April 10, 2022 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

România Internațional, 10.04.2022, 19:20

Welfare. The
package of social and economic measures ‘Support for Romania’, worth 17.3
billion lei (about 3.5 billion euros), will be presented on Monday by the
coalition leaders, the president of the Social Democratic Party, Marcel
Ciolacu, has announced. He says the package is a first because it’s for the
first time that a government has come up
with such a plan to prevent the effects of the energy crisis. In turn,
the Minister of Labor and Social Solidarity, Marius Budai, has explained that
the beneficiaries of the social measures included in the ‘Support for Romania’ program are
approximately 12 million people. The measures agreed by the PSD-PNL-UDMR
governing coalition include: an increase in the minimum wage of 200 lei (about
40 euros), 50 euro vouchers for vulnerable families, a higher value of meal
vouchers, from 20 (4 euro) to 30 lei (6 euro), double food quotas for
hospitalized patients, as well as aid for the payment of fuel. The executive
has also decided that the employees affected by the war in Ukraine will benefit
from an indemnity paid from the unemployment fund.

PNL. On Sunday, Romania’s Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca was elected president of the National Liberal Party. We must continue to modernize the country and provide a stable future for our children, with a high-performing education, with modern medical services, with quality public services, with a business environment that can provide well-paid jobs and living conditions just like in the western countries, the PM said. According to him, investments are the strongest medicine for the economy in a crisis situation. He also spoke about Romanians in the diaspora. I want them to return home and support our effort to develop Romania with their commitment, experience and skills. We, in turn, must do everything we can to ensure an attractive economic and social environment for them, Ciuca also said. We recall that Florin Citu resigned as party president a week ago, as several Liberal leaders had asked him to step down. They accused Citu of causing tension within the governing coalition, of failing to communicate with the party and of having a bad public image, which affected the party’s score in polls.

FAC. On Monday, Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan
Aurescu will attend the Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg. According to a communiqué
issued by the Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry, the main topics on the agenda
will be the EU response to the Russian aggression against Ukraine, and the EU Global Gateway initiative,
regarding global and strategic connectivity, adopted in 2021. Bogdan Aurescu
will reiterate a firm condemnation of the atrocities committed in Bucha and in
other Ukrainian cities and will show that Romania supports an immediate
investigation by the International Criminal Court, the communiqué also reads. Bogdan Aurescu will also reiterate Romania’s commitment
to maintaining peace and stability in the region.

Ukraine. Ukrainian border guards have announced that they have prevented nearly 2,200 recruitable men from leaving Ukraine, as men between the ages of 18 and 60 have been banned from leaving the country since the beginning of the Russian invasion. However, some tried to bribe officials or cross the border with forged documents. Ukrainian authorities have announced that they will punish those who run. In another move, Russia has confirmed a new exchange of prisoners with Ukraine, the third since the beginning of the conflict. In parallel, Ukraine has started 5,600 investigations into alleged war crimes committed on its territory by Russian forces, Prosecutor General Irina Venediktova said on Sunday

Refugees. More than 10 thousand Ukrainians entered
Romania on Saturday, by 16% more than on Friday. According to the Romanian
Border Police, some 669 thousand people fleeing the war in Ukraine have crossed
Romania’s borders so far. Most of them have been heading for Western Europe,
and only several thousands have requested asylum in our country.

Palm Sunday. Roman Catholics in Romania and around
the world celebrated Palm Sunday, which marks the triumphant entry of Jesus
Christ into Jerusalem. The feast also opens the Holy Week for Catholics, which
commemorates the Passion of the Savior which culminated in His death by
crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of
Bucharest organized, on the streets of Bucharest, the traditional Palm Sunday Procession.
In Rome, after two years of pandemic marked by the restrictions, Pope Francis
officiated a public liturgy in St. Peter’s Square in front of thousands of
believers. In his sermon, the Sovereign Pontiff denounced the madness of war
in a violent and wounded world. Roman Catholics celebrate Easter next Sunday,
while Orthodox Christians celebrate on April 24. (MI)