March 14, 2022 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 14.03.2022, 20:21

UKRAINE The European Union has announced a fourth round of sanctions
against Moscow, which include, among other things, interdictions for hundreds
of Russian individuals and entities to enter the EU and who can have their
assets frozen. The package also includes export and import interdictions.
According to the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the new
sanctions have been imposed to further isolate Russia and waste the resources
serving to fund this barbaric war. The EU high representative for foreign
affairs and security policy Josep Borrell denounced the barbaric aggression of
Vladimir Putin against the Ukrainian people, which is actually threatening the
entire continent. The new round of talks between Moscow and Ukraine has been
interrupted but will continue on Tuesday, Ukrainian negotiator Mihailo Podolik
has announced, quoted by Reuters. This fourth round of talks was held online
unlike the previous ones held in Belarus. Before the peace talks, Kiev
announced it would call on Moscow for a truce and the pullout of its troops
almost three weeks after the invasion in that country ordered by Russian
president Vladimir Putin. The Russian president has asked for the neutrality of
Ukraine, the recognition of Russia’s sovereignty over Crimea and the right to
self-rule of the breakaway regions in Donbas. Ukrainian authorities on Monday
announced that a convoy of 160 vehicles managed to leave the city of Mariupol
besieged by Russian troops and pro-Russia separatists. The UN human rights
office has announced the death of 636 civilians in Ukraine since the beginning
of the war in that country.

MINISTER Romanian Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu held
talks with his Italian counterpart Luigi Di Maio in Bucharest on Monday. The
two officials talked about the situation in Ukraine, which is affecting the
entire European and Euro-Atlantic space as well as the situation of Ukrainian
refugees. The two firmly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Italy and
Romania showed unity and solidarity – the Italian official said, adding that sanctions
must be imposed on Moscow to make it give up its war operations. During the
talks he had with Romanian president Klaus Iohannis, Luigi Di Maio highlighted
the solid bilateral relations and appreciated the way in which Romania is
handling the refugee crisis. The Italian official underlined the importance of
unity at European level as well as the support that must be given to Kiev. Di
Maio also voiced the readiness of his country to support humanitarian efforts
both in Ukraine and the countries in its vicinity.

CENSUS Delayed by a year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the census of
population and households has started in Romania. For the first time, citizens
will be able to use an online application for self-enumeration. People with
limited digital skills can get guidance in special centers, where trained staff
will guide them every step of the way. The form stipulates four categories of
information: data about the household and home ownership, the official place of
residence, members of the household and secondary place of residence. Citizens
who complete the self-enumeration form online will be awarded a day off,
whether they work in the public or private system. An enumerator will be
visiting homes that were not enumerated online. The whole process is digitized.
The previous census dates back to 2011, when Romania had a population of over
20 million.

TOURISM – Tourism was one of the sectors that started to
recover after the Covid pandemic last year, the latest Eurostat reports reads.
In 2021, accommodations in tourist units totaled 1.8 billion, up by 27% compared
to 2020. The biggest increase was reported in Greece, Spain and Croatia (70%),
compared to Romania (43%).

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