March 31, 2024
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Newsroom, 31.03.2024, 13:55
SCHENGEN Romanian seaports and international airports officially joined the Schengen Area on Sunday, March 31. At sea, controls are not eliminated, but they are simplified. Passengers flying to or from Schengen member states will go directly to their respective boarding gate after security checks, without having their travel documents checked by the border police. Currently, 27 European states are full members of the Schengen Agreement, and Romania and Bulgaria become members with partial rights on March 31. Border checks remain in place at land checkpoints, after Austria vetoed Romania’s and Bulgaria’s full Schengen membership. The EC president, Ursula von der Leyen, welcomed and congratulated the 2 countries on their accomplishment, and promised talks would be carried on this year to complete the process.
EASTER Roman-Catholic and Protestant Christians celebrate Easter today. In mostly Orthodox Romania, around 1.3 million people are celebrating Easter Sunday today. At midnight, at the Vatican, Pope Francis presided over the Easter Vigil service at the St. Peter’s Basilica. Enmity and wars, self-absorption and indifference, the fears that hold us back from accomplishing the good we mean to do, are our own stone blocks, the tombstones in our hearts, that rob us of enthusiasm and of the strength to persevere, the Pope said in his Homily. In a pastoral letter, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Bucharest, Aurel Percă, says that unfortunately, the song of joy proclaimed by the church on Easter comes in contrast with the cries coming from so many painful situations, such as wars, injustice, inequality and poverty. In turn, the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis says in a message that “Easter gives us an opportunity to be together with our loved ones and reminds us that we are always accompanied by the divine love and strength.” This year, Easter for Roman Catholics and Protestants is 5 weeks before the corresponding Orthodox, Greek Catholic and Neo-Protestant celebration on May 5. In 2010, 2011, 2014 and 2017, the Resurrection was celebrated on the same day by all Christians, regardless of denomination. Next year, all Christians will celebrate Easter on the same day again.
NATO The Parliament of Romania convenes on Tuesday in a joint meeting to mark 20 years since the country joined the North Atlantic Alliance and 75 years since the establishment of NATO. On April 2, exactly decades ago, Romania’s colours were first flown at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, after the ratification documents had been received by the US Department of State on March 29.
DST Last night Romania switched to daylight saving time, with clocks going forward one hour. Sunday is the shortest day this year. With the transition to summer time, the difference between the official time in Romania and UTC is three hours. Daylight saving time is observed until October 27. EU member states were supposed to decide by 2021 whether they wanted to permanently adopt summer time or winter time. However, the discussion is still open.
AGRICULTURE Last year Romania came 2nd in the EU, after France, in terms of the sunflower seed yield, thus losing the top EU position held in 2022, the National Statistics Institutte announced. In 2023 the yield was 3.7% below the figures reported the previous year, although the surface area under sunflower crops was the same. Romania remains the 6th in Europe in terms of the area under potato crops, and the 9th-largest producer in Europe in 2023, after countries like Germany, France, the Netherlands, and Poland.
OIL SECTOR In 2023, Romania remained the main supplier of oil products for the Republic of Moldova, the National Energy Regulatory Agency in Chişinău announced. Last year, Moldova imported around 1 mln tonnes of diesel, petrol and LPG, accounting for a 6.6% rise since 2022 and for a complete recovery of the oil market after the successive crises entailed by the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, Radio Chişinău said, quoting energy sector experts. Russia, which used to be one of the largest oil product suppliers for Moldova, only exported insignificant amounts to Moldova last year. (AMP)
