AGREEMENT The PM
\nof Romania Marcel Ciolacu and the representatives of farmers and carriers
\nFriday reached an agreement ending the recent protests. On Monday, the PM’s
\noffice will set up an inter-ministry committee tasked with identifying the best
\nsolutions for the protesters’ demands. Farmers and carriers in Romania
\nprotested for 3 weeks against high business costs, low prices for produce, the
\nimport of cheap foodstuffs from Ukraine and the constraints introduced by the
\nEU as part of its climate change action.<\/p>\n
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\n
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COMMEMORATION A
\nceremony commemorating the prominent politician Iuliu Maniu, a former prime
\nminister of Romania and leader of the National Christian-Democratic Party, was
\nheld on Saturday at the Memorial for the victims of communism in Sighetu
\nMarma\u0163iei (north-west). Maniu died on the night of February 4 1953, in the political
\nprison in Sighet, where he was serving a life sentence for high treason
\npronounced by the communist regime. His name was cleared under a Supreme Court
\nruling in 1998, and a monument was erected in his honour in the Revolution
\nSquare in Bucharest.<\/p>\n
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\n
<\/p>\n
MOLDOVA Chi\u015fin\u0103u
\nextended an entry ban against the leader of the Romanian nationalist party AUR,
\nGeorge Simion, by another 5 years. Under Moldova’s legislation, foreigners may
\nbe declared undesirables if they have or if there are strong reasons to believe
\nthey intend to conduct activities likely to endanger the country’s national
\nsecurity or public order. According to the R. of Moldova, the Romanian
\nauthorities have been notified in this respect, and George Simion challenged
\nthe decision in court. The AUR leader was expelled from Moldova in 2018, with
\nan entry ban in place for a period of 5 years.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
HEALTHCARE Trade
\nunions in the healthcare sector have new talks scheduled next week with the
\nRomanian authorities in the context of the recent protests. The vice-president
\nof the Ambulan\u0163a Trade Union Federation, Magyary Arpad, had a meeting on
\nFriday with the healthcare minister, Alexandru Rafila, but failed to reach an
\nagreement on salaries, equipment and the personnel shortage in the system.
\nArpad voiced optimism with respect to a 20% pay raise deal, but said he was not
\nsure the measure would cover all healthcare personnel and whether it would be
\nimplemented in full or in several instalments. He said the talks also concerned
\nthe procurement of ambulance vehicles, office revamping and changes in the
\nlegislation. Trade unions in healthcare initiated nation-wide protests in
\nNovember 2022, but suspended them until after next week’s meeting with PM
\nMarcel Ciolacu. Talks will also be held in the coming days with the Sanitas trade
\nunion federation, which has its own salary demands for several categories of
\nhealthcare personnel. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
ALERT
\nHealthcare units in Romania are implementing additional measures after a state
\nof epidemiological alert was declared due to the growing number of respiratory
\ninfections and flu cases. Special attention is given to the health of hospital
\npersonnel and to the protection equipment, and visiting hours have been reduced.
\nVisitor access is denied in ICUs, neonatology and pediatrics departments,
\ncoronary care units, oncology and hematology units, and in infectious disease
\nunits. In other hospital departments, no more than 2 visitors will be allowed
\nat the same time in a room, and individual protection equipment will be
\ncompulsory.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
MIDDLE EAST The
\nUS conducted scores of air raids against targets operated by Iran-controlled
\ngroups in Iraq and Syria. The Pentagon said the raids were a response to the
\nrecent drone attack by Iran-supported fighters, which killed 3 US troops at a
\nmilitary base in Jordan, the BBC reports. Taking part in Friday’s raids were B1
\nlong-range bombers, flying out of the US. Iran condemned the strikes, claiming
\nthey violated the sovereignty of Syria and Iraq, AFP reports. In Bagdad, a
\ngovernment spokesman announced the US strikes in western Iraq killed at least
\n16 people, including civilians. Meanwhile, the US state secretary Antony
\nBlinken will travel to Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Israel and the West Bank
\nbetween February 4 and 8, primarily to reach a deal securing the freeing of all
\nthe Israeli hostages kept in Gaza following the Hamas terror attack of October
\n7. (AMP)<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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