THE WEEK IN REVIEW

November 20-24, 2023

Bogdan Matei, 25.11.2023, 14:00

NPRR: reconfiguration

The European Commission approved a revised version of Romanias National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The financing offered by Brussels to Bucharest is reduced compared to the initial amount, following an economic growth beyond expectations. Thus, Romania will receive 28.5 billion euros, of which 14.9 billion are loans and 13.6 are grants. The NPRR now also includes additional non-reimbursable REPowerEU funds of 1.4 billion. The strategy includes 56 modified measures, prioritizes the green transition, increasing funds dedicated to climate initiatives. At the same time, REPowerEU introduces new reforms and investments aimed at accelerating the production of green energy, improving the energy efficiency of buildings, and maintaining the workforce in this field. The 740 million euros intended for the construction and renovation of six hospitals, which are to be financed by the European Investment Bank, were subtracted from the NPRR. So far, Romania has received a little over 9 billion euros through the NPRR.

Pandemic: corruption

The leaders of the PSD and PNL (in co-government) announced that the parliamentarians of the two parties will vote to lift the immunity of Liberal senator Florin Cîţu, so that anti-corruption prosecutors can investigate him in the case of the acquisition of vaccine doses during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this case, the former USR ministers of health (now in the opposition), Vlad Voiculescu and Ioana Mihăilă, are also accused of abuse of office, for which President Klaus Iohannis must give his consent to the lifting of immunity. The three allegedly approved the purchase of a much larger number of doses than was necessary, and allegedly caused damages worth one billion euros.

Unions: protests

The staff of the Romanian Ministry of Health are protesting every day, starting on Thursday, to draw attention to the wage gaps in the public system, as well as to the violation of the principles of unitary wages, stipulated by law. The protesters draw attention to the risk that the main institution that coordinates public health policies will run out of specialists, many of them choosing to change their jobs. Also, the representatives of the union of the Bucharest metro train system are threatening new protests, dissatisfied with the provisions of the law that reduces budget expenses. The normative act, the trade unionists claim, leaves them without raises and premiums, already negotiated in the Collective Labor Agreement (CLA). The new law also irritated the railway unions, who announced that they would go on strike on November 27, 2023. During the strike, one third of the normal workload will be ensured, in accordance with legal provisions.

Gaza: aid

The Bucharest government has announced that it will grant emergency aid, for accommodation and meals, to families and persons with or without Romanian citizenship evacuated from the Gaza Strip. A single person or a family with up to five members will receive 2,000 lei monthly (the equivalent of about 400 euros), and a family with more than five members will receive 3,000 lei (600 euros) for accommodation. Also, 600 lei per month (120 euros) will be granted for a single person for food, as well as for each person in a given family. This aid is granted for a maximum period of four months, starting on 1 December. The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues the dialogue with the Israeli and Egyptian authorities in order to facilitate the evacuation of the other Romanian citizens in the Gaza Strip who requested support in this regard. So far, about 250 Romanian citizens and their family members have been evacuated from the Gaza Strip.

Africa: ten days

The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, had, on Thursday, in Dakar, official talks with his Senegalese counterpart, Macky Sall. On this occasion, bilateral documents were signed. President Iohannis also participated in the inauguration of the United Nations House in Senegal, in the opening of an exhibition of traditional masks, and had a meeting with Senegalese specialists who studied at universities in Romania. Senegal was the last stage of the African tour undertaken by President Iohannis, whose agenda also included Kenya, Tanzania, and Cape Verde. The tour, the first of its kind by a Romanian president in the last three decades, took place after this month Romania adopted the National Strategy for Africa, a document which the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest says recognizes the essential role of the African continent in shaping global trends in the 21st century.

Euro: after eight years

The Romanian national football team won undefeated in Group I of next years European Championship preliminaries in Germany. Six wins, four draws, and a goal average of 16-5 is the balance sheet for the Romanian footballers, at the end of a qualification campaign in which they met Switzerland, Israel, Kosovo, Belarus, and Andorra. The specialty press blamed them for a lackluster game quite a few times. The team led by coach Edward Iordănescu proved itself, however, with the results that take it to the final tournament, which Romania has been missing since 2016. It will be the sixth European football tournament for the Romanian footballers, which also had seven appearances at the World Cup, the last in 1998.