March 14, 2023
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 14.03.2023, 13:55
ROMANIA-USA RELATIONS – Romanias Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă met in Bucharest with the Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary in the Bureau of European and Eurasian Affairs, Dereck J. Hogan, who paid a visit to Bucharest to attend the US-Romanian Strategic Dialogue meeting. Talks focused on bialteral cooperation between Romania and the USA at political, economic and military levels. As regards sectorial cooperation, talks also addressed cooperation between the two sides in the fields of energy, IT&C and agriculture. Prime Minister Ciucă expressed an interest in attracting a larger number of US businesses with a view to developing more projects in Romania. Another major topic on the agenda for talks was regional security in the context of the Russian military aggression in Ukraine. The Romanian Prime Minister outlined multi-dimensional support, including humanitarian aid, financial assistance and logistics support for helping Ukraine export its grain, which Romania has provided to Ukraine as well as the Republic of Moldova. Bucharests significant contribution was hailed by the US administration. Additionally, the two officials also examined security developments in the Black Sea region. Secretary Hogan offered technical support to help Romania join the Visa Waiver programme.
TALKS – Romanias Schengen accession and EU enlargement were high on the agenda for talks between Romanias Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, and his Lithuanian counterpart, Gabrielius Landsbergis. In Vilnius, the two officials also tackled support for Ukraine, referring to the reconstruction process in this country. Talks also focused on the impact of the war on other regional players, specifically on the security developments in the Republic of Moldova and joint actions to counter Russias destabilizing actions. The challenges facing the Republic of Moldova were also approached during the meeting Bogdan Aurescu had with the Lithuanian Parliament Speaker, Viktorija Cmilyte-Nielsen. On this occasion, Minister Aurescu praised the good Romanian-Lithuanian relations, highlighting the positive trend of bilateral dialogue at all levels. The Romanian official also underlined the positive evolution of two-way trade. The two officials examined preparations for the upcoming NATO Summit in Vilnius in July 2023.
SCHENGEN – On the sidelines of the EPSCO Council in Brussels, Romanias Labor Minister Marius Budăi met with his Austrian counterpart, Johannes Rauch. The two officials discussed Romanias accession to the Schengen area, with Minister Rauch expressing support from himself and vice-chancellor Werner Kogler. At the 2022 Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting of December 2022, Romania and Bulgaria were denied admission in the travel-free area. The Council failed to reach unanimity although the two countries have fulfilled all technical accession criteria. Opposition came from Austria and the Netherlands, the latter saying that Bulgaria is not yet ready to join Schengen. According to Marius Budăi, talks with his Austrian counterpart also focused on the importance of Romanian workers in Austria, in particular Romanian caretakers.
EURO 7 – Transport Ministers from the Czech Republic, Germany, Italy, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Hungary and Slovakia on Monday addressed the proposals to change pollution norms for vehicles, known as Euro 7, against the backdrop of a dispute regarding the EUs strategy to transition to electric vehicles. Euro 7 regulations are expected to tighten limits for pollutants affecting public health, including nitrous oxides. The EU claims that the benefits to public health will far outweigh the costs. EU members however oppose the introduction of these new regulations, which they describe as a burden on the car market. They have expressed reluctance regarding the short deadline for implementing the norms, which is mid-2025 for vehicles, and have proposed a period of four years and a number of technical changes to provide car markets with additional time to prepare and improve technological measures, Czech authorities said.
TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Sorana Cîrstea (83 WTA) has advanced to the round of 16 at the Indian Wells 1000 WTA tournament in California, totaling some $8.8 million in total prizes, after ousting Bernarda Pera of the United States, 6-3, 6-1 in the third round. In the next phase, Cîrstea will take on Caroline Garcia of France (5 WTA), who in the previous round knocked out Leylah Fernandez of Canada. Garcia leads 2-0 in head-to-head matches with Cîrstea, after winning in 2017 in Toronto and Madrid. (VP)
