September 15, 2022 UPDATE

WAR IN UKRAINE - The EU will support Ukraine for as long as it is necessary in its war against Russia, European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen told a press briefing on Thursday, held jointly with Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv. This is the third visit to Ukraine the EU official has paid since February 24, the start of the invasion. Meanwhile, Russian shelling continues on the ground. President Zelensky said cities and settlements recaptured by Ukrainian troops were found destroyed by the Russians. The Government has condemned the attacks, saying they come in response to Ukraine's counteroffensive in the northeast.

DECISION - The Romanian Government has passed a draft law on protecting the IT systems of public authorities and institutions in the context of the Russian invasion in Ukraine. Thus, the Government will have all central and local authorities replace the Russian anti-virus software and apps for fear they may be used as spying tools by Moscow. The draft law, initiated by the Ministry of Research and Innovation, is in line with similar decisions taken by countries like Germany and Italy, which have decided to replace the Kaspersky anti-virus software used by public authorities in order to prevent any cyber-attacks from Russia.

ENERGY - Romania's gas stocks for the winter will exceed, by the end of this week, the minimum level of 80% set by the European Commission, Energy Minister Virgil Popescu has announced. According to Minister Popescu, Romania has enough stocks to get through winter, although there will be a complicated period in the entire EU, with uncertainties related to Russian gas supplies. Virgil Popescu said the new decree on capping the price of energy could be modified to support people whose life depends on oxygen devices that use a lot of energy and thus exceed the ceiling set by the law in force. The Government has also announced it considers granting bonuses to those who want to save energy.

FUNERAL - Buckingham Palace has provided more details about Monday's state funeral of Her Royal Majesty Queen Elizabeth of Great Britain. The first religious service will take place at 11 AM at Westminster Abbey. Some 3,000 guests, including heads of state, members of the royal family, high-ranking officials and representatives of humanitarian organizations are expected to attend. The coffin will subsequently travel to Windsor Castle in western London for a second religious service. In the evening, the Queen will be entombed at the George VI chapel as part of a private ceremony. Romania will be represented by president Klaus Iohannis. Her Royal Majesty Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania and Prince Consort Radu, will also attend.

EUROSTAT - The highest share of the population exposed to the risk of poverty and social exclusion at EU level was last year reported in Romania (34%), followed by Bulgaria (32%), Greece and Spain (both with 28%), the Eurostat reports. By contrast, the lowest share was reported last year in the Czech Republic (11%), Slovenia (13%) and Finland (14%). In 2021, 95.4 million people were at risk of poverty and social exclusion, accounting for 21.7% of the population, a slight increase compared to 2020 (94.8 million people, tantamount to 21.6% of the population). Last year, some 73.7 million EU citizens were at risk of poverty, 27 million faced serious financial difficulties and social exclusion, while 29.3 million lived in households with very low work intensity.

THE POPE - Pope Francis on Thursday sounded the alarm against the domino effect of military conflicts on international relations at the end of the end of a religious summit hosted by Kazakhstan that urged leaders to refrain from warmongering. On the sidelines of the 7th Congress of Leaders of World and Traditional Religions hosted in the capital-city Nur-Sultan, representatives of 50 countries and various confessions adopted a joint statement urging world leaders to abandon aggressive and destructive rhetoric which leads to destabilization of the world. Participants said extremism, radicalism, terrorism and all other forms of violence and war have nothing to do with true religion and must be rejected in the strongest possible terms. The statement also promotes the dignity and rights of women and the improvement of their social standing as equal members of the family and society. (VP)