July 9, 2022
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 09.07.2022, 13:55
INFLATION – The inflation rate is
expected to slightly drop in the next months, the Central Bank (BNR) announced.
However, prices might again peak next spring unless the government extends its
national schemes capping electricity and gas prices past the April 2023
deadline, the BNR spokesman Dan Suciu has told Radio Romania. Romania has an
imported inflation, Dan Suciu argues, meaning that it is generated by the
global increase in energy and fuel prices. In May, the inflation rate stood at
14.5%. The authorities expect the rate to grow and peak by the end of July.
DROUGHT – 70% of Romania’s surface is
affected by drought. People in a number of areas have access to tap water only
for a few hours every day. Traffic on the Danube River is also affected, as the
water level is half the multiannual average and is estimated to keep dropping.
The Porțile de fier I and II hydroelectric power plants are
also reporting difficulties. Navigators will have to observe a maximum mass
limit to avoid getting stuck in sand crossings on the bottom of the river. The
National Water Administration has given assurances that right now there are no
water shortage risks in centralized water supply systems in large urban
settlements. At the same time, Agriculture Minister, Petre Daea, told a private
TV station that irrigation systems are functioning normally without any major
impact on shelf prices due to the shortage of water. This year’s crops will cover internal
demand and Romania will export any excess, the Minister went on to say.
FORUM – Energy security, the
reconstruction of Ukraine and the EU accession prospects of countries in the
region ranked high on the joint Parliament Forum hosted by Romania. Romania
supports the European trajectory of Moldova and Ukraine and is committed to
providing assistance and sharing its expertise to help these countries attain
European standards, the interim Senate speaker, Alina Gorghiu, said on the
sidelines of the event, also recalling Romania was one of the staunchest
supporters of the two countries. Romania plans on playing a key role in
rebuilding Ukraine and will allot substantial funds in this respect, the
Romanian official said. In turn, Economy Minister, Florin Spătaru, said that the reconstruction
of Ukraine is the responsibility of European society, and that all EU countries
should pitch in. Minister Spătaru also recalled the support
Romania has already provided to Ukrainian refugees fleeing the Russian
invasion.
ROMANIA
– USA RELATIONS: Next
week Romania will mark 25 years since it signed the Strategic Partnership with
the USA. The moment will be marked through a series of events hosted by the
Romanian Embassy in Washington, including a Romanian Festival held on July 9
and 10 in Washington. A website devoted to bilateral relations between the two
countries will be launched on July 11. On July 12, the Strategic Partnership
will be celebrated in the United States Congress. Over the next couple of days,
ceremonies will be held to decorate a number of personalities. A former
ambassador to Washington, Mircea Geoană, at present deputy
Secretary General of NATO, has hailed the importance of Romania’s relation with the USA,
stating it should be permanently upheld and refreshed, requiring investment.
Nothing is more important than the relation between our citizens. Nothing
is more important than the relation between our young people,
between our universities, our researchers, our business communities, our
politicians, young and old. Such an important relation cannot be maintained
strictly in strategic terms. Every day, it gains a deeper, more civic and
citizen-oriented dimension, underpinned by a sense of belonging to a set of
shared values. This is Romania’s relation with America, Mircea Geoană says.
SHINZO ABE
– World leaders, including from Romania, have conveyed condolences for the
death of Shinzo Abe, who was shot on Friday while campaigning for the
parliamentary election. Countries such as India and Brazil have decreed a
period of national mourning to express solidarity with Japan. The assassin is a
former member of the Japanese Navy who used a handmade gun to shoot the former Japanese
Prime Minister, for reasons unknown. Shinzo Abe was the longest serving Japanese
Prime Ministers, with mandates in 2006 and then again between 2012-2020.
SWIMMING
– Romania has so far won six medals at the European Junior Swimming
Championships hosted by Otopeni, and is now ranked third in the medal
standings, after Poland and Hungary. So far Romania has won gold in the men’s
4x100m relay event (David Popovici, Vlad Stancu, Ștefan Cozma and Patrick Sebastian Dinu), in the
200m freestyle event (David Popovici), in the 50m freestyle event (David
Popovici) and in the 1,500m freestyle event (Vlad Ștefan Stancu).
Additionally, the mix 4x100m relay team won silver (David Popovici, Patrick
Sebastian Dinu, Bianca Costea and Rebecca Aimee Diaconescu), while Bianca
Costea scooped silver in the 50m freestyle event. Attending the European Junior
Swimming Championships are 500 athletes from 42 countries. Romania is
represented by 26 swimmers, 14 in the men’s competition and 12 in the women’s
competition. (VP)
