March 22, 2023 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 22.03.2023, 20:00

MEETING – Romania’s president, Klaus Iohannis, is
attending the European Council meeting on Thursday and Friday as well as the
Euro Summit in extended format in Brussels. The agenda of the European Council
meeting will debut with a working lunch with the UN Secretary General, António
Guterres, which will approach the developments in Ukraine, in particular food
safety and the reconstruction process, climate change and progress in meeting
the Sustainable Development Goals. Discussion panels will focus on the
situation in Ukraine, with a focus on maintaining support at all levels,
including military assistance in the context of the recent decision to provide
ammunition. Talks will also address measures to ensure the EU’s competitiveness
long term and to consolidate the Single Market, 30 years after its creation. The
Euro Summit will also discuss the economic situation across the EU and
coordination economic policies with a view to shoring up the resilience of
European economies.

VISIT – The Romanian
Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu is paying a two-day official visit to the UK,
at the invitation of his British counterpart James Cleverly. The two officials
will sign an updated Joint Declaration of the Romania-UK Strategic Partnership
and will open the first edition of the Romania-UK Bilateral Forum. The Joint
Declaration updates priorities in the field of bilateral cooperation. Aurescu
will also meet with representatives of the Romanian community in Britain.

DEFENSE – The Romanian
Defense Ministry has asked for Parliament’s approval to purchase weapon systems
such as anti-aircraft defense systems, air-to-air missiles and combat vehicles,
under an equipping programme aimed at strengthening the Romanian army by 2040.
Their role is to create flexible and modern forces, provide military means to
ensure survival on the battlefield and increase mobility, the Defense Ministry
said in a communiqué.

MEASURES – The Bucharest
Government intervenes in the crisis on the car insurance policy market after
the insolvency of Euroins Company and is preparing a Decree that will cap
tariffs at their level in March, for a period of six months. The Romanian
Financial Supervisory Authority (ASF) will have to come up with a plan, within
these six months, to streamline the mandatory car insurance policy
market. The possible bankruptcy of Euroins could result in 140,000 insurance
claims worth almost a quarter billion euros.

DOGS – Dogs with special
training will be used in inspections in Romanian prisons. K9 units will help
search and detect drugs and cell phones among inmates. Unlike electronic
scanning systems, the dogs’ sense of smell can easily detect cell phone SIM
cards. Last year, 650 inmates were caught using cell phones while 47 tested
positive for drugs. Over 23,000 people are locked in Romanian
penitentiaries.

MOLDOVA – Moldova’s
president Maia Sandu has ratified the law replacing the phrasing Moldovan
language with Romanian language in every piece of Moldovan legislation.
Sandu wrote on Facebook that the law confirms an undeniable historical truth,
namely that Romania is the official language of Moldova and one of the official
languages of the EU. (EE &VP)