.
Football. Romanias football champion, CFR Cluj (north-west), drew 1-1 away in Pristina, with Kosovar FC Ballkani, in the first match of Group G of the Europa Conference League. The other match of the group, between Sivasspor, from Turkey, and Slavia Praga (Czech Republic) ended with the same score. In Group B, Romanias vice-champion, FCSB (Bucharest), lost, in London, 1-3, against the English team West Ham United. In the other match in the group, the Belgians from Anderlecht Brussels beat the Danes from Silkeborg IF, score 1-0. (MI)
