November 28, 2023 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Radio România, 28.11.2023, 19:53
HEALTCARE – The Romanian Ministry of Health has drawn up the first National Program for the development of palliative care services in healthcare units, outpatient units and home-based settings and has set up, for the first time, 8 pilot centers for home care. These are part of a project co-financed by the European Social Fund, through the Administrative Capacity Operational Program 2014 – 2020. The project has been conducted from 2020 to 2023 on a budget of around 5 million euros. The Romanian health Minister, Alexandru Rafila, said that 800 people were trained as part of the program.
COHESION – Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu on Monday met with EU Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms Elisa Ferreira, paying an official visit to Romania. Romania absorbed 90% of EU funds over the 2014-2020 financial framework and is thus ranked 4th at EU level, the Romanian Prime Minister said. Marcel Ciolacu added that EU Commissioner Ferreira also hailed this “historic premiere”. The EU official encouraged Bucharest to further develop its administrative capacities and long-term programs of economic advancement and sophisticated technologies, so as to advance from the development stage to becoming an economy that produces added-value.
SCHENGEN – The accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area is on the provisional agenda of the Justice and Internal Affairs Council, a meeting scheduled to take place in Brussels between December 4 and 5, but there will not be a vote on this topic, according to government sources in Bucharest. There are talks for holding a new extraordinary Justice and Home Affairs Council at the end of this year, where Romanias two-stage accession to Schengen would be examined. The first stage includes the integration, as of next March, of Romania’s air borders into the European free movement area.
NATO — Romanian Foreign Minister Luminița Odobescu is attending the two-day meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Brussels. The event is held against the backdrop of a deteriorating security climate, impacting multiple areas of increased interest for the Alliance – the Russian aggression in Ukraine, tensions in the Western Balkans, the military conflict pitting Israel against Hamas. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, Luminita Odobescu will express solidarity with the Alliance and refer to NATOs efficiency in promoting security and stability. The Romanian Minister will also highlight the strategic importance of the Black Sea region to Euro-Atlantic security and will encourage the development of a structured approach to this region, as per the Allied resolutions adopted in Madrid and Vilnius. At the same time, Minister Odobescu will underline the need to fully implement the decisions to consolidate NATOs deterrence posture.
MEETING – Romanias Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr on Monday met his British counterpart, Grant Shapps, during his visit to London. The two officials discussed prospects of consolidating and developing the strategic partnership between Romania and the UK, the security context in the Black Sea region, the Russian Federations aggression in Ukraine and topics on the NATO agenda. “We discussed ways to consolidate cooperation with regard to consolidating NATOs defense and deterrence posture on the Eastern Flank, implementing the NATO Strategic Concept and the need to continue exchanges with a view to better understand the specific challenges of each region”, Minister Tîlvăr said. (EE)
