December 14, 2022

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 14.12.2022, 13:57

COMMEMORATION — Events dedicated to the commemoration of 33 years since the anti-communist Revolution of 1989 have started today in Timisoara. An exhibition will be opened at the “Memorialul Revolutiei” Museum while on Thursday short films about the Revolutions will be screened in a number of schools in the city. Marches in memory of the victims and the concert “Folk for the Revolution” will be held on December 16. December 17 will be a day of mourning in Timisoara, in memory of those who gave their life for freedom. Commemorative events will end on December 20 with a video mapping show, with images from the Revolution. The Romanian Revolution started in Timisoara on December 16, 1989 and then spread to Bucharest and other cities. More than 1,000 people were killed and around 3 thousand were injured, Romania being the only country in Eastern Europe where the change of regime violent.

MEETINGS – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is today attending in Brussels the EU-ASEAN Summit. It is the first-ever summit between the EU leaders and ASEAN member states, marking 45 years of diplomatic relations. The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, and the 2022 ASEAN Chair, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, will co-chair the EU-ASEAN commemorative summit. Also on Thursday, in Brussels, the European Council convenes to discuss the situation in Ukraine and the progress in the energy sector. President Klaus Iohannis wants to introduce on the agenda the topic of Romania’s Schengen accession, although a new vote on it can only be held at the next Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting. We remind you that last week Austria opposed, in the Justice and Home Affairs Council, Romania’s and Bulgaria’s Schengen accession, for which unanimity is required.

BUDGET – The Romanian Parliament continue to discuss the 2023 state budget bill. Representatives of the ruling coalition have imposed a high pace of debates in the expert committees and in Parliament’s plenary. Finance Minister Adrian Câciu said the 2023 budget is balanced, realistic and coherent, cantered on investment and measures to support vulnerable categories. The Opposition says, however, that the budget bill is based on unrealistic estimates and that taxes and duties will have to be raised.

REPORT – In October 2022, the seasonally adjusted industrial production fell by 2.0% in the euro area and by 1.9% in the EU, compared with September 2022, according to estimates from Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union. In September 2022, industrial production increased by 0.8% in the euro area and by 0.7% in the EU. In October 2022 compared with October 2021, industrial production increased by 3.4% in the euro area and by 3.7% in the EU. According to the report, Romania and Slovenia were the EU countries where industrial production had the smallest decline in October 2022 as compared with September 2022, of 0.4% and 0.3% respectively.

INFLATION – Romania’s inflation rate in November stood at a record 17%, the highest level in 20 years. 16.3% have been estimated for the end of the year by the National Bank. The most significant rise in prices was in the food sector. Electricity has almost doubled in the last year while the price of natural gas jumped by almost 38%.

SWIMMING — The 18-year old Romanian athlete David Popovici took down the men’s 100 free world junior record during the semifinals of the 2022 Short Course World Championships in Melbourne, Australia, with a time of 45.91. The final will be held on Thursday. We remind you that Popovici astonished the swimming world last June, by winning both sprint world titles — the men’s 100m and 200m freestyle. His achievement in Budapest, Hungary made him the first swimmer in 49 years to win gold in both sprint events, at the same edition of the world championships. Three swimmers represent Romania at the World Championships in Melbourne. (EE)