SCHENGEN
\nThe losses incurred by Romania for the rejection of its Schengen accession bid
\nare over EUR 25 bln, says the Romanian interior minister Lucian Bode. For 11 years
\nwe have been securing Schengen’s border, investing in human resources,
\ncapabilities and modern technologies. The losses incurred by Romania during all
\nthis time, since it has fulfilled the criteria but has not benefited from the
\nrelated rights, are immeasurable, Mr. Bode said at a meeting of EU gendarme
\nchiefs. The topic of Romania’s Schengen accession and of the negative vote
\ngiven by Austria in the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting last week was
\nalso raised by president Klaus Iohannis at a meeting of EU leaders in Brussels.
\nSenior European officials conveyed a message of support for Romania’s and
\nBulgaria’s Schengen accession. The EC president Ursula von der Leyen and the
\nCouncil president Charles Michel said further discussions would be held on this
\ntopic and progress was expected in the following months.<\/p>\n
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FUNDING The
\nRomanian ministry for EU funding and investments has submitted to the EC the
\nsecond payment request, amounting to EUR 3.228 bln, under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. The 3rd payment request, amounting to EUR 3.1 bln, is to be submitted
\nto the Commission next spring. Romania benefits from over EUR 29 bln for the
\nimplementation of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, including grants
\nof up to EUR 14.24 bln and loans of nearly EUR 15 bln. The country has already
\ncashed in 2 pre-financing instalments totaling EUR 3.79 bln.<\/p>\n
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\n
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EU The president of
\nthe European Commission Ursula von der Leyen will attend in Bucharest on
\nSaturday the signing of an agreement between the governments of Azerbaijan,
\nGeorgia, Romania and Hungary concerning the Strategic Partnership in the
\ndevelopment and transport of green energy. The agreement will be signed by the
\npresident of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, and the PM of Georgia
\nIrakli Garibashvili, the PM of Romania Nicolae Ciuc\u0103, and the PM of Hungary
\nViktor Orban. According to the Romanian Presidency, the document is based on
\nthe interests of the 4 states concerning a strengthened national and regional
\nenergy security. The agreement will provide a financial and technical framework
\nfor the construction of an underwater renewable energy transport cable between
\nRomania and Azerbaijan, via Georgia and the Black Sea, and further on for the
\ntransport of this energy to Hungary and the rest of Europe.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
INFLATION The EU
\nannual inflation rate dropped from 11.5% in October to 11.1% in November, but in
\n8 member countries the rate rose from one month to the other, including in
\nRomania, where it went from 13.5% to 14.6%, Eurostat announced on Friday. In November,
\nthe EU member states with the highest inflation rates were Hungary, Latvia, Estonia
\nand Lithuania. At the opposite pole, the lowest inflation rates were reported
\nin Spain, France and Malta. <\/p>\n
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\n
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PROTEST Hundreds
\nof employees in the Romanian public education system are today picketing
\nprefect offices in several counties, primarily demanding the full
\nimplementation of a law concerning their incomes. Education unions say the net
\nsalaries for this category are up to EUR 440 and warn that 2023 will bring a
\nnew series of union actions unless the government solves the problems in this
\nsector. The trade unions also criticise the government’s failure to pay for
\novertime and travel expenses and to adjust revenues to the inflation rate.<\/p>\n
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\n
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TIMISOARA Romania
\ncommemorates today 33 years since the start of the anti-communist uprising in Timi\u015foara,
\nwestern Romania. The anniversary is marked by a traditional solemn meeting of
\nthe Local Council. The participants, including members of revolutionary
\nassociations, discuss the events of December ’89 and observe a moment of
\nsilence to honour those who died during those days. Exhibitions, film
\nscreenings, round tables, a concert entitled Folk for the Revolution as well
\nmarches are also organised on this occasion. 33 years ago, in Timi\u015foara, a
\nsolidarity rally for the Reformed pastor Laszlo Tokes grew into an uprising
\nthat spread across the country and led to the fall of the communist regime.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
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RESCUERS Romanian
\nmountain rescuers were awarded in Paris at the International Rescuers Congress,
\nattended by relevant institutions, associations and research institutes from
\nover 60 countries in the world. Salvamont Romania was acknowledged as one of
\nthe best drone-assisted search and rescue services, and the distinction was
\nreceived for the Data Analysis Centre in T\u00e2rgu Jiu. The centre uses special software
\nand drones for victim identification. (AMP)<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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