July 27, 2022 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 27.07.2022, 19:50

Government. The Bucharest government approved, on Wednesday, the granting of emergency aid worth over one million lei to support families and single people in difficulty. More than half of this amount was allocated to improve special situations due to health conditions or the risk of social exclusion. There are some 162 cases reported at national level. More than 460,000 lei have been allocated to households affected by fires. At the same time, the Executive approved the use of some products from the state reserves to be distributed to Ukrainian refugees, worth over 190,000 lei. They include light modular constructions and basic foodstuffs.

EC. The European
Commission announced on Wednesday that it supported Romania in the development
of an economic and social development strategy for the Jiu Valley (south), a
region historically dependent on coal, a EC press release reads. The strategy was officially adopted by the
Bucharest Government on July 13, 2022. It focuses, among other things, on
improving the quality of life in the region and on ensuring its transition to
the green economy, on promoting economic diversification, innovation and
entrepreneurship, on capitalizing on the local natural and cultural heritage.
The Romanian authorities intend to implement the strategy through a combination
of national and EU funds, including the Just Transition Mechanism.

Diplomacy. Romania is deeply anchored in a Euro-Atlantic system of values,
security and unwavering solidarity, as a result, among other things, of decades
of diplomatic work, the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu stated on Wednesday,
on the celebration of 160 years since the Foreign Ministry was established. He
reviewed the history of the institution, mentioning the outstanding
personalities in Romanian diplomacy, and highlighted the current challenges.
‘When, for the first time since 1945, the threat of a brutal, unjustified and
unprovoked war launched by Russia against our neighbour Ukraine looms over
Europe, the implications can only be of global scale. (…) Together with our
allies and partners, we are deeply committed to outlining a complex diplomatic
response to this aggression that has tragic humanitarian consequences and
incalculable economic costs,’ foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu said.

Talks. The Romanian
Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, had a telephone conversation with his
counterpart from the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan,
on Wednesday. The discussion was also attended by Mariam Almheiri, the Minister
of Environment and Climate Change of the UAE. The dialogue took place in
continuation of the visit made by the Prime Minister of Romania, Nicolae-Ionel Ciucă,
to the UAE (June 20-21) and the holding of the second session of the
Cooperation Commission between the Government of Romania and that of the
Emirates, in Abu Dhabi ( June 22). Wednesday’s discussion focused on ways to
deepen bilateral sectoral cooperation, identifying a list of common priority
projects and stimulating mutual investments in areas of strategic interest for
both sides. The most important projects considered are in the field of energy,
including renewable energy, agriculture and food security, connectivity,
infrastructure and transport, digitization, IT and cyber security.

Award. The British PM Boris
Johnson Tuesday presented the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky with the
Sir Winston Churchill leadership award, news agencies report. The ceremony took
place at 10 Downing Street, with Mr. Zelensky attending by video link.
Named after one of Europe’s greatest war time leaders, the award is presented
by the Churchill International Society to honour personalities that have
demonstrated extraordinary leadership skills. Upon accepting the distinction,
Volodymyr Zelensky said that No one knows how much time and effort it
will take to achieve that victory, but the victory is worthwhile. This will
become a joint history, as prominent as it was during Churchill times.

Covid-19. Over 9,800 new SARS-CoV-2 infections were reported over the last
24 hours in Romania, out of some 30,000 tests, the authorities have announced.
The number of Covid-19 patients in hospitals has reached 3,570, with 233
patients in intensive care, and 29 COVID-related deaths were also reported. The
health minister Alexandru Rafila said next week
Romania might see10,000 new cases daily. Although
spreading very quickly, this variant of the virus causes less severe forms of
the disease.

Employment. 70% of the Romanians working 2 jobs do so in order to increase
their incomes in the long run, according to a poll conducted by a recruitment
platform. According to experts, with remote work becoming widespread, employees
are more in control of their time and therefore they find it easier to juggle
with 2 jobs. Even so, most of them (72%) choose a part-time second jobs. Asked
what they find to be the most difficult when working 2 jobs, 6 out of 10 said
keeping a balance between personal and professional life is the biggest
challenge. Over 52% of the respondents believe it is impossible to have 2 jobs
at the same time for more than a year. The poll was conducted in July and
involved 1,200 respondents.

Weather. Bucharest and 14
counties in the south of Romania are under codes yellow and orange alert for
extreme heat, with temperatures expected to reach 40 degrees Celsius in these regions
according to the National Meteorology Agency. Thermal discomfort is severe,
with the temperature-humidity index (THI) over 80. According to weather
experts, periods of severe atmospheric instability are also expected, first in
the mountains and central Romania, and later in the south and south-east of the
country as well.

Drought. The total area
affected by the drought has exceeded 150 thousand hectares in Romania,
according to data centralized by the Ministry of Agriculture, based on daily
reports on the situation of the affected crops. Of the 20 counties that sent
such minutes, most are from the east of the country. The Minister of
Agriculture, Petre Daea, has stated pedological drought has been reported
everywhere across the country, and the irrigation systems are affected by the
decrease in the water level from which they are fed. (MI)