July 1, 2022

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 01.07.2022, 13:55

HEAT -
Code red, orange and yellow alerts against extreme heat have been issued for
the entire country. Experts warn temperatures will reach and even exceed 40
degrees Celsius. The Sibiu municipality has set up 12 cooling centers, fitted
to provide water and relief from the heat. The centers were created inside the headquarters
of a number of public institutions and in three large markets. In Mediaș, the
authorities set up centers where people can get water. First-aid tents and
water-distribution centers were set up by local authorities across Bucharest as
well. Extensive drought has been causing damage to farming regions across the
country.

CSCE -
Romania’s Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, is today co-chairing, alongside US
Senator Roger Wicker, the panel titled Black Sea Security Summit, organized
by the US Congress Commission for Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE),
also known as the Helsinki Commission. The event is held for the first time in
Romania and offers a platform for multilateral dialogue between regional allies
and partners, focusing on security in the Black Sea Region. Attending the event
will be Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu and representatives of the Helsinki
Commission, high-ranking officials from Romania and states in the region, as
well as other key partners, including from NATO. The initiative follows the
significant deterioration of the security context in the Black Sea region as a
result of the Russian aggression in Ukraine. The purpose of the Helsinki
Commission is to raise awareness regarding troubling developments with a
significantly high negative impact for the entire international community at a
number of levels.

FUEL -
The authorities in Bucharest today hailed the decision of the major oil
companies operating in Romania to lower the price for fuel in their filling
stations by approximately 0.10 EUR, in line with the Government’s emergency
decree. Energy Minister Virgil Popescu thanked the companies that volunteered
to lower the price for fuel. In turn, Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă hailed the
decision, calling on fiscal and consumer protection agencies to monitor the
evolution of fuel prices. The Prime Minister recalled that state institutions
are now allowed to intervene. Haulers will benefit from a partial subsidy of
fuel. The Prime Minister says the measure was designed to avoid the shortage
and rationing of fuel, as reported in other countries. Romania now has one of
the lowest fuel prices in Europe. Filling stations across the country sold
standard Diesel for approximately 1.7 EUR and gasoline for approximately 1.6
EUR.

EU COUNCIL
– The Czech Republic is taking over the six-month rotating presidency of the
Council of the European Union. This is the second time this country is taking
over this responsibility since it joined the EU in 2004. To mark this event,
European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen and the Czech Prime
Minister, Petr Fiala, are today meeting at Litomyšl Castle, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site located some 160 kilometers from the Czech capital-city Prague. The
presidency adopted the motto Europe as a task, inspired from a speech
delivered by the ex-president Vaclav Havel. During its term in office, the
Czech Republic will focus on the war in Ukraine and its consequences, seeking
to manage the flow of refugees and improve energy security. The Czech
Presidency will organize a number of ministerial meetings and at least one
summit of the 27 Member States.

ENERGY
EXPORTS – Ukraine has started exporting electricity to the European Union
via Romania, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Thursday
evening. The President said Ukraine is preparing to up its deliveries of
electricity, which he says are capable of replacing a substantial part of the
Russian gas consumed by Europeans. Ukraine was connected to the Russian
electricity grid prior to its invasion on February 24, after which date it
functioned independently. In mid-March, the Ukrainian electricity network was
connected to the European one. As of today, Ukraine can export electricity to
the EU market. It will provide an additional source of electricity for the EU.
And much-needed revenues to Ukraine, European Commission President Ursula von
der Leyen said in a tweet on Thursday.

WIMBLEDON
– Two Romanian players will be competing in the third round in the women’s
singles at Wimbledon. Simona Halep (18 WTA) will take on Magdalena Frech of
Poland (92 WTA), while Irina Begu (43 WTA) will go up against Jelena Ostapenko
of Latvia (17 WTA).