August 11, 2023 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 11.08.2023, 19:15

Inflation – Romanias annual inflation rate dropped to 9.4% in July from 10.3% in June, while the price of foods went up by over 16%, of non-foods by 4.25% and of services by almost 12%, according to data published on Friday by the National Institute of Statistics. The National Bank of Romania revised its inflation forecast for the end of year up to 7.5% from 7.1% and to 4.4% for the end of 2024, the central bank governor Mugur Isărescu said on Wednesday. The projection is based on the legislation in force and does not take into account the impact of the fiscal consolidation measures recently proposed by the authorities.

Transit — The Romanian Transport Minister, Sorin Grindeanu, announced that measures will be taken in the next period to increase the transit capacity of Ukrainian grains through Romania from 2 to 4 million tons per month. The statement was made following discussions with high officials from the US, the European Union and the Republic of Moldova about alternative transport routes, following Russias withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The meeting took place on Friday in Galati, a port on the Danube, in eastern Romania. The importance of Romanian land, rail, and naval transport routes for maintaining a continuous flow for exports and imports from Ukraine was emphasized. “Despite Russias merciless destruction of Ukrainian port infrastructure and grain warehouses, we remain committed to ensuring the uninterrupted continuity of Ukrainian grain exports to meet global demand,” the US Embassy in Bucharest announced. The US officials again accused the Kremlin of “turning food into a weapon and of endangering global food security.”

Football – Romanias football champions Farul Constanța defeated Flora Tallinn of Estonia 3-nil on Thursday evening at home in the first leg of the third preliminary round of the UEFA Conference League. In the same leg, the vice-champions FCSB drew nil-all against FC Nordsjaelland of Denmark in a match in Bucharest, while the winner of the Romanian Cup, Sepsi OSK Sfântu Gheorghe, drew 1-all at home against FC Aktobe of Kazakhstan. The decisive matches will be held next week.

Exercise — Approximately 250 soldiers from France and Luxembourg and 65 pieces of technical equipment from the NATO Battle Group in Romania will participate, between August 14 and 18, in the DEPLOYEX exercise in the Babadag range (south-east), the Defense Ministry announced on Friday. The movement of troops and technical means will take place on Monday, and the purpose of the DEPLOYEX organization is to practice the rapid deployment of the troops and equipment of the Battle Group, according to the aforementioned source. Also, this exercise contributes to improving the level of interoperability of the forces within the NATO Battle Group. This group contributes to increasing Romanias military cooperation with the participating countries – France, the Netherlands and Belgium (by rotation), as well as with Luxembourg and, implicitly, contributes to consolidating the security of the Euro-Atlantic area on the Eastern Flank.

Deposit-refund – The deposit-refund scheme will become functional in Romania as of the end of November, announced the Environment Minister, Mircea Fechet. This means that, from that date, bottles, PETs and aluminum cans can be returned to stores. In exchange for them, citizens will receive money or vouchers, as happens in the other EU member states. The deposit-refund scheme is to help Romania reach the 55% recycling rate imposed by Brussels by 2025.

Navy – The Romanian Naval Forces are carrying out activities dedicated to the Romanian Navy Day in the run-up to 15th August, the Christian holiday of the Assumption, the Virgin Mary being considered the patron of sailors. Various events are scheduled in the capital city, in the Romanian Black Sea ports of Constanţa and Mangalia and the Danube ports of Brăila, Tulcea and Galaţi. On 15th August, Constanţa will play host to a demonstration exercise entitled The Romanian Naval Forces 2023 on the maritime stage in from the Fleet Command. The opening ceremony involving helicopters and speed boats flying the flags of Romania and NATO, will be followed by a parade by Romanias flagship vessel, Mircea. (LS, CM)