BUDGET Romania’s draft 2024 budget is to be endorsed by the
\nCabinet in a meeting today. The document will subsequently be submitted for
\nreview in Parliament. The budget is based on a 3.4% economic growth rate, a
\nbudget deficit target of 5% of GDP and an estimated annual inflation rate of 6% of GDP. The
\ndraft law also includes the already announced salary and pension increases, as
\nwell as most of the measures in the Government’s new legislative package. The
\nministries that will receive more money than in 2023 are the education,
\ndevelopment, environment and family ministries, while lower appropriations
\nwould be received by the energy ministry and the ministry for investments and
\nEU projects. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
SUMMIT The president of
\nRomania, Klaus Iohannis, takes part on Thursday and Friday in the European
\nCouncil meeting in Brussels, where important and complex topics will be
\napproached, according to the Romanian Presidency. These include the EU
\nenlargement, a revision of the 2021-2027 Multi-Annual Financial Framework,
\nsupport for Russia-invaded Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, security and
\ndefence, migration and the Union’s future Strategic Agenda. As far as the
\nMulti-Annual Financial Framework for 2021-2027 is concerned, president Iohannis will plead
\nfor an approach that promotes financial balance between the already existing
\ncommitments and the new priorities on the EU agenda, and does not involve a cut
\nin the funding of the Common Agricultural Policy and the Cohesion Policy, the
\nPresidency says. As for the situation in the Middle East, Mr. Iohannis will
\ninsist on the need for increased involvement of the EU in the region, in view of protecting
\ncivilians, de-escalating the conflict and resuming the two-state peace process.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
UKRAINE The reconstruction of Ukraine and Romania’s strategic role
\nin this process is the topic of an international conference held in the
\nRomanian mountain resort of Sinaia. Taking part are Romanian and foreign
\nofficials, independent experts, business people, academia and diplomats. The
\nhead of the Romanian government, Marcel Ciolacu, and the Ukrainian prime
\nminister Denys Shmyhal, sent a video message to the participants, highlighting
\nthe Romanian-Ukrainian partnership and Romania’s support for Ukraine. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
FUNDING On Friday, December 15, Romania will submit its 3rd
\npayment request under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the PM Marcel
\nCiolacu said at a meeting of the inter-ministry coordination committee for this
\nprogramme. The funding under the Plan amounts to EUR 2.7 bln and covers 74
\ntargets and benchmarks for the second half of the year 2022. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
ISRAEL The
\nRomanian foreign ministry this morning announced the death of another person
\nwith Romanian and Israeli citizenship taken hostage in Gaza by the Islamist
\ngroup Hamas. Tal Haimi was kidnapped on October 7, and his death had
\nalready been announced by the Israeli Embassy in Romania. According to a
\nFacebook post by the Israeli diplomatic office, Tal Haimi’s wife had come to
\nBucharest in late October to request Romania’s assistance in the efforts to get
\nthe Hamas hostages freed. On December 2, the foreign ministry said the Israeli
\nauthorities announced the death of a person with dual, Romanian and Israeli
\ncitizenship, captive in Gaza. Two other people with Romanian and Israeli
\ncitizenship are currently held hostage by Hamas, and Romania’s foreign ministry
\nreiterates the need for all hostages to be released. The Romanian Embassy in
\nTel Aviv stays in touch with the Israeli authorities, the foreign ministry also
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
ALERT Alert
\nmessages were sent to the citizens in the counties of Gala\u0163i and Tulcea, near Romania’s Ukrainian border, on Wednesday night. People
\nwere warned against objects falling from the airspace, were urged not to panic
\nand take shelter if necessary. These were the first RO-ALERT messages sent to
\nthe population in nearly 3 months, in the context of the war in Ukraine. This
\nyear the defence ministry identified parts of 3 drones used by Russia in
\nstrikes on Ukrainian Danube ports, which had fallen in Tulcea County. (AMP)<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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