March 6, 2023 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 06.03.2023, 20:34

DEBATES The Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest hosted
a series of debates upon a simple motion against Labour Minister Marius Budăi,
tabled by the USR and the Force of the Right Party. The signatories of the motion
say the minister has failed to meet the deadlines assumed in the ruling
programme on implementing the payment bill and of a new pension law, which may
jeopardize the attraction of the European funds. USR MP Cristian Seidler says
the draft sent by the minister is actually rescuing the special pensions. Budai
has rejected all allegations and has given assurances the draft is in line with
all PNRR criteria and even trims the pension of an employee, which is exceeding
their wages. Finance Minister Adrian Caciu is also expected before the Senate on
Wednesday to explain why Romania’s budget deficit has reached record high
levels and the funding costs are some of the biggest in the EU.

BILLS Two bills on education are to be submitted to
the government and Parliament for endorsement and approval. Although the
deadline for their approval was March the 15, the two bills have sparked off
heated debates involving parents and students associations. The National
Council of Students and the National Federation of Parents are asking for the
cancellation of the high-school entrance exam, which could be staged for 60% of
the approved places, and are criticizing the Education Ministry for not having
considered their proposal. According to representatives of the parents and
students associations, the entrance examination deepens the gap between the
students and would raise the probability of unfair distribution. It would also
encourage the system of private lessons and increase the stress level in students.
According to field minister Ligia Deca, the objective of the two bills is to
increase the quality in education and reduce functional illiteracy.

VISIT On the first day of
his official visit to Japan on Monday Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis held talks
with the president of the House of Councillors Hidehisa Otsuji and the speaker
of the House of Representatives, Hiroyuki Hosoda. Talks focused on the
Romania-Japan Strategic Partnership and the regional security situation. The
Japanese officials underlined that the Strategic Partnership creates new
opportunities for cooperation in the economic sector, trade, research and
innovation. With respect to the security situation, the Japanese officials
emphasised that Japan and Romania share the same vision and approach and
conveyed their appreciation of Romania’s sustained actions and efforts to
support Ukraine, both with the refugees and to facilitate the transit of
cereals. On Tuesday, president Iohannis is to be received by emperor Naruhito.
He will later also meet prime minister Fumio Kishida, together signing a joint
declaration on the establishment of the Romania-Japan Strategic Partnership. On
Wednesday, the Romanian president will meet local officials from Kyoto. On
Thursday and Friday, he will make a state visit to Singapore, the first at this
level in the last 20 years, where he will have talks with president Halimah
Yacob and prime minister Lee Hsien Loong.

(bill&CM)