NATO<\/b> President Klaus Iohannis on
\nThursday reiterated Romania’s decision to remain a strong and trustworthy NATO
\nmember. After talks in Bucharest with the Alliance’s Secretary General, Jens
\nStoltenberg, Iohannis underlined that Bucharest, which allots 2% of the GDP for
\ndefence is a provider of security and stability in the region. Iohannis stood
\nfor a solid transatlantic relationship, indispensable to the security of the
\nEuroatlantic area. Stoltenberg’s visit to Bucharest comes at a time when NATO
\ncelebrates 7 decades since its foundation and Romania 15 years since its entry
\ninto the alliance. On Wednesday, Stoltenberg attended the informal meeting of
\nthe defence ministers in the EU member countries. The NATO official said the EU
\ncannot replace NATO and it is important that its efforts in the field of
\ndefence should not compete with those of the Alliance’s, but be complementary. Stoltenberg
\nsaid that after Brexit, 80% of the Alliance’s military spending would come from
\nnon-EU countries, while three of the four task forces based in Poland and the
\nBaltic countries would be led by non-EU countries. In turn, Federica Mogherini
\nthe EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy has said the
\nEU – NATO partnership is essential. <\/p>\n
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EMPLOYMENT<\/b> Under the latest government decision, companies will be
\nable to hire up to 20 thousand foreign workers in an attempt to solve the
\nlabour force crisis in Romania. The Labour Ministry in Bucharest has announced
\nthe number of workers rises by 5 thousand as compared to last year. According
\nto a communiqu\u00e9 issued by the Labor Ministry, the measure has been taken in
\norder to respond to Romania’s potential of economic development, and its need
\nfor workers in certain sectors, which cannot be covered from the local labour
\nforce. The measure was also aimed at preventing illegal employment. <\/p>\n
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FLU<\/b> The death toll of the latest flu
\nwave that hit Romania stands at 61 – sources in Bucharest have announced adding
\nthat none of the victims was vaccinated. Schools remain open all over the
\ncountry in spite of a government’s decision on Wednesday to declare that the
\ncountry is presently being affected by a flu epidemic. Classes are suspended
\nonly when 20% of the students are suffering from the disease. Only 14 schools
\nand kindergartens in Bucharest as well as several others across the country
\nhave so far been closed down. <\/p>\n
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FINES<\/b> The Council of Competition has fined 7 food retailers and
\nsuppliers in Romania with 19 million Euros for price fixing. The sanctions have
\nbeen applied following an investigation into price fixing operations involving retailers
\nand suppliers between 2010 and 2016. The Council has found out that retail
\nprices were not being set according to market rules but the retailer and
\nsupplier set a fixed or a minimum price to resell products to consumers, a
\nmethod that eventually translated into higher prices for consumers. In 2015 the
\ninstitution sanctioned other retailers and their suppliers with 35 million
\neuros in fines for the period between 2005 and 2009. <\/p>\n
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GYMNICH<\/b> Today
\nand tomorrow, Bucharest is playing venue for a Gymnich meeting to be hosted by
\nRomania’s Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu and chaired by the EU High
\nRepresentative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini.
\nHigh on the talks agenda are topical international issues such as the Eastern
\nPartnership, Venezuela, Syria and China. The EU foreign ministers are also to
\nparticipate in a working session with foreign ministers from the EU-accession
\ncandidates, Albania, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro,
\nSerbia and Turkey. The Gymnich format was founded in 1974 with the view to
\nbringing together foreign ministers for informal talks. Every state that takes
\nover the EU rotating presidency is to stage such a meeting during its mandate. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
translated by bill)<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":75903,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[33038,28945,34455],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-103308","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsflash","tag-flu","tag-klaus-iohannis","tag-retailers"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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