THE WEEK IN REVIEW

November 11-15 2024

Ştefan Stoica, 16.11.2024, 13:03

Romanian Prime Minister’s Visit to London

Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu made a two-day visit to the United Kingdom in the middle of the week, the first by a head of government from Bucharest in the last 17 years. The discussions with his British counterpart, Keir Starmer, focused on joint economic, energy and security projects. Starmer sent a message to Romania and other European states, especially the countries on the eastern flank, namely that the United Kingdom wants to cooperate more with these states in the defense sector, that is, to send soldiers to help them, and to train together with the soldiers from the countries on the eastern flank, in a complicated security context and with an increasingly aggressive Russia. Romania and the United Kingdom signed a defense cooperation agreement, by virtue of which the British will contribute to the Regional Maritime Training Center in Romania, intended for the training of Ukrainian soldiers. The head of the Romanian government also participated in the Romanian-British Economic Forum, met with the Lord Mayor of London, Sir Alastair King, and with the Speaker of the House of Commons, Sir Lindsey Hoyle. The Lord Mayor of London conveyed that the British want to work and make transactions with the Romanians and want to prepare more areas for collaboration.

Hearings of the proposed European Commissioners

The hearing of Roxana Mînzatu, proposed by Romania for the position of Executive Vice-President to coordinate policies in the social and education fields, took place in Brussels. Roxana Mînzatu believes that the European Union has the most balanced and efficient social model in the world, but this does not mean that this mechanism does not have its flaws, and some are even deepening. She promises to discuss in the first year with all social actors from all member states, from governments and unions to youth organizations and ordinary citizens. Roxana Mînzatu states that her mandate will focus on three pillars: professional training, quality jobs and social justice.

NBR assessments

Not so great news came from the economy: it stagnated in the third quarter of this year, compared to the previous quarter, while compared to the same quarter in 2023, the gross domestic product decreased by 0.2%. At the same time, the annual inflation rate rose slightly in October to 4.67%, from 4.62% in September. In fact, the National Bank of Romania increased the inflation forecast for the end of this year to 4.9%, from 4%, as it estimated in August. Governor Mugur Isărescu emphasized that the way in which the fiscal-budgetary correction will be made in order to reduce deficits will also influence the evolution of inflation. Reducing deficits, Isărescu insisted, means adapting domestic consumption to the level of production in Romania. He said that the NBR expects from the future government a credible and coherent macroeconomic correction program, which will be politically supported and socially accepted. Mugur Isărescu pointed out that the evolution of prices is marked by a series of risks and uncertainties related to both fiscal policy and wage increases, but also to external factors, such as the evolution of European economies with which Romania conducts most of its trade relations, the dynamics of the international oil price in the context of increasing geopolitical tensions, and how the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East will evolve.

F35 for Romania and a warning from the head of the armed forces

The Senate in Bucharest adopted, on Wednesday, as the decision-making body, the bill on the acquisition of F-35 aircraft from the United States government. The document regulates the program through which Romania will acquire 32 state-of-the-art F-35 aircraft, for which it will pay 6.5 billion dollars, the most expensive acquisition in the history of the Romanian armed forces. Engines, logistical support, pilot and personnel training services, flight simulators, as well as air-to-air and air-to-ground ammunition are included. The first F-35 aircraft will arrive in Romania after 2030. In the same register, on Tuesday, on the anniversary of the Defense General Staff, its chief, General Gheorghiţă Vlad, launched an alarm signal: the indicators of the current security situation warn us that peace is no longer a certainty on the European continent. He stated that, in dissonance with the norms of international humanitarian law, the actions of the Russian Federation fuel the negative progression of the potential for security threats and risks. According to the general, in the Black Sea region, an area of strategic interest for NATO, we have a crisis situation in the field of defense. The Romanian armed forces, Gheorghiţă Vlad emphasized, have reconfigured their defensive architecture. Procedures have been adapted, the forces’ reaction capacity has been re-calibrated, and the structures intended for permanent combat service, air police, and increased vigilance have been consolidated. At the same time, situational awareness and early warning capabilities have been improved.

About Romanians voting abroad

Romania is in the midst of an electoral campaign for the first round of the presidential elections, which will take place on November 24, and for the legislative elections on December 1. The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Luminiţa Odobescu, and the President of the Permanent Electoral Authority, Toni Greblă, provided technical details regarding the organization of the elections abroad. Romanian citizens abroad will be able to vote in the 950 polling stations that will be organized for them, a record number. Almost 7,000 citizens have received envelopes for postal voting, and they must send their option no later than two days before the start of the physical vote. On November 24, together with the vote for president, the inhabitants of Bucharest will be called on to answer, in a referendum convened by the general mayor, three questions, two of which concern the way money is divided between the general and sectoral mayoralties, and the third is related to combating drug use in schools.