July 1, 2023 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 01.07.2023, 19:22

Aid – Spain is allocating a new aid package for Ukraine, worth 55 million Euros, and promises long-term support to Kyiv, the Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced in a speech held in the Ukrainian Parliament on Saturday. Of this amount, 51 million will reach Ukraine through the World Bank, to support small and medium sized enterprises, and the rest of the money will be used for the reconstruction of schools bombed by the Russians. Spain took over the presidency of the European Union on Saturday, July 1. Pedro Sánchez also addressed the subject of Ukraines NATO accession, giving assurances that he supported the establishment of the Ukraine-NATO Council.

Riots — The French President Emmanuel Macron postponed his state visit to Germany, which was scheduled for Sunday evening until Tuesday, due to riots started in France after the deadly shooting of a teenager of African origin by a member of the law enforcement. The French police arrested almost 1,000 people throughout the country, and the authorities brought out armored vehicles of the Gendarmerie on the streets and mobilized no less than 45,000 policemen and gendarmes. The public transport at night was banned and the sale of pyrotechnic or flammable materials was restricted. The most violent protests took place in Marseille, Lyon, Grenoble and in some parts of Paris. President Emmanuel Macron accused the protesters of using the teenagers death for their purpose and urged parents to keep their children at home.

B-FIT Street! — This weekend July 1 and 2 promises to be a festive one in Bucharest, where the biggest international street theater festival in the city, B-FIT in the Street! is scheduled. After a three-year break, the event returns to Bucharest and transforms the central streets into pedestrian areas, where spectators can witness aerial acrobatics and interactive music performances. They will also enjoy sound installations, street musicians, cabaret dancers, fantastic characters who perform in itinerant shows, creative workshops and sports activities.

Shipyard — The Severnav shipyard from Drobeta-Turnu Severin (south-west of Romania) launched the first fully equipped ship on Friday, after a 12-year production break. The cargo named “Napoleon” was made for a Romanian ship owner. It is a chemical tank, equipped with the latest technologies and equipment, dedicated to river transport of petroleum products – gasoline, diesel or bio-components. The shipyard on the Danube, with an experience of about 170 years, is trying to resume the construction of turnkey ships. This year, at Severnav, at least nine more ships are going to be launched for the Romanian market as well as for the Western European market.

Migration — The European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, said that the management and strengthening of the Union borders are among the main elements in the fight against illegal migration. She hopes that the ongoing pilot projects in Bulgaria and Romania will serve as a model of good practices for other external borders as well. The European leaders, gathered on Thursday and Friday, in Brussels, had heated debates on the issue of migration management, without reaching an agreement. Poland and Hungary are opposed to the pact that provides for the relocation of asylum seekers on the principle of solidarity. However, the reform continues its course, after last month it was approved by the Council through a qualified majority, instead of consensus.

Russia — 40 employees of the Russian Embassy in Bucharest, together with their family members, are to leave Romania on board a civil aircraft belonging to a Russian airline. According to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, Romanias decision to reduce the staff of the Russian diplomatic mission reflects the current level of bilateral relations, in the context of Moscows launching a war of aggression against Romanias neighbor Ukraine. We remind you that, at the beginning of this month, the Romanian diplomacy announced Russia that it must reduce the number of posts in Romania by 61%. It was Russia’s choice to reduce posts and to ask its officials to leave Romania. (LS)