January 30, 2023 UPDATE

ARREST - Former national football team headcoach Victor Pițurcă has been arrested by anti-corruption prosecutors in an investigation into the acquisition of non-compliant medical products for military hospitals during the pandemic, judicial sources say. As a footballer, Victor Pițurcă won the European Champions' Cup with Steaua Bucharest in 1986. He later coached Steaua Bucharest, FC U Craiova, Romania's Under-21 team, FCSB, Romania's senior team (twice, over 2004-2009 and 2011-2014), Universitatea Craiova and Al-Ittihad (Saudi Arabia). The head of Romania's top military manufacturer and exporter, Romarm, Gabriel Țuțu, was also detained.

FORESTS - The European Union will grant Romania €1 billion under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), of which €800 million will be earmarked to a forestation program targeting 55 thousand hectares. The remaining €200 million will be spent on digitizing surveillance and control systems designed to combat illegal logging. Cristian Ghinea, the former coordinator of Romania's PNRR and a former USR Minister for Investment and European Projects, warned that, to be able to meet forest protection targets, the National Forest Authority - ROMSILVA must be reformed and digitized.

AGRIFISH - Romania's Agriculture Minister, Petre Daea, on Monday said in Brussels that Romania is a major exporter of farm animals to third countries, and expressed support for legislative changes designed to increase the well-being of animals, although any change should not rule out certain types of transport. Minister Daea pointed out that Bucharest will not accept a ban on live animal transport over long distances. The Romanian official also said that Romania opposes the cap on 150 UVM on animal transports as well as the application of this criterion to cattle transports. According to a European Parliament press release, the Committee of Inquiry on the Protection of Animals during Transport found systematic failures to enforce the existing rules on the protection of animals during transport and made recommendations for the revision of the rules, which is expected in 2023. Minister Petre Daea is attending the Agrifish (Agriculture and Fishing) Council meeting in Brussels. High on the agenda are the situation of food markets, bioeconomy, honey labeling, the industrial emission directive and animal transport.

HEALTH - Health Minister Alexandru Rafila has told a private television station that the number of flu and viral infection cases is decreasing in Romania. According to the minister, the flu epidemic will end in approximately two to three weeks. Alexandru Rafila said that in the last week alone, the number of cases reported was by 25% lower compared to the previous week, standing at some 100,000 new infections. He also stressed that there were no problems with the stocks of medicines used in viral respiratory infections, even if their consumption has increased more than usual.

SESSION - Romanian senators and deputies return, this week, to Parliament, for the first parliamentary session of the year. Among the priorities on the agenda are sensitive bills, such as the one on public service pensions, which should no longer exceed the salary from the active period, or the proposals to amend the education laws, on which the parties in the government coalition have so far failed to reach consensus.

ICR - The Romanian Cultural Institute (ICR) announced the relaunch of the Cantemir Cultural Partnerships and Financing Program, intended for international projects. The main aim of the program is to connect culture operators from Romania with partners from abroad. Through the Cantemir Program, previously run between 2006 - 2012 and resumed in 2023 with some changes, ICR will grant non-refundable funding for cultural initiatives in the fields of visual arts - fine arts, decorative arts, science/research and architecture, design, new media, photography, performance and performing arts - theater, music and dance. (LS & VP)