THE WEEK IN REVIEW
May 1-5, 2023
Roxana Vasile, 05.05.2023, 14:56
London writes history
May 6, 2023, goes down in history as coronation day for King Charles III and Queen Camilla. The British capital has spent all week in preparation for the Saturday ceremonies, followed by tens of millions of people all over the world. A rehearsal in the Westminster Abbey cathedral was attended by members of the royal family. Hundreds of heads of state, including Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, along with crowned heads from all over the world, announced their participation, under the scrutiny of heavy security. The representatives of the Romanian royal family, namely the custodian of the crown, Princess Margaret, and Prince Consort Radu, reached London on Thursday night in anticipation of the coronation ceremonies. According to the Royal House, in its 157 years of existence, the Romanian royal family had a constant connection with the British royal family, based on admiration, affection, and respect, both in official terms, and in family relations terms. This is the third major public event in the UK in less than a year, after the Platinum Jubilee for Queen Elisabeth II in June last year, followed, in September, by the funerals for the former monarch. The Saturday coronation of King Charles III is the official beginning of the new reign, which started de facto after his mothers demise.
European support for farmers
On Tuesday, the EC passed exceptional, but temporary, measures for the import of grain from Ukraine. More to the point, up until June 5, wheat, corn, rapeseed, and sunflower seed may still continue to flow unimpeded into all member states of the EU, with the exception of Romania, Bulgarial, Hungary, Poland, and Slovakia, which are strictly transit countries. These measures come along with a second package of financial support for farmers in the five member states, which have been hit hard by the tax free import of cheap Ukrainian grain. Romania gets almost 30 million Euro, in addition to the other 10 million approved by the EC. Also this week, the Romanian government approved payment for accommodation for the first three months of the year for Ukrainian refugees. These payments amount to over 100 million Euro, and will be earmarked out of the national budget. In the summer, these expenses will be propped up by EU funding. Over 4 million Ukrainians have transited Romania since the start of the Russian military aggression, of which almost 100,000 remained in the country.
Romanias currency reserves are growing
The Romanian National Bank has set aside a record amount of currency reserves, over 53 billion Euro, by the end of last month, as announced this week in Bucharest. This figure is 112 million Euro higher than in March. The level of the gold reserve stays at 103.6 tons, which brings Romanias national reserves, currency plus gold, close to 60 billion Euro, a record in the history of the country. Economic analysts say that this growing trend is mostly due to European funding intakes, which means that European moneys are not being consumed in the economy. At the same time, high reserves increase investor confidence.
The 2023 Photovoltaic Green House program begins
On May 2, the 2023 Photovoltaic Green House program kicked off in Romania. The first stage is meant to register in the program companies and contractors who install such systems of green energy. This also prompts the beginning of procedures for people who want to take advantage of the up to 4,000 Euro doled out by the state for the installation of solar panes with a capacity of at least 3 kWh. The budget that has been earmarked is over 500 million Euro, which is meant to cover 100,000 beneficiaries. By installing these solar system, users can cover their own consumption, but also pump energy into the national grid.
The May 1 holiday
Hundreds of thousands of Romanians picked the Black Sea beaches, the Danube Delta, mountain resorts, or picnic green spaces for the May 1 holiday. The Black Sea shore was by far the main attraction. The numerous music festivals and outdoor parties were more numerous than ever. However, the sale and consumption of illegal substances gave a major headache to police personnel. A number of people, including foreign citizens, were detained under charges of trafficking high risk drugs. Over two kg of such substances were confiscated, along with high amounts of money.
Successes in Romanian handball
The head of the Romanian handball federation, Constantin Din, said that qualifying for the European championships is a new start in Romanian mens handball. This comes after the national squad qualified for the EHF EURO 2024 European championship, which is a first after 1996. Dinu added that the qualification in itself is a great success, the more valuable as it comes after 28 years, and that Romania has always been a top contender in handball, while its history places a great obligation on it. The team draws for the continental championships will take place on May 10. Next years competition will be held in Germany betweeen January 10 and 28 next year.
