Gas.<\/strong> The offshore bill regulating the
<\/p>\n
Visit.<\/strong> Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu
<\/p>\n
Ukraine visit.<\/strong> The speakers of the two chambers
<\/p>\n
Human rights.<\/strong> Romania still has problems with
<\/p>\n
Ukraine.<\/strong> Ukraine and Russia continue
<\/p>\n
Geopark.<\/strong> Buz\u0103u Land, in the south-eastern part
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A round up of local and international news.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":105208,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[36664,30821,36663,28905],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-105848","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsflash","tag-buzau","tag-gas","tag-geopark","tag-ukraine"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nexploitation of natural gas in the Black Sea will be submitted in Parliament
\nthis week, said the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu. The
\namendment of the bill was sped up by the ruling coalition after a final version
\nwas agreed by its members, the National Liberal Party, the Social Democratic
\nParty and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. Under the bill,
\nthe state is to benefit from 60% of the profits generated by the exploitation
\nof natural gas, with the rest of 40% going to private companies. The current
\nlegislation provides for progressive taxation, ranging from 30 to 70%, on
\nadditional returns obtained from the rise in gas prices, with companies being
\nobliged to sell 50% of their natural gas production on the Bucharest Stock
\nExchange. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\nis today travelling to North Macedonia on an official visit at the invitation
\nof his counterpart Bujar Osmani. Aurescu will also have talks with president
\nStevo Pendarovski and the speaker of the Parliamentary Assembly Talat Xhaferi.
\nTalks are aimed at consolidating bilateral relations, with emphasis on expanding
\nand diversifying political dialogue and economic cooperation. The Romanian
\nofficial is expected to underline the importance of cooperation to preserve the
\ncultural and linguistic identity of kindred minorities, given their role as a bridge
\nin the relationship between Romania and North Macedonia. Aurescu will also
\nreiterate Romania’s firm and principled support for North Macedonia’s European
\npath. Talks will also look at the two countries’ collaboration within NATO and
\nthe prospect of a common approach, within this alliance, of current strategic
\nchallenges. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\nof the Romanian Parliament will travel to Kyiv at the invitation of the chair
\nof the Ukrainian Parliament, Ruslan Stefanchuk. The speaker of the Romanian
\nChamber of Deputies Marcel Ciolacu will travel to Kyiv on 27th April
\nand he is expected to visit several areas affected by the war, including sites
\nof atrocities committed by the Russian army. He may also address the Ukrainian
\nParliament. The Senate speaker Florin C\u00ee\u0163u has not announced a date for his
\ntrip, but said he will visit areas affected by the war and will discuss with
\nUkrainian officials about Romania’s involvement in Ukraine’s reconstruction
\nplans. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\ndiscrimination and corruption, according to the US State Department’s Country
\nReports on Human Practices for 2021. Despite some prosecutions, corrupt
\npractices and misuse of public funds remained widespread in Romania, the report
\nsays. Also, while the judiciary took steps to punish officials who committed
\nabuses, the authorities did not have effective mechanisms to do so, with the result that many of the cases ended in
\nacquittals. With respect to the media, some reporters throughout the country
\ncontinued to be harassed, sued, or threatened by authorities they investigated
\nor by their proxies. Other problems identified in the report are the widespread
\nuse of bribery in the public sector, especially in health care, and anti-Semitic
\nincidents. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\nto prepare for the great battle expected in Donbas, the main objective of the
\nRussian forces after they had to withdraw from around Kyiv. Ukraine continues
\nto call for deliveries of heavy weapons from the West, which it sees as vital
\nas this stage of the conflict. The United States for the first time decided to
\ndeliver such weapons as part of a military support package announced by
\npresident Joe Biden worth 800 million dollars. The European Union also
\nannounced plans to provide further 500 million euros in humanitarian aid to
\nUkraine, on top of the 1 billion provided earlier. In another development, the
\nRussian defence ministry announced that its Moska guided missile cruiser was
\nseriously damaged after a fire caused a munitions explosion, but that its crew
\nhad been evacuated. The Russian authorities did not state the location and
\ncause of the incident, but the governor of the Odessa region said the ship was
\nhit by two Ukrainian missiles. <\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\nof Romania, has become a UNESCO global geopark, being recognised as a unified
\ngeographical area with natural and cultural values of international
\nsignificance. This is the second area in Romania to win this status after Ha\u0163eg
\nLand, in the west of the country. The official ceremony to award the geopark
\ntitle will be held online on 21st April. Of the 16 areas that
\napplied to be designated global geoparks this year, eight have been validated,
\nwhich takes the total number of geoparks to 177, from 46 countries. The biggest
\nattractions in Buz\u0103u are the muddy volcanoes, the salt domes, the sandstone
\nconcretions, the eternal flames, the cave settlements and the region’s deep-red
\namber deposits. (CM)<\/p>\n