FIREWOOD The prices of firewood and
\nwood derivatives used for heating will be capped in Romania until the end of
\nMarch 2023. A draft emergency order in this respect is being discussed by the
\nCabinet today. Beneficiaries will include individuals, public and private
\neducation institutions, social service providers, local authorities and places
\nof worship. The measure is intended to help Romanians cope this winter with the
\nskyrocketing fuel, energy and natural gas prices. Also today the government is
\nscheduled to endorse the 2030 National Forest Strategy. <\/p>\n
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\n
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ENERGY A Pact for Clean Energy
\nResilience was launched in Romania on Tuesday. The initiative came from Smart
\nEnergy Association and is an invitation to the authorities and private sector
\nto implement programmes and awareness raising campaigns regarding the need to
\ncut energy consumption and to use clean energy sources. The president of the
\nAssociation, Dumitru Chis\u0103li\u0163\u0103, says cutting consumption should be achieved not
\nthrough restrictive measures, but rather by improving efficiency. The
\nAssociation also released a guideline for authorities, comprising energy saving
\nsolutions. <\/p>\n
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\n
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SCHENGEN The European Parliament discusses in Strasbourg today
\nRomania’s and Bulgaria’s Schengen accession. MEPs are expected to call for
\nthe Schengen passport-free travel area to be completed swiftly by extending it
\nto all EU member states who wish to participate, with a resolution in this
\nrespect to be voted on in the next plenary session. Another topic on the
\nEuropean Parliament’s agenda concerns the mobilisation of Russian reserve
\ntroops, the illegal referendums in Ukrainian occupied regions and the nuclear
\nthreats voiced by the president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. MEPs
\nwill request firm responses from member states to Russia’s preparations to
\nannex Ukrainian territories and to step up military actions.<\/p>\n
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CEREMONY The Royal House of Romania last night hosted a ceremony
\ndevoted to the Romanian-British partnership and the rule of Charles III. In her
\naddress, the Custodian of the Crown of Romania, Margareta, sent a message of
\nhope and confidence to Britain’s new sovereign, King Charles III. In turn, the
\nBritish Ambassador to Bucharest, Andrew Noble, pointed out that the British
\nnationals who live in and love Romania are blessed to have a monarch who knows
\nRomania so well.<\/p>\n
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\n
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UKRAINE The president of Ukraine
\nVolodymyr Zelenskyy announced fast and powerful progress for his army in the
\nsouth of the country, where scores of localities have been reclaimed this week
\nfrom the Russian troops. According to AFP, in his daily address
\nposted on social networks, Zelenskyy promised that the Ukrainian troops would
\nnot stop and that it was only a matter of time until the Russians would be
\ndriven out of the entire Ukrainian territory. On the other hand, the Ukrainian
\npresident welcomed India’s support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity
\nof Ukraine, voiced during a telephone call with PM Narendra Modi. Previously, Kyiv
\nhad criticised New Delhi over its neutrality. Meanwhile, in Brussels, EU
\ncountries Wednesday reached a political agreement on the implementation of an
\n8th package of sanctions against Russia, this one in response to the illegal
\nannexation of 4 Ukrainian regions.<\/p>\n
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\n
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IAEA The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),
\nRafael Grossi, will travel to Kyiv and then to Moscow this week to discuss a
\nprotection zone around the Ukrainian nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhya. Rafael
\nGrossi will carry on consultations to have the mechanism in place as soon as
\npossible, the Agency said in a news release. The nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya,
\nthe largest in Europe, is occupied by Russian forces, but is still operated by
\nUkrainian personnel. Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of shelling the
\nplant area. (AMP)<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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