May 3, 2022

A roundup of domestic and international news

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Newsroom, 03.05.2022, 13:55

WAR IN UKRAINE – The European Commission is today
discussing the sixth package of sanctions against Russia, which might include a
spaced-out embargo on oil imports. Yesterday’s meeting of the EU Energy Ministers
underlined, however, the lack of consensus regarding sanctions on Russian
energy imports. Whereas Germany seems willing to curb its reliance on oil
imports from the Russian Federation, Hungary again has opposed the move.
Earlier today, Slovakia announced it will try to obtain an exemption from any
embargo on Russian oil agreed at EU level. Meanwhile, American and British
officials believe Russia is preparing to officially declare war on Ukraine in
order to mobilize its reserve army, in an attempt to conquer the east and south
of Ukraine. At the same time, the US ambassador to the OSCE, quoted by our
Washington correspondent, says Russia is ready to annex new Ukrainian
territories.

NATURAL GAS – The Romanian state-owned company Romgaz is expected
to complete the deal allowing the American company ExxonMobil to exploit the
natural gas deposits in the Black Sea, in the Neptune Deep offshore field. Some
100 billion cubic meters of gas are expected to be extracted from the area,
while exploitation rights are owned by ExxonMobil and OMV Petrom in equal
shares. Romgaz will pay over $1 billion for today’s contract. Before extraction
works can start, investors expect Romanian authorities to modify the offshore
law, which the Senate’s special committees started debating today. The main
modifications to the document adopted four years ago have to do with lowering
exploitation taxes for deposits in the Black Sea as well as on land, as well as
with the elimination of restrictions on prices, all part of a legal framework
to ensure predictability. The Romanian state and state-owned enterprises will
be given priority to buy the resulting output, while 60% of the profit will go
to the state. Additionally, companies will be able to deduct 40% of their
investment, compared to 30% under the current legislation.

FORECAST – The National Strategy and Forecast Company
downgraded to 2.9% the economic growth forecast for this year, compared to 4.3%
previously. The Commission says the overlapping shocks generated by the energy
price hikes which impacted global supply chains) are amplifying the risks and
economic uncertainty, also impacting the short-term evolution of the business
sector. The forecast is in line with the estimates presented by international
financial institutions, which significantly lowered their forecast regarding
Romania’s economic growth in 2022. The IMF recently estimated a growth of 2.2%
for 2020, down from 4.8% originally, while the World Bank estimated Romania’s
GDP growth to stand at 1.9% this year.

EUROBAROMETER
– Three quarters of young Romanians
feel optimistic about the future of the European Union, while half of them
believe things are headed in the right direction for the EU, according to a
Eurobarometer published on Monday. According to the survey, young Romanians
have greater support for European policies compared to other age categories and
are content with their lives. Their main concerns are related to the education
system, the economy, unemployment, housing, the environment and climate
change.

RWB – Romania can boast of a diverse, relatively
pluralistic media landscape that produces hard-hitting public interest
investigations. Pressure from owners, lack of transparency in financing or
market difficulties, however, hamper the reliability of the information, reads
the 2022 World Press Freedom Index released by Reporters without Borders.
Romania ranks 56th, down by 8 positions compared to the previous
year. Norway remains top of the world press freedom index for the sixth
consecutive year, followed by Denmark and Sweden. The lowest-placed countries
in terms of press freedom are China, Myanmar, Turkmenistan, Iran, Eritrea and
North Korea. In a message released today to mark World Press Freedom Day,
Romania’s Prime Minister, Nicolae Ciucă, expressed
confidence there is no democracy without press freedom, whereas journalists
should be allowed to do their job.

COLECTIV – The Bucharest Court of Appeal earlier today
postponed for the fifth time a final sentence in the court case investigating
the Colectiv nightclub fire of October 30, 2015, when 64 people were killed and
another 200 were injured. During a rock concert hosted by the club that night,
the pyrotechnics show ignited the foam covering the ceiling and walls of the
overcrowded venue. Part of the people were killed on the spot, while other died
to the burns, the deadly mix of fumes or in the stampede near the exit. The
court of first instance handed down sentences between 3 and 11 years in prison
to district 4 mayor at the time, Cristian Popescu Piedone, cityhall workers,
club owners, firefighters, pyrotechnicians as well as representatives of the
pyrotechnics company.

CCR – The Chamber of Deputies and the Senate are today
convening in a joint plenary sitting to appoint two new Constitutional Court
(CCR) judges, one of them expected to replace the current president of CCR,
Valer Dorneanu. The mandates of the two judges expire in June, and under the
law, the new judges must be designated at least a month in advance. CCR
comprises nine judges, appointed for a mandate of nine years. Of these, three
are appointed by the Chamber of Deputies, three by the Senate and three by the
president of Romania. The Court replaces a third of its judges every three
years.

GOPO AWARDS – A new Gopo Awards Gala will take place this evening
in Bucharest, celebrating the best-performing cinema projects in the last year.
Some 900 guests are expected to attend. 19 features launched in cinemas or
streaming platforms in 2021 have been nominated in 20 categories. This year’s
edition also celebrates solidarity. Film enthusiasts from around the world are
invited to take part in a fund-raising campaign titled United through Film.
All proceeds will go to Ukrainian filmmakers with the help of the International
Coalition for Filmmakers at Risk. (VP)