October 5, 2022
Click here for a roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 05.10.2022, 13:55
FIREWOOD The prices of firewood and
wood derivatives used for heating will be capped in Romania until the end of
March 2023. A draft emergency order in this respect is being discussed by the
Cabinet today. Beneficiaries will include individuals, public and private
education institutions, social service providers, local authorities and places
of worship. The measure is intended to help Romanians cope this winter with the
skyrocketing fuel, energy and natural gas prices. Also today the government is
scheduled to endorse the 2030 National Forest Strategy.
ENERGY A Pact for Clean Energy
Resilience was launched in Romania on Tuesday. The initiative came from Smart
Energy Association and is an invitation to the authorities and private sector
to implement programmes and awareness raising campaigns regarding the need to
cut energy consumption and to use clean energy sources. The president of the
Association, Dumitru Chisăliţă, says cutting consumption should be achieved not
through restrictive measures, but rather by improving efficiency. The
Association also released a guideline for authorities, comprising energy saving
solutions.
SCHENGEN The European Parliament discusses in Strasbourg today
Romania’s and Bulgaria’s Schengen accession. MEPs are expected to call for
the Schengen passport-free travel area to be completed swiftly by extending it
to all EU member states who wish to participate, with a resolution in this
respect to be voted on in the next plenary session. Another topic on the
European Parliament’s agenda concerns the mobilisation of Russian reserve
troops, the illegal referendums in Ukrainian occupied regions and the nuclear
threats voiced by the president of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin. MEPs
will request firm responses from member states to Russia’s preparations to
annex Ukrainian territories and to step up military actions.
CEREMONY The Royal House of Romania last night hosted a ceremony
devoted to the Romanian-British partnership and the rule of Charles III. In her
address, the Custodian of the Crown of Romania, Margareta, sent a message of
hope and confidence to Britain’s new sovereign, King Charles III. In turn, the
British Ambassador to Bucharest, Andrew Noble, pointed out that the British
nationals who live in and love Romania are blessed to have a monarch who knows
Romania so well.
UKRAINE The president of Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced fast and powerful progress for his army in the
south of the country, where scores of localities have been reclaimed this week
from the Russian troops. According to AFP, in his daily address
posted on social networks, Zelenskyy promised that the Ukrainian troops would
not stop and that it was only a matter of time until the Russians would be
driven out of the entire Ukrainian territory. On the other hand, the Ukrainian
president welcomed India’s support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity
of Ukraine, voiced during a telephone call with PM Narendra Modi. Previously, Kyiv
had criticised New Delhi over its neutrality. Meanwhile, in Brussels, EU
countries Wednesday reached a political agreement on the implementation of an
8th package of sanctions against Russia, this one in response to the illegal
annexation of 4 Ukrainian regions.
IAEA The director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA),
Rafael Grossi, will travel to Kyiv and then to Moscow this week to discuss a
protection zone around the Ukrainian nuclear plant at Zaporizhzhya. Rafael
Grossi will carry on consultations to have the mechanism in place as soon as
possible, the Agency said in a news release. The nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhya,
the largest in Europe, is occupied by Russian forces, but is still operated by
Ukrainian personnel. Russia and Ukraine have accused each other of shelling the
plant area. (AMP)
