March 10, 2024

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 10.03.2024, 14:24

ROȘIA MONTANĂ – Romania has won the legal dispute against the Canadian miner Gabriel Resources, launched in 2015, following a ruling of the Washington-based International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), made public on Friday. The Romanian state is thus under no obligation to pay damages to the Canadian mining company, and instead must receive over 7 mln EUR and another 1 mln USD in court fees and other arbitration-related costs. The decision can be appealed over the next four months. Gabriel Resources sought damages worth 6.7 bln USD, invoking huge losses caused by the Romanian authorities’ decision not to start exploitation works at the Roșia Montană gold mine, where the Canadian miner had allegedly invested sizable amounts of money. In 2021, Roșia Montană was included on the UNESCO World Heritage list, which blocked any further attempts at resuming mining operations. The team of Romanian lawyers explained Romania made constant efforts to observe the rights of both investors and of Romanian citizens, arguing the court of arbitration factored in the numerous challenges related to environment protection and other social, cultural and economic challenges facing the mining project, ruling that the Romanian authorities fulfilled their regulation obligations as best as possible in a very difficult context.

ELECTIONS – The Government of Romania has adopted an emergency decree on the timetable of the elections in Romania. The document stipulates the joint organization of the local election with the European Parliament election on June 9. The election campaign is set to begin on March 12. Lawmakers say hosting the two ballots on the same date will spell numerous benefits and will boost voter turnout. The president of the Permanent Election Authority, Toni Greblă, says the measure sought to observe the Constitution, the provisions of the Venice Commission and the relevant legislation. The election will occasion the use of a special automated system, administered by the Special Telecommunications Service, to monitor voter turnout and prevent illegal voting. The presidential election will be held in September while the election for the Romanian Parliament will be held in December.

TOURISM – In 2023, tourism in the EU exceeded pre-pandemic levels, according to the latest Eurostat report. The number of nights spent in EU tourist accommodation reached 2.9 billion, accounting for a 1.4% increase compared to 2019. Slovakia and Czechia recorded the highest growth in terms of nights spent by international guests, with both countries experiencing an increase of 29% in 2023 compared to 2022. The Netherlands and Romania followed, each with a 23% increase, while Croatia recorded a modest growth of 2%. Eurostat data points to a rebound in tourism nights from spring 2022 onwards. The overall trend for 2023 indicates an increase in total number of nights spent, reaching a record number of nights spent and approaching 3 billion annual nights.

OSCARS – The 96th Oscars Awards Gala will be hosted on Sunday night in Los Angeles. The biographic thriller “Oppenheimer”, written, directed and produced by Christopher Nolan and staring Cilian Murphy in the male lead, has received the most nominations in 13 categories. The film tells the story of physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer and his contribution to the development of the atomic bomb. Yorgos Lanthimos’s “Poor Things”, staring Emma Stone as Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter, has received 11 nominations. The western drama “Killers of the Flower Moon”, produced and directed by Martin Scorsese, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Lily Gladstone in the main leads, is ranked 3rd in terms of nominations, competing in 10 categories. With five nominations, Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall” hopes to upset all odds after winning the Palme d’Or at Cannes 2023. The nominees for best picture also include Bradley Cooper’s “Maestro”, a chronicle of the life of composer Leonard Berstein, Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers” as well as Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest”, a spine-chilling chronicle of the careless life of a family of Nazis, living the life of their dreams in a villa next to the Auschwitz camp. (VP)