May 4, 2022 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 04.05.2022, 19:46
UKRAINE. In the last 24 hours, the Ukrainian forces have repelled several attacks by Russian troops in the Donbas (eastern Ukraine), where the Russian army is still trying to advance from the north with the aim of encircling Ukrainian units in the area, news agencies report. Separate armored and infantry units as well as airborne forces have hit targets along the Izium-Barvenkov front line, the Ukrainian Army General Staff said. Mariupol remains the hottest spot in the Donetsk region, with the city still under siege and attack by Russian troops. More than 90% of its infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed. In another move, on Wednesday, the representatives of the EU states did not reach an agreement regarding an embargo on oil and petroleum products imported from Russia, so a new meeting was scheduled for Thursday. According to Reuters, Bulgaria, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia are among the countries that had objections.
VISIT. Pressure must rise for Russia to stop the invasion and put an end to its aggression against Ukraine, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on Wednesday in Bucharest, where he received his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier. According to the Romanian head of state, it is crucial that the support of the European Union and the Member States continues for both Ukraine and the Ukrainian refugees, in parallel with the adoption of new sanctions against Russia and the continuation of efforts to isolate it internationally. Frank-Walter Steinmeier stressed that Romania and Germany are closely linked politically, economically and in terms of civil society. He also said that the Germans were impressed by Romanias solidarity and humanity towards Ukrainian refugees and stressed that Germanys solidarity within NATO is unquestionable. “We will stand by Ukraine in this difficult time, we will not leave them alone”, the German president added. He also met with Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, who voiced Romanias interest in diversifying investment and cooperation with Germany in strategic areas, such as energy, technology and infrastructure. Germany is Romanias first trading partner, with exchanges totaling over 35 billion euros in 2021, and the third largest investor in the Romanian economy.
MOLDOVA. The European Union has a duty to support the Republic of Moldova, the European Council President Charles Michel said in Chisinau on Wednesday. Brussels is considering military support for the Moldovan authorities, in addition to the assistance in the areas of logistics and cyber defense that the Union has already agreed on. At the same time, Charles Michel reiterated the EUs intention to provide support to the Republic of Moldova in the process of managing the flow of Ukrainian refugees. A small former Soviet republic with about 2.5 million inhabitants located between Ukraine and Romania, the Romanian-speaking Republic of Moldova fears destabilization and an extension of the conflict in Ukraine. A series of explosions last week shook Transnistria, a Moscow-backed separatist region, which broke away from Moldova after a brief war in 1992. Russia still has about 1,500 troops in the region.
ENERGY. The Romanian Government decided on Wednesday how European money – 13 billion euros from the value of green certificates – will be used to modernize the energy systems and improve their efficiency. The European Union states that in 2013 had a GDP per capita below 60% of the Union average are beneficiaries of these funds. Besides Romania, the list of beneficiaries also includes Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Baltic countries. These countries must use the money to fight climate change by reducing pollutant emissions, increasing the share of renewable energy sources, of energy efficiency measures and the interconnectivity of electricity grids.
PROTEST. Members of a large trade union confederation in Romania protested on Wednesday in front of the Government headquarters, asking for the observance of the rule of law and of the legislation passed by Parliament, and for solutions to social issues signaled repeatedly but left unanswered by authorities. According to the trade unions, inflation, the growing prices of basic foodstuffs, the high price of electricity and heating and the mandatory insurance policies are a very heavy burden for Romanians. Protesters have asked for an increase in the gross minimum salary to around 600 euros, for bringing salaries and pensions in line with inflation and for passing a new trade union law, in keeping with Romanias EU member status.
CINEMA. Radu Judes Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn was the big winner of the Gopo Awards, an event dedicated to Romanian cinema. The film also won awards for best feature film, best female lead (Catia Pascariu) and best editing (Cătălin Cristuţiu). However, the production that won most awards was Cristi Puius Malmkrog: best director, cinematography, stage design, costumes, make-up and hairstyle. The award for best male lead went to actor Bogdan Farcaş, for his role in Unidentified. (MI)
