May 15, 2023 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 15.05.2023, 20:12

MIG-21 On Monday Romania retired its aging Russian-made
MIG-21 LanceR fighters it inherited from the communist regime and replaced them
with more modern F-16s. The measure is part of the process of strengthening of
NATO’s eastern flank, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Romania now relies
on 17 second-hand F-16s purchased from Portugal. We recall that in November
last year the government in Bucharest signed a contract with Norway for another
batch of 32 F-16 fighters. A NATO member since 2004, Romania also wants to buy
the latest generation of F-35 fighters but experts believe this expensive
project will become reality in years. The total number of MIG 21 fighters
Romania has is secret but according to unofficial estimates it somewhere around
25. However, the communist Romania boasted nearly 400 of these famous Russian
fighters. According to Romania’s Defence Ministry, 30 Mig-21s sustained damage
in various flight incidents between 1991 and 2022.

STRIKE The SANITAS trade union
federation is gathering signatures in order to call for an all-out strike in
the country’s healthcare and social assistance systems, starting June 15.
Representatives of the federation believe that, in spite of the pressure put by
the authorities, the laws governing wages in the area are not applied in full.
They also claim that there are still categories of employees who have not been
properly compensated, and the line authorities show no real intention to comply
with the legislation.

VISIT President Klaus Iohannis is
taking part on Tuesday and Wednesday in Reykjavik, Iceland, in the fourth
summit of the Council of Europe. The meeting comes against the background of
the Russian invasion in Ukraine, and the council was one of the first
international institutions to react, by excluding the Russian Federation as a
member, according to the Presidential Administration in Bucharest. The summit
will inaugurate an international registry of damage caused by the Russian
invasion, and Romania will be a founding member state. This event has a special
significance for Romania, as this year is the thirtieth since it joined the
organization.

LAWS The draft education laws were submitted to
the Senate’s special committees, on Monday, which are expected to issue an
opinion. The laws are expected to be debated in the Education Committee on
Tuesday. A final vote on the education laws is scheduled for May 22 in the
Senate, the decision-making body in this case. According to Education Minister Ligia
Deca, the laws seek to prevent and combat school dropout and functional
illiteracy, to implement a pupil-oriented education, to ensure safety in
schooling units and provide teachers with better training and support
opportunities and observe professional ethics standards. Ruling coalition
parties say the laws will reform the education system, but the opposition has
voiced criticism, arguing the laws fail to provide solutions to the problems of
the education system and represent a failure of the Educated Romania project
endorsed by the presidency.

(bill&VP)