September 12, 2022 UPDATE
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Newsroom, 12.09.2022, 20:09
AGREEMENT Romania and France signed a
transport agreement in Paris on Monday pledging to support the shipment of Ukrainian
grain to the countries needing it. The Romanian authorities have announced they
will cooperate with their French counterparts to draw up a medium-term strategy
for the corridors making the connection between Romania and Ukraine, including
those through the ex-soviet, Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova. The
agreement with Romania will allow Ukraine to ship more grain to Europe and the developing
countries, particularly in the Mediterranean, which are facing food shortages,
the French Transport Minister Clement Beaune said. According to the French
official, more than a third of the exported grain goes to developing countries.
INFLATION Romania’s annual inflation rate went up to 15.32% in August
from 14.96% in July. According to data published by the National Statistics
Institute on Monday, foodstuffs prices went up by 18.22%, while those for
non-food products also went up by 15.98%. Prices for services increased by
8.26%. The Central Bank has increased its inflation forecast for 2022 to 13.9%,
estimating an inflation rate of 7.5% for 2023. The Central Bank expects the
deflation trend to temporarily stop in the second quarter of 2023, once the
current state-aid schemes targeting the energy sector end. The Central Bank
expects an inflation rate of 2.3% for June 2024.
QUEEN King Charles III on Monday said that
Parliament is the living and breathing instrument of our democracy. In his
first speech before the two houses of the Legislature at Westminster Hall, King
Charles said Queen Elizabeth II ‘set an example of selfless duty’ pledging to
follow her example of commitment to a constitutional government. The coffin of
Her Majesty, Elisabeth II, was taken from the Palace of Holyroodhouse in
Edinburgh to St. Giles Cathedral with a procession attended by Charles and
royal family members. The coffin will be flown to London on Tuesday and taken
to Buckingham Palace before being moved to the Palace of Westminster the next
day, where the queen will lie in state until her funeral on September 19.
ENERGY The European Commission is this week
expected to present the set of proposals agreed upon in Friday’s meeting of EU
Energy Ministers, designed to combat the energy crisis. The package might
include a cap on energy prices and taxing the excess profits of fossil fuel
companies and redistributing the revenues to state-aid schemes. Romania’s
Energy Minister, Virgil Popescu, says Romania supports a balanced approach
towards all Member States. Capping natural gas prices at community level would
significantly curb volatility on the EU energy market, the Romanian official
said.
(bill)
