February 7, 2023 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 07.02.2023, 20:00

EARTHQUAKES
– The powerful earthquakes that shook Syria and Turkey on Monday have killed
more than 6,300, according to the latest toll made public on Tuesday. Rescue
teams are making efforts to save as many lives as possible. There are also
dozens of thousands of people injured. According to estimates in Ankara, 13
million people have been affected in Turkey by the earthquake measuring 7.8 on
the Richter scale, which was followed by lots of aftershocks. President Recep
Tayyip Erdoğan declared 10 affected provinces disaster areas, also calling a
state of emergency in the entire region for three months. The president said 70
countries have so far provided assistance for search and rescue operations. Romania
joined the international support effort for Turkey and sent to Andana 3
military aircraft with 60 Romanian professional rescuers, doctors and nurses,
and specialized rescue equipment.

EUROPEAN
COUNCIL – Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, on Tuesday attended a videoconference
with the European Council president, Charles Michel, and a group of European
leaders ahead of the extraordinary European Council meeting scheduled on
Thursday and Friday in Brussels. In today’s preliminary meeting, hosted by the
European Council president, we primarily focused on assistance to Ukraine at
all levels, on consolidating the competitiveness of EU economy and on
implementing clear-cut measures designed to combat illegal migration, the
president wrote on social media. The European Council is set to convene in
Brussels in a special summit to address Russia’s military aggression in
Ukraine, the latest economic developments at EU level and migration-related
topics.

FOREIGN
AFFAIRS – The Romanian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday summoned Hungary’s
ambassador in Romania to inform him that our country firmly condemns the
statements made by the chairman of the Hungarian Parliament Foreign Affairs
Committee with respect to Romania allegedly restricting the display of the flag
of the so-called Szekler Land. The Romanian MFA states that the Romanian
legislation allows members of the 20 national minorities to display their
specific insignia in both private and public. As regards the so-called Szekler
Land, there is no administrative unit bearing this name, which also means no
one is justified to official use any specific insignia. Romania again calls for
restraint in public statements and expects Hungarian officials to observe the
strategic relationship between the two states.

SCHENGEN
– Romania and Bulgaria want to join the Schengen Area this year, the countries’
two Prime Ministers, Nicolae Ciucă
and Galab Donev have said. The two officials say it is important to
maintain good cooperation and agreed that EU-wide solutions are needed to
continue the fight against illegal migration. In a videoconference, the two
Prime Ministers also argued in favor of taking clear steps with a view to
making the Danube a permanent navigable watercourse and with respect to
building a new bridge in the Giurgiu-Ruse area.

PROTESTS
– The Sanitas Federation continued its protests on Tuesday against the Salary
Law and the underfunding of medical care and welfare in Romania. The list of
demands includes higher incomes for all the employees in the healthcare and
welfare system by at least 15%, to cover inflation, negotiations between the
Government and stakeholders on the new bill regarding the remuneration of
personnel paid from public funds, and the provision of a sufficient and correct
funding system for medical and welfare institutions. A delegation of the Sanitas Federation was received
at the Government headquarters on Monday, the first day of the protest. The
Federation announced protests would continue on Wednesday as well.

BILL – In
Bucharest, senators voted unanimously in favor of a legislative proposal to be
added to the Criminal Code, under which drivers found drunk or under the
influence of prohibited substances while driving, as well as those who drive
without a license, will go directly to prison in the situation in which they
cause a road accident resulting in casualties. In Romania, 100 people die
annually in road accidents caused by drivers in such situations, said the
initiator of the legislative proposal, PSD senator Robert Cazanciuc. Every
year, approximately 20,000 people are prosecuted for driving without a license,
under the influence of alcohol or drugs, and after the adoption of the
legislative proposal, judges will no longer be able to suspend the execution of
prison sentences. The document will now go to the Chamber of Deputies, which is
the decision-making body in this matter.

MOLDOVA
– The Republic of Moldova deserves to be part of the European family, European
Parliament president Roberta Metsola told a press conference on Tuesday held
jointly with Moldova’s Prime Minister, Natalia Gavriliță in Brussels, at the end of the
EU-Moldova Association Council meeting. We need to accelerate the integration
of your country on the single European market, president Metsola further said.
The EU official promised the European Parliament will fulfill its obligations
regarding the disbursement of €145 million to Moldova in the form of
macrofinancial assistance. We will find a way to be not just the beneficiaries
of European assistance, but in turn to contribute to the security of the EU’s
borders and help maintain peace and stability on the European continent, the
Moldovan Prime Minister said in turn. Attending the meeting, the Romanian State
Secretary for European Affairs, Daniela Gîtman, reiterated the firm commitment of Romania and the EU in
supporting the Republic of Moldova, a country facing overlapping crises against
the backdrop of the Russian aggression in Ukraine. (MI & VP)