INFLATION The year-on-year inflation rate in Romania went up to
\n13.76% in April this year, as against 10.15% in March, according to data made
\npublic today by the National Statistics Institute. Non-food prices rose by
\n16.35%, foodstuff prices by 13.54%, and services are 7.11% more expensive.
\nYesterday, in order to curb the inflation rise, the central bank announced a
\nnew increase in the key interest rate, which will trigger a rise in consumer
\nand inter-bank loan interests. The National Bank of Romania expects the
\ninflation rate to surge this summer more than previously forecast, and says the
\nrate is not likely to return to under 10% until the second half of next year. <\/p>\n
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VISIT The Speaker of the Senate of Romania, Florin C\u00ee\u0163u, is on an
\nofficial visit to Poland today, at the invitation of his counterpart, Tomasz
\nGrodzki. The main topics on the agenda are opportunities to consolidate
\nbilateral relations between the 2 countries, the war in Ukraine and the
\neconomic fallout of the Russian aggression. Florin Citu announced that after
\nhis visit to Poland he will travel to the Republic of Moldova.<\/p>\n
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\n
<\/p>\n
DIPLOMACY<\/strong> The Romanian foreign minister
<\/p>\n
GOVERNMENT A draft emergency order to prevent
<\/p>\n
NATURAL
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n COVID-19 The 4th COVID-19 vaccine dose will be available on
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n UKRAINE The president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky
Click here for a roundup of local and world news<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":113,"featured_media":105194,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[30220,31090,36718,36546,30821,29488,34491,28980,29130,35104,30263,31652,29720,30256,35403,36719,28905,29295],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-105902","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsflash","tag-bilateral","tag-conference","tag-daesh","tag-food","tag-gas","tag-inflation","tag-interest","tag-isis","tag-moldova","tag-natural","tag-offshore","tag-order","tag-poland","tag-prices","tag-rate","tag-speculation","tag-ukraine","tag-visit"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\nBogdan Aurescu takes part today in a ministerial meeting of<\/strong><\/strong> <\/strong>the Global
\nCoalition against Daesh, held in Marrakesh, Morocco.<\/strong> According to the ministry,
\nthe meeting will be co-chaired by the USA and Morocco, with over 75
\nrepresentatives of the member states and international organisations expected
\nto attend. Most member states are NATO and EU members, partner states in the
\nWestern Balkans, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, as well as the EU, NATO, and
\nINTERPOL. The main topics will include the security
\nsituation in Iraq and Syria, as well as terrorism-related developments in
\nAfrica and Afghanistan. <\/strong>Bogdan
\nAurescu will highlight Romania’s contribution as a Coalition member, including
\nits participation since 2016 both in the Coalition Forces (as part of Operation
\nInherent Resolve and of the NATO mission in Iraq), and in the stabilisation and
\nreconstruction efforts in the countries affected by ISIS activities. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\nspeculation is being discussed today by the government of Romania. The decision
\ncomes after fuel, sunflower oil or masks and disinfectant prices skyrocketed
\novernight, in the context of the war in Ukraine or before that, during the
\npandemic. Speculation was criminalised before in Romania, shortly after WWII
\nand after the fall of the communist regime in 1990. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
\nGAS A bill to amend
\nthe Offshore Act, which will green light the development of natural gas
\nreserves in the Black Sea, is discussed as of today by the Senate of Romania.
\nAccording to the ruling coalition, which has tabled the bill, this is a much
\nmore balanced text than the one drafted 4 years ago. Tax facilities have been
\nintroduced for the companies interested in taking part in the development
\nproject, and in a few years’ time Romania’s reliance on Russian gas is expected
\nto become significantly lower. The energy minister Virgil Popescu emphasised
\nthat by amending the current legislation onshore investments will also be
\nencouraged, supply security will be ensured in case of an energy crisis and
\nRomania may become a provider of regional energy security. Under the bill, the
\nRomanian government will have pre-emptive rights in purchasing the natural gas.
\nRomania’s biggest public natural gas producer, Romgaz, and the Austrian
\ncompany OMV will extract the natural gas in the Black Sea in the coming years.<\/p>\n
\nrequest in Romania, in vaccination centres and family physician practices, as
\nof May 16. According to the health ministry, only Pfiser vaccines can be
\nadministered, to people over 18 who have received 3 doses of mRNA vaccines, and
\nat least 4 months after they have received the 3rd dose. Meanwhile, the
\nhealth ministry announced 705 new COVID-19 cases and 7 related deaths in 24
\nhours. 144 COVID patients are currently in intensive care.<\/p>\n
\ncommented on the situation in Kharkiv, emphasising that the Ukrainian forces
\nare repelling the invaders and freeing the region. Clashes continue on the
\nSerpent Island as well, 45 km from Romania, with Russia trying to strengthen
\nits vulnerable garrison on the island. Meanwhile, Ukraine has shut off the
\ntransit of Russian gas to Western Europe in Lugansk region, and says the
\noccupation of its eastern part by Russian forces makes it impossible to control
\nthe flows. Over 32 million cubic metres of natural gas are halted, accounting
\nfor around one-third of Russia’s daily exports transiting Ukraine. In the US,
\nthe House of Representatives approved an additional 40 billion US dollars in
\naid for Ukraine. The act is to be rushed through the Senate and signed by
\npresident Joe Biden. The funds will be used for military support and humanitarian
\nassistance for the civilians affected by the Russian invasion. (AMP)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"