December 11, 2023 UPDATE
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 11.12.2023, 19:45
BUDGET – Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu, presented on Monday the first data on the state budget for next year. He announced that the budget will be passed by the Government this week, and will be voted on in Parliament by Christmas. The Prime Minister said that the focus is on investments, which will receive 7.3% of the GDP, the biggest share ever granted to this sector. Also, Ciolacu said that education will receive a historic share of 4.1%, that is by 60% more money. Other budget increases target the Ministry of Health (almost 26%) and at the Ministry of Transport (30%). At the same time, the prime minister specified that the salaries of public servants will go up by 5% next year with the exception of dignitaries.
PROTEST – Specialized and auxiliary personnel in courts of law are holding protests over an indefinite period of time starting on Monday. A 4-hour strike will be organized in courts of law on the day the budget for 2024 is due for voting. Unionists want the budget for 2024 to set aside clear-cut funds for the full payment of salaries and other related rights.
FORUM – Interior Minister Cătălin Predoiu is taking part in the Salzburg Forum, hosted by Slovenia on Monday and Tuesday. The Forum favors direct meetings with Austrian officials, after Vienna showed the first signs of benevolence towards Romanias Schengen accession. On Monday, Austrian Interior Minister, Gerhard Karner, said that he presented the European Commission with clear conditions for it to implement, before the Government in Vienna agrees to the entry of Romania and Bulgaria into the Schengen area, by lifting the air borders. Karner said that progress is needed in the field of protection of the EUs external borders, in the sense of tripling the number of police officers. Also, the Commission must allocate funds for protection infrastructure at the Bulgarian-Turkish and Romanian-Serbian borders. In addition, he requested more thorough checks at land borders, as well as Romania and Bulgaria taking over asylum seekers, especially Afghans and Syrians.
EU — Romanias Foreign Minister, Luminița Odobescu, takes part in the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Brussels. European officials are discussing the aid granted to Ukraine and the long-term support strategy, in the context in which Hungary blocks the entire line of action every time its vote is needed for a decision in this respect. The Budapest administration behaves this way after the European Commission blocked its European funds because the country did not deliver on the promised reforms and did not improve its observance of the rule of law. Minister Odobescu said that the EU is not allowed to show signs of tiredness, especially when it comes to European security. “It is extremely important that the European Union maintains its political and practical support for Ukraine”, she said, pointing out that Romania supports the adoption, by the member states, of the multi-annual support package for Ukraine and putting more pressure on Russia by adopting the 12th package of sanctions. (EE)
