July 3, 2024

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 03.07.2024, 13:55

Elections. The calendar for the presidential and parliamentary elections in Romania could be set on Thursday, when a new meeting of the PSD-PNL governing coalition is scheduled. The meeting comes after the discussions that the Social-Democratic Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu had for two days with the main political competitors. Most delegations requested that the elections take place on the legal deadline, towards the end of the year, and not be joined. Others agreed that the first round of the presidential elections should be held simultaneously with the parliamentary elections, either on December 1 or 8, with the second presidential round being held on either December 15 or 22. In March, the Liberals and Social Democrats had agreed that the presidential election should be scheduled for September, and the legislative one for December.

Powerplant. The project for the building of Units 3 and 4 of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant (south-eastern Romania) has received the positive opinion of the European Commission regarding the technical and nuclear safety aspects, the Romanian Energy Ministry has announced. The project is carried out by the company EnergoNuclear, fully owned by Nuclearelectrica National Company. According to the Euratom Treaty, the developers of nuclear projects have the obligation to submit investment projects to the European Commission in advance and demonstrate their compliance with the highest nuclear safety standards. Romania sent a notification in May of last year, and the point of view of the community executive is, according to the Ministry of Energy, the result of some thorough analyses.

TAROM. The Romanian National Air Transport Company TAROM has signed a leasing contract for the purchase of two Boeing 737 aircraft. The two aircraft will be delivered between December 2025 and January 2026. The company says that the new aircraft will allow the provision of quality services to travelers and a significant reduction in operating costs. The CEO Costin Iordache has stated that the modernization of the fleet is a key element for improving the commercial performance and growth perspective of the carrier. The purchase of aircraft is part of the company’s recovery plan and was a basic condition for the approval of the state aid by the European Commission. TAROM is owned by the Romanian state, operates over 50 destinations of its own or served by partners and has a fleet of 18 aircraft.

Camp. The Department for the Relation with Romanians Abroad has started the 15th edition of the “ARC” camp program, where approximately 6,500 participants, children and young people from the diaspora and historical communities, along with companions, teachers and volunteers from Romania and abroad are expected. This year’s camps will be held simultaneously, in consecutive series of seven days each, between July and September, in locations in Bistrita-Năsăud, Botoșani, Buzău, Hunedoara and Vrancea counties. For one week, children and young people from outside the country’s borders will participate in a series of cultural, educational and sports activities organized within the camps, and together with facilitators and volunteers involved in the program, they will have the opportunity to discover a part of Romania and improve communication skills in Romanian. The program is dedicated to the promotion of Romanian national consciousness among young Romanians abroad and the development of a close relationship with the Romanian state.

Visit. The Romanian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Florin-Ionuţ Barbu, is on an official visit to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and Thursday. The program of the visit includes high-level meetings with the Saudi authorities, with representatives of the business environment, as well as field visits. On July 4, the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Romanian Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia regarding cooperation in the field of agriculture is planned.

Gaudeamus. The first holiday edition of the Gaudeamus Book Fair, organized by Radio Romania, begins today in Brasov (centre). More than 50 publishing houses and book distributors are exhibiting, until Sunday, the novelties and best-selling books of the moment. There will be book launches and presentations, debates and contests. Public access is free, and the event is also presented online, on the official website gaudeamus.ro.

EURO 2024. Romania’s national football team left the European Championship – EURO 2024, hosted by Germany, after being defeated by the Netherlands 3-0, on Tuesday evening, in Munich, in the round of 16. Romania had qualified for the round of 16 with four points, from the winning position of Group E, after beating Ukraine 3-0, losing 0-2 to Belgium and a draw 1-1 with Slovakia. Since the 2000 European Championship, Romania had not reached the knockout stages of a final continental or world competition and it was the first time in history that they won the group. (MI)