September 12, 2023 UPDATE

Welfare. Some 2 million vulnerable households in Romania will benefit from fresh financial aid starting this week. It's the second instalment, worth 140 euros, for the payment of bills for electricity, heat, gas and other fuels that can be  used to heat homes. The first tranche was disbursed at the beginning of the year. In total, the amount received in 2023 by a family with financial problems is 1,400 lei, from European funds. In another move, starting next month, pensioners with incomes lower or equal to 3,000 lei (around 600 euros) will benefit from the second instalment of the aid granted by the state. Moreover, this year, the Romanian citizens belonging to vulnerable categories are getting from the state social cards, which means 50 euros every two months for food and warm meals. According to the Labour Minister, this measure benefits approximately 2.5 million people.     

Poetry. The 13th International Poetry Festival got under way in Bucharest on Monday. For one week, the event, appreciated by specialists as one of the most watched in Europe, brings together over 170 poets from 27 countries on four continents. The programme includes meetings with poets, translators and publishers, public readings, debates, round tables, poetry marathons or performances, but also theatre shows, film screenings and concerts, exhibitions and events dedicated to professionals. As part of the International Poetry Festival, a well-known and popular project is also organised, the National Poetry Book Fair, which brings to the fore recently published books of poetry.

NATO. The Deputy Secretary General of NATO, the former Romanian foreign minister Mircea Geoană, has stated that there are no indications that the Russian Federation intends to attack a member state of the Alliance, but the concern of the Romanian citizens who live near the Danube border with Ukraine is understandable. "My message, as a Romanian, is to try to have faith in the fact that the North Atlantic Alliance has all the measures in place to ensure the protection of the entire allied space, including Romania", Geoană also said. He welcomed the US's decision to add air policing missions in the Black Sea area. In another development, a joint military exercise is taking place, until Friday, in the Black Sea and the Danube Delta. 227 soldiers, including 164 Romanian and 63 foreign, are participating in the multinational exercise Sea Breeze, organised by the United States of America for the first time in Romania. The training contributes to increasing stability in the Black Sea region and ensuring freedom of navigation, as a result of the Russian aggression against Ukraine.

Schengen. The growth of extremism should not be neglected but counteracted by showing that the EU matters, said European Parliament president Roberta Metsola. She said a decision to block the entry of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen free-movement area risks leading to multiplying those wishing to destroy Europe. Roberta Metsola also called on the EU to prepare for a restart and reform. She also said that a bigger Europe is stronger and safer in both political and economic terms. Her statements come 9 months after the Austrian government voted against the Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria.

Tennis. The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep on Tuesday received a four-year ban from professional tennis from the International Tennis Integrity Agency, the independent body that assessed her case. The decision is not final and can be appealed before the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne. A former world no. 1, Halep played her last match a year ago before being suspended provisionally for doping. The International Tennis Integrity Agency postponed a ruling several times. Her hearings took place in London in July. According to the Agency, Halep was charged with two separate doping offences. The first was using a banned substance, roxadustat, at the US Open last year and the second relates to irregularities in her Athlete Biological Passport. (CM)