PROTESTS – Romania’s Prime
\nMinister Marcel Ciolacu has called a meeting today with representatives of
\ntransporters and farmers and the relevant ministries. Last week’s talks focused
\non identifying solutions to the demands voiced by protesters, the most
\nimportant of which is the price of civil liability insurances for car owners.
\nThe Financial Surveillance Authority (CNAS) is working on a set of measures to
\nlower these prices, particularly for those people that don’t cause road traffic
\naccidents. In turn, farmers received assurances they will receive the remaining
\n5% of the total of 1.6 bln EUR awarded in subsidies. Employees of the public
\nhealth agencies also staged protests, calling for higher salaries, after the National
\nHealth Insurance Authority negotiated a salary increase for its workers last
\nyear. Meanwhile, the Sanitas Federation is expected to decide the organization
\nof an all-out strike. Trade unions say the government’s recent decision to lift
\nthe hiring freeze in the health sector does not solve the problems in the
\nsystem, where salaries are low and prevent people from applying for jobs. In
\nits latest session, the government green-lit the organization of
\nvacancy-filling contests for approximately 7,600 jobs in an attempt to solve
\nthe swiftly deepening crisis in the medical system, which faces severe
\npersonnel shortages. Family physicians have in turn threatened to close their
\npractices if the National Health Insurance Authority slashes subsidies for
\npatients, a measure they say could lower their revenues by as much as 50%
\nstarting February. We recall last week CNAS submitted a project to slash
\nsubsidies awarded to patients on their lists, as well as consultations provided
\nby family physicians. <\/p>\n
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ENVIRONMENT – Environment
\nMinister Mircea Fechet is as of today attending the two-day informal meeting of
\nEU Environment Ministers in Brussels. The agenda focuses on adaptation and
\nresilience, climate ambition and policy, circular economy and just transition.
\nAs regards adaptation and resilience, Member States will discuss how to
\nincrease societal and economic resilience in the face of climate change and
\nwill identify areas in which further action can be taken in the years to come
\nin order to boost the preparedness of the EU. According to the European
\nCouncil, the transition towards a climate-neutral economy and a society that
\nlives within the limits of the planet will require a whole-of-society approach.
\nWith respect to just transition, in continuing the work initiated under the
\nSpanish presidency, the Belgian presidency now intends to ensure that the
\nchallenges of a just transition remain high on the political agenda. And
\nfinally, referring to circular economy, the EU Green Deal has set an ambitious
\nstrategic objective to become the first climate-neutral continent by 2050, by
\nmeans of a more resource-efficient, resilient and competitive economy. <\/p>\n
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CULTURE DAY – Romanian Culture
\nDay is celebrated on January 15 in Romania and the Republic of Moldova, this
\nyear marking 174 years since the birth of Mihai Eminescu (15 January 1850 – 15
\nJune 1889). The event is celebrated through a series of exhibitions,
\nperformances, theatre shows, guided tours and concerts. Radio Romania stations
\nalso celebrate culture in all its forms on this day. All museums administered
\nby the Ministry of Culture can be visited for free today. Romanian Culture Day
\nis also celebrated by communities of Romanians abroad. The Romanian Cultural
\nInstitute organized a special event in Rome. For the second consecutive year,
\nthe Romanian and Moldovan embassies in Italy jointly celebrated Romanian
\nCulture Day in an event also attended by members of Romanian and Moldovan
\ncommunities in Italy. <\/p>\n
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MAIA SANDU – Moldova’s
\npresident Maia Sandu is the first person to receive the Timi\u0219oara Award for European Values. The Award celebrates personalities who
\ngained international recognition for promoting or defending European values. In
\nher acceptance speech, president Sandu said she wants Moldova to prosper and
\ndevelop the same as other European countries. Maia Sandu was elected for her
\ndetermination and clarity of vision in her efforts to further the European
\nintegration of the Republic of Moldova. <\/p>\n
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HANDBALL – The Romanian men’s handball
\nteam on Sunday lost 36-24 to Spain in its second Group B fixture at the
\nEuropean Championship in Germany. On Friday, Romania had also lost to Austria,
\n31-24. The third round is scheduled for tomorrow, when Romania will play
\nCroatia whereas Spain will take on Austria. Spain won the championship in 2018
\nand 2020 and played another final in 2022, whereas Croatia played the 2020
\nfinal. The top two teams in each group will advance to the main group phase. (VP)<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A roundup of domestic 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":[34770,31311,28990,37950,116376],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-612096","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newsflash","tag-environment-meeting","tag-european-handball-championship","tag-protests","tag-romanian-culture-day","tag-timisoara-award-for-european-values"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n