VISIT A Romanian
\ndelegation headed by PM Marcel Ciolacu is on a visit to Rome as of today. The
\nmain item on the agenda is the 3rd joint meeting of the 2 countries’
\ngovernments, held 13 years
\nafter the previous inter-governmental summit. An economic forum will also be organised,
\nattended by business people from the 2 countries. PM Ciolacu has meetings today with
\nmembers of the Romanian community in Italy, and is to be received by His
\nHoliness Pope Francis at the Vatican. Also today, the Romanian official has
\ntalks with the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri. On Thursday Marcel Ciolcacu
\nwill have an official meeting with the PM of Italy, Georgia Meloni, followed by
\njoint press statements. Italy is home to the largest Romanian community abroad,
\ncomprising more than 1.1 million citizens, and is Romania’s second-largest
\ntrade partner, with exchanges accounting for approx. 9.5% of the country’s
\nforeign trade.<\/p>\n
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CYBER ATTACK Several hospitals in Romania, including
\nin Bucharest, have been targeted by a cyber-attack that encrypted data on their
\nservers, the National Cyber Security Directorate (DNSC) announced. Most of the
\nhealthcare units affected by the incident had safety copies of their data.
\nAccording to the health ministry, exceptional security measures have been
\nimplemented, with many units in the healthcare system disconnected from the
\ninternet for further inquiries. The Directorate Investigating Organised Crime
\nand Terrorism Offences has started a criminal investigation. <\/p>\n
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FARMERS The European Commission has officially endorsed a regulation which
\ngrants a one-year exemption from the rule requiring farmers to keep 4% of their
\narable land fallow. The rule, designed to help improve environment
\nconditions, had sparked protests across the EU, including in Romania. In exchange, farmers
\nare now required to grow nitrogen fixing crops such as lentils or peas. The new
\nregulation is intended to give farmers more flexibility, while also protecting
\nbiodiversity and land quality. The measure is to be applied for the year 2024. Member
\nStates have 15 days to notify the Commission of the implementation option that they
\nchoose out of the 2 alternatives available.<\/p>\n
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STUDENTS Romanian schoolchildren may
\nhave free of charge access to museums, concerts, theatre and opera shows,
\nmovies and other cultural and sports events organised by public institutions,
\nwithin approved budgets, under a new bill passed in the Senate and backed by
\nall parliamentary parties. In a society threatened by the absence of role
\nmodels, museums and other informal learning venues should be available to
\nstudents free of charge, and this facility is an investment in their
\neducational future, the bill authors argue. The draft law is to be forwarded to
\nthe Chamber of Deputies for the decisive vote.<\/p>\n
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TRANSPORTS Special lanes for EU and third-country lorries will be
\noperational in several Romanian checkpoints as of this week, the public road
\ncompany has announced. This is one of the measures agreed on with the carriers
\nthat have been protesting in Romania over the past month, and it is designed to
\nreduce waiting times at the border. Moreover, carriers will no longer be
\ncharged additional fees for weight 5% over the accepted ceiling. A new round of
\ntalks on separate flows for EU and non-EU lorries was held on Tuesday by the
\ntransport ministry, the public road company and road transport operators.<\/p>\n
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INTERESTS The
\nNational Bank of Romania has decided to keep the monetary policy interest rate
\nat 7% per year, the institution announced. The key interest rate has not been
\nchanged since last January, when the National Bank decided to raise it from
\n6.75% to 7% per year. A balanced mix of macroeconomic policies and structural
\nreforms, including the use of EU funding to encourage the country’s growth
\npotential in the long run, are vital to maintaining macroeconomic stability and
\nto strengthening the Romanian economy’s capacity to withstand negative
\ndevelopments, the institution said. <\/p>\n
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NATO Eighteen NATO member states will reach the 2% of GDP defence allocation
\ntarget in 2024, the NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg announced on
\nWednesday, ahead of a meeting of NATO defence ministers. According to Reuters, he
\nalso said that EU member states will invest a combined USD 380 bln in defence
\nthis year. The decision to earmark at least 2% of GDP to defence dates back to
\n2006, but only some member states have reached this target. After Russia
\ninvaded Ukraine in February 2022, NATO member countries reiterated this
\ncommitment. Romania has channelled over 2% of its GDP for defence for several
\nyears, and after the start of the war in Ukraine it has committed to invest
\n2.5% of GDP in Army equipment. (AMP)<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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