June 23, 2023
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 23.06.2023, 13:55
Food. The large chain stores in Romania have agreed, in the framework of the dialogue started with the Government, that they could voluntarily reduce the shelf prices of 10 basic food categories. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, but the discussions will continue. In order for the reduction to become a reality, either a voluntary agreement of the sellers or an emergency ordinance is being considered, but in both cases, the prime minister assures that the Executive does not want to put pressure on Romanian producers.
Pensions. The draft law on the abolition of the special pensions of Romanian deputies and senators received, on Thursday, a favorable report in the Committee on the status of parliamentarians. Parliamentary plenum debates on the bill will most likely start on Monday. Former Social Democratic MP Eugen Nicolicea, currently president of the Association of Former Parliamentarians, believes that the law has zero chance of passing the Constitutional Court, like other similar proposals. The president of the Committee on the status of parliamentarians, the Social Democratic deputy Eugen Bejenariu, says, however, that if elements of unconstitutionality are identified, other solutions will be found to reduce or eliminate special pensions. From the opposition, the Save Romania Union strongly supports the elimination of these pensions, as well as all other special pensions paid from the State budget that some professional categories enjoy.
Gas. The private company OMV Petrom and the national company Romgaz have announced that they will jointly invest 4 billion euros in the Neptun Deep gas field exploitation project, the largest in the Romanian area of the Black Sea. Thanks to this project, Romania would become the largest producer of natural gas in the European Union and secure its energy independence, said Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. According to him, the Neptun Deep project is the result of a good collaboration between state institutions and the private sector and will make Romania a long-term, predictable and substantial supplier of energy security.
Ukraine. Romania and the Republic of Moldova condemned the statements of the governor installed by Russia in the occupied Kherson region in southern Ukraine, who threatened that the Russian army could attack a bridge over the Prut River, in response to an alleged Ukrainian attack on one of the bridges connecting the continent and the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea annexed by Moscow. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest has termed as unacceptable such statements addressed to the Republic of Moldova, but which also refer to a part of the territory of Romania, a member of NATO. Chisinau has summoned the Russian ambassador to the Republic of Moldova for explanations and is discussing the possibility of reducing the embassy staff to a presence that would ensure parity with the Moldovan diplomatic staff in Moscow. According to Chisinau, the measure will be taken because of the Russian authorities interference in the countrys internal affairs.
Immigrants. 43 foreign citizens were caught, this morning, while trying to leave Romania illegally, through the western border. They were hidden in a TIR truck driven by a Romanian, which was transporting parcels on the Romania-Hungary route. Verifications showed that the people hidden among the goods are from Bangladesh, Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka. The foreigners are being investigated for attempted fraudulent crossing of the state border, and the TIR driver for migrant trafficking.
Theatre. As of today, the city of Sibiu, in central Romania, is hosting the International Theater Festival. The theme chosen for this 30th edition is “Miracle”. The largest annual meeting of the performing arts proposes an agenda with over 800 indoor and outdoor events – theater in any form, dance, circus and music – in which around 5,000 artists and guests from 75 countries will participate. All outdoor performances are free. The festival has also kept the online section. There are 40 shows included in this category, which can be enjoyed by those who cannot make it to Sibiu. The official opening will take place with the show “A cathedral full of organs” from the “Saint Mary” Evangelical Cathedral in Sibiu. The International Theater Festival will end on July 2.
Football. Romania takes on, on Saturday, in Bucharest, the team of Ukraine, in Group B of the European Under-21 Football Championship, which it hosts together with Georgia. In the same group, Spain will play against Croatia. In the debut matches, the Under-21 national team was beaten 3-0 by Spain, and Ukraine beat Croatia 2-0. The final tournament takes place between June 21 and July 8 and brings together 16 teams, divided into four groups. Two are hosted by Romania, in Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca (north-west), and two by Georgia. In Romania, two quarter-finals and a semifinal will take place. The top three finishers qualify for next years Olympic Games in Paris. (MI)
