February 27, 2024
A roundup of domestic and international news
Mihaela Ignătescu, 27.02.2024, 13:29
Ukraine. The participants in the Paris Conference in support of Ukraine, organized at the initiative of President Emmanuel Macron, reaffirmed their unity and determination to continue supporting the war effort of the Ukrainian army. President Volodymyr Zelenskiy sent a recorded message, in which he thanked the French president for the initiative and the leaders attending for the help provided to his country so far and for future involvement. President Macron stated that the defeat of Russia is indispensable to guarantee the security and stability of the European continent. The leaders present agreed on the formation of a coalition to provide Kyiv with medium and long range missiles and bombs, which are indispensable for defense. Present at the meeting, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis welcomed President Macron’s approach and emphasized that the unity and solidarity of the international community in support of Ukraine are essential and must be maintained. The head of state said that Romania will continue to support Ukraine on all levels, as long as it is needed.
Protests. Airport workers are today picketing the Ministry of Finance in Bucharest, to denounce what they consider to be wage discrimination against other state companies. Qualified aviation personnel are not easy to find and cannot be trained from one day to the next, and Romania is already struggling with a shortage of specialized workforce, according to the workers’ union. Protesters are calling for the elimination of criteria based on salary ceilings, because they are discriminatory and discourage professionalism. In another move, the taxi drivers who have been protesting since Monday, in the center of the capital, were invited, on Wednesday, to the government to discuss their claims. They say that the alternative transport platforms create unfair competition and ask the government to issue an emergency ordinance so that they comply with the same rules. Taxi drivers request the limitation of the number of authorizations for alternative transport and similar rates for the compulsory civil liability insurance (RCA).
Bill. Today, the Romanian deputies have endorsed the bill that prohibits the sale to minors of electronic cigarettes, devices for heating tobacco, but also nicotine sachets for oral use. According to the new provisions, those who break the law will pay fines of up to 100 thousand lei (20 thousand euros). The normative act also provides that the sanctions for students who use these products in educational institutions will be established by the Ministry of Education. All parliamentary groups have announced that they support the new measures, and the Chamber of Deputies is the decision-making body in this matter.
Anticorruption. The fight against corruption remains a priority for Romania stressed the officials attending the presentation of the National Anticorruption Directorate’s activity report for 2023. Trust is the word that sums up the Directorate’s activity in the last year, said the chief prosecutor of the institution, Marius Voineag. For 2024, given the electoral context, the Anticorruption Directorate promises that it will continue to have the same determination to fight corruption, and the attention will be directed to the major cases of corruption and to the priority areas, with an impact on the lives of citizens.
NATO. The Secretary General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, and the leaders of the member countries welcomed the ratification, with an overwhelming majority of votes, in the Parliament of Hungary of Sweden’s accession to NATO, the final stage that precedes the reception of the last Scandinavian country in the North Atlantic Alliance. “With Sweden in NATO, we will strengthen the defense and deterrence posture on the eastern flank and we will continue the strong support for Ukraine” , Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis stressed on the occasion.
