December 28, 2023

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 28.12.2023, 13:55

SCHENGEN – The Interior
Ministry has reached a political consensus with its counterparts in Vienna and
Sofia for the partial extension of the Schengen Area to include air and
maritime borders with Romania and Bulgaria starting March 2024. Negotiations
are expected to continue in 2024 for the two countries’ full Schengen
accession. On Tuesday and Wednesday, diplomatic talks were held at the level of
the Interior and Foreign Affairs ministries, with the participation of
diplomatic missions to the EU, regarding a Justice and Home Affairs Council
resolution that would make this political agreement legally binding. Talks will
continue today. A positive decision on the two countries’ Schengen accession
requires a unanimous vote in the Justice and Home Affairs Council. We recall
that last year the decision was postponed due to lack of unanimity in the
Justice and Home Affairs Council regarding the Schengen accession of Romania
and Bulgaria, due to opposition voiced by Austria and the Netherlands.

GOVERNMENT – On its last
session of 2023, the government is examining a draft decree on cutting public
spending starting January 1, 2024. The number one measure is excluding all
public sector employees who this year benefited from salary increases from the
5% increase in salaries to be operated next year. The targeted institutions are
the Finance Ministry, the national health insurance agencies, but also Education
Ministry employees, whose salaries will go up 20% next year. The government
wants to use the savings to increase low salaries in the public sector. Imports
of sugar and flour from Ukraine are also on today’s agenda. The government this
year passed an emergency decree setting clear terms under which Romanian
companies can buy grain from Ukraine. The government wants to pass a new decree
setting similar terms for the purchase of flour and sugar from neighboring
Ukraine. Also today the government wants to adopt an emergency decree for the
gradual introduction of new electronic ID cards, which will replace older ones
that don’t comply with EU security standards.

WAR IN GAZA – Israel is
expanding its ground offensive to include Palestinian refugee camps in Gaza,
warning the war against Hamas will last for months. Powerful bombings were
reported in the camps of Bureij, Maghazi and Nuseirat, where dozens of people
were killed in strikes in recent days. Heavy fighting is also continuing to the
south, in the city of Khan Younis, whereas in the north, the IDF continues to
uncover tunnel shafts used by Hamas. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent
in Israel, the tunnels discovered yesterday were blown up by Israeli military
engineers. Meanwhile, 22 of the 129 people still held hostage by Hamaz in Gaza
have been executed, a spokesman of the Israeli government has announced. Hamas
captured approximately 240 people in the October 7 surprise attack, which
killed 1,200 people. Following a ceasefire mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the
United States, Hamas released 110 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinians
held in Israeli prisons.

WAR IN UKRAINE – The United States
has announced the disbursement of an additional 250 mln USD in military aid for
Ukraine. International media writes this will be the last military aid package
for Ukraine before a new vote in Congress, where the Republican majority has
shown reluctance towards the initiatives of the Biden administration, which has
promised Ukraine over 61 bln USD. It is imperative that Congress act swiftly,
as soon as possible, to advance our national security interests by helping
Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Said. This aid package includes
air defense munitions, other components for air defense systems, additional
ammunition for high-mobility artillery rocket systems, 155mm and 105mm
artillery ammunition, anti-armor munitions, and over 15 million rounds of
ammunition, according to a US Department of State release. Thank you for your
help. We will win, the former head of the Ukrainian presidential administration,
Andrii Yermak wrote on X. (VP)