October 20, 2023 UPDATE
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Newsroom, 20.10.2023, 20:00
SCHENGEN The European Commissioner
for Home Affairs, Ylva Johansson, says that the good results obtained by
Romania and Bulgaria in the management of pilot projects on migration are an
additional argument in favor of the accession of the two states to the European
Free Movement Area – Schengen. The statement was made at the Home Affairs
Council meeting in Luxembourg. Several countries pleaded for Romania and
Bulgaria’s Schengen accession. Austria and the Netherlands, which opposed the
accession last December, did not present any argument.
SUMMIT The transformation of
Romania’s economy into a green and digital one is a long-term process, which
requires a strong national plan and must be embraced by all political, business
and civic forces, the Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, told the
participants in the second Climate Change Summit. According to him,
mitigating the effects of climate change in the short, medium and long run, is
a priority for the Cabinet. He also stated that in collaboration with the
private sector, solutions for the future can be developed, so that Romania in
2030 will be better prepared to deal with climate challenges. In turn, the
President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, stated that the impact of climate change
is global and appreciated the fact that part of the Summit is taking place in
universities. He stressed that young people must have opportunities to
participate in the process of decarbonisation and acceleration of the green
transition.
HEALTH The government of Romania Friday approved three National
Healthcare Strategies for the next 7 years: a general strategy on public health
and healthcare, and 2 specific ones, focusing on fighting in-hospital
infections and on vaccination, respectively. The healthcare minister Alexandru
Rafila explained that the vaccination strategy encourages lifelong
immunisation, and is designed to preserve low risks of re-emergence of serious
diseases like polio, measles and rubella in Romania. He also emphasised that
the strategy has nothing to do with compulsory vaccination, but assigns tasks
to public institutions and the medical professionals with respect to information
and resources. Also on Friday, the government increased the amounts paid to the
households affected by flooding, landslides and other natural conditions. Money
has also been earmarked from the reserve fund for carrying on investments in
transportation and unblocking healthcare payments.
AID The National Committee for
Emergency Situations in Romania has decided to provide aid to the population in
Gaza Strip. The humanitarian aid will consist, among other things, of food,
water, beds, mattresses and tents. The transport will be provided with the
support of the Romanian Ministry of Defence and international organisations,
the Romanian Government has announced.Meanwhile, hundreds of Romanians
with medical qualifications have enrolled on the health ministry’s website to
go to Israel and help if necessary, although Romania has not received any
request in this respect up to this point.
THEATRE The 33rd edition
of the National Theatre Festival started in Bucharest on Friday. Until October
30, under the motto Laboratories of the Sensitive the public will be able to
watch 30 Romanian productions and 3 foreign plays. The programme also includes roundtables,
conferences, exhibitions, book launches, reading and radio shows, as well as
creative workshops and Q&A sessions with artists. (AMP)
