October 16, 2024
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 16.10.2024, 13:55
PNRR The European Commission has provisionally approved Romania’s third payment request for its National Resilience and Recovery Plan known as PNRR. The Commission is waiting to receive additional information from the government in Bucharest within a month in order to make the whole payment. According to the EC’s assessment, Romania had met 62 out of the 68 requirements related to reforms and investment, which led to the temporary suspension of payment until explanations were provided. If these explanations are considered enough, the Commission is expected to make the entire payment of 2 billion Euros.
UKRAINE Romania can play the role of a logistic hub in Ukraine’s reconstruction – says the president of the Romania-Ukraine Bilateral Chamber of Commerce, Nasty Vladoiu, who has recently attended the Forum on the Reconstruction of Ukraine in Bucharest. In turn, Ana Tinca, state secretary for strategic affairs with Romania’s Foreign Ministry, has reiterated Romania’s commitment to supporting Ukraine and the significant importance attached to Ukraine’s reconstruction. In this context she underlined the special attention paid to cross-border projects and connectivity in the fields of transport and energy, as well as the trilateral cooperation also involving the Republic of Moldova. The official has also mentioned the EU’s major support in the country’s reconstruction, urging the business community to use the instruments and programmes available at EU level.
SUMMIT Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis is in Brussels to participate in the EU-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit and the European Council proceedings due on Thursday and Friday. Subjects high on the agenda are Ukraine, the war in the Middle East, the EU competitiveness, migration, foreign affairs and the Republic of Moldova. The European leaders are also expected to tackle the latest evolutions of the war in Ukraine, as well as ways of helping the Ukrainian people. They will also discuss the alarming situation in the Middle East and ‘the risks of escalating violence in the region’. Talks will also focus on the Republic of Moldova’s EU accession as well as migration-related policies.
FOOTBALL Romania’s national football side clinched a 2-1 win against Lithuania in an away game counting towards the Nations League’s Group C on Tuesday night. This has been Romania’s fourth win after those against Lithuania at home, Cyprus and Kosovo. Romania tops the group with 12 points followed by Kosovo, which outperformed Cyprus 3-0 and has three points less than our side. Romania will be playing Kosovo on 15 November, and taking on Cyprus three days later. The Nations League will have a direct effect over the European preliminaries for World Cup 2026. In another development, Romania’s Under 21 squad has qualified for the European Championship 2025 after a 3-1 home win against Switzerland also on Tuesday. They have thus managed to secure their fourth consecutive presence in a final Under 21 tournament.
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