October 23, 2024
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 23.10.2024, 13:55
Visit – Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, is paying an official visit to Montenegro today, at the invitation of his counterpart Jakov Milatović. This is the first visit at the level of heads of state since the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. Klaus Iohannis will be received by President Jakov Milatovic at the official residence in Cetinje. The talks will focus on such topics as political and diplomatic cooperation, defense and support for Montenegro’s European path. Opportunities for increasing investments and commercial exchanges, stimulating contacts in the fields of energy, tourism, agriculture, internal affairs, research, education and culture will also be analyzed.
Election – Today, the US has expressed its concern about Russia’s interference in the second round of the November 3 presidential election in the Republic of Moldova, a competition which is going to be very tight. The US is concerned that Russia will try, once again, to prevent the Moldovans from exercising their sovereign right to choose their own leaders, said the US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, in a statement quoted by AFP. Washington has already denounced that Russia did everything in its power to disrupt the first round of the presidential election and last Sunday’s referendum, with the aim of undermining democracy in the small ex-Soviet Republic with a majority Romanian-speaking population, especially through illegal financing, vote buying, disinformation and malicious cyber activities. We remind you that the Moldovans approved by a tiny margin, with a little over 50% of the votes, amending the Constitution with a view to their country’s EU accession. At the same time, the current president, the pro-European Maia Sandu, ranked first, with 42.45% of the votes, in the first round of the presidential election, but she is preparing for a difficult second round, in which she will fight with the representative of the Socialist Party, Alexandr Stoianoglo, who obtained 25.98%.
Budget – Today, the European Parliament pronounces on the budget for next year, in a different version than the one proposed by the EC and the one discussed in the Council, which announces negotiations. Initially, the European Commission had considered a budget of approximately 200 billion Euros, which it proposed both to the Council and the Parliament. The Council cut 8 billion Euros from this proposal, while the Parliament increased it by another 1 billion. One of the two chief negotiators of the EP, the Romanian MEP Victor Negrescu, says that the version of the EP, of 201 billion Euros, would be the correct one, both from the point of view of the multi-annual budget setting and from the point of view of what is needed for the Union’s common policies. The European Parliament agrees with the increase in the budget for border security, defense and external actions, but believes that the big problem is in the economy and in the social sector, domains for which more money would be needed, says Victor Negrescu.
Salary – Romania’s Chamber of Deputies adopted, as a decision-making body, the draft law on the minimum wage. It transposes a European directive that aims to improve the working and living conditions of employees. The document stipulates that the minimum basic gross salary guaranteed to be paid should be established annually, through periodic updating, after consultations with the nationally-representative unions and employers’ associations and should take into account the cost of living and economic and social indicators.
Year of the Child – The Romanian authorities announce a series of measures in the run-up of the Year of the Child to be marked in 2025. The measures are aimed at supporting children and promoting their rights, especially of those from disadvantaged areas. The law under which 2025 becomes the Year of the Child in Romania was passed by Parliament earlier this month. (LS)
