February 27, 2024 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 27.02.2024, 19:53

Paris – The participants in the Paris Conference in support of Ukraine, organized at the initiative of President Emmanuel Macron, reiterated their unity and determination to continue supporting the war effort of the Ukrainian army. President Volodymyr Zelensky sent a recorded message, in which he thanked the French president for the initiative and the leaders present for the help given to his country so far and for their future involvement. President Macron stated that the defeat of Russia is indispensable to guarantee the security and stability of the European continent. The leaders present agreed on the formation of a coalition to provide Kyiv with medium and long range missiles and bombs, necessary for defense purposes. Attending the meeting, the Romanian President Klaus Iohannis welcomed President Macron’s approach and emphasized that the unity and solidarity of the international community in support of Ukraine are essential and must be maintained. Iohannis said that Romania would continue to support Ukraine on all levels, as long as it is needed.

Law – The Romanian deputies adopted, on Tuesday, the draft law that prohibits the sale to minors of electronic cigarettes, of devices for heating tobacco, and nicotine sachets for oral use. According to the new provisions, those who violate the law will pay fines of up to 100 thousand lei (20 thousand Euros). The bill also provides that the sanctions for pupils who use these products in educational institutions will be established by the Education Ministry. Also on Tuesday, the Chamber of Deputies adopted the legal framework for the establishment of detention and education centers for minors, in all eight development regions of the country. Sections specialized in the treatment and social reintegration of young people addicted to psychoactive substances will also operate for the first time within these units. In recent years, there has been an increase in juvenile delinquency in Romania.

Protests – Airport workers on Tuesday picketed the Finance Ministry in Bucharest, to denounce what they consider to be wage discrimination against other state companies. Qualified aviation personnel are not easy to find and cannot be trained from one day to the next, and Romania is already struggling with a shortage of specialized labor force, according to the aviation trade union. The union calls for the elimination of criteria based on salary ceilings, because they are discriminatory and discourage professionalism. On the other hand, taxi drivers continue their protest that started on Monday in the center of Bucharest. They claim that the alternative transport platforms give them unfair competition and ask the government to issue an emergency ordinance so that they comply with the same rules. Taxi drivers request the limitation of the number of authorizations for alternative transport and similar rates for the mandatory civil liability insurance policy for motor vehicles.

NATO – NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, and the leaders of the member countries welcomed the ratification, with an overwhelming majority of votes, in the Hungarian Parliament, of Sweden’s accession to NATO, the final stage that precedes the reception of the last Scandinavian country in the North Atlantic Alliance. With Sweden within NATO, we will strengthen the defense and deterrence posture on the eastern flank and we will continue the strong support for Ukraine, said, in turn, Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis.

Nature restoration – The European Parliament adopted a new nature law on Tuesday, which stipulates that, by 2030, the Union must implement restoration measures for at least 20% of land and sea surfaces and for all ecosystems by 2050. At the moment, over 80% of European habitats are in a precarious state. In order to improve biodiversity in agricultural ecosystems, EU countries will have to make progress on certain indicators, including the grassland butterfly index and the stock of organic carbon in cropland mineral soils. Measures to increase the common farmland bird index must also be taken as birds are good indicators of the overall state of biodiversity. At the same time, measures must be taken to increase the index of common birds specific to agricultural land. The law requires, among other things, progress in relation to several indicators for forest ecosystems and requires three billion more trees to be planted. (LS)