October 25, 2022 UPDATE

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Newsroom, 25.10.2022, 20:00

ARMY DAY The Romanian Army Day was celebrated on Tuesday with a
series of events staged all over Romania and in other regions around the world
where Romanian troops are stationed now. Wreath laying ceremonies took place at
heroes’ monuments around Romania and abroad, in countries like Austria, Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, the Russian Federation, Poland,
the Republic of Moldova and Hungary. The Army has been and will always be a
symbol of resilience and an essential element in the development of Romania,
president Klaus Iohannis
said on this occasion. He added that Romania has a distinct place within NATO
and is an indisputable provider of security at the Black Sea and on NATO’s
eastern flank. According to the Romanian Defence
Ministry, during WWII, out of roughly 540,000 servicemen deployed, 90,000 were
KIA, 60,000 MIA and over 330,000 were wounded. After freeing the Romanian
territory on October 25th, 1944, the Romanian army continued to
fight in Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Austria alongside the allied troops,
contributing to the May 9th 1945 victory, which marked the end of WWII in
Europe.

DEFENCE The Supreme Defence Council, convening on
Tuesday in Bucharest, approved updates to key directions of the Army 2040
programme, including the budgeting for personnel needs,
reconfiguring equipment procurement programmes and revamping the defence
industry, as well as measures to better retain skilled military personnel. Army
2040 aims to help develop national military capabilities that enable the
government to fulfil its constitutional obligation to safeguard the territorial
integrity of Romania. To this end, the country will earmark 2.5% of its GDP to
defence as of 2023.The Council also
reviewed and approved the Energy Ministry’s plan to improve Romania’s energy
resilience, so as to protect citizens and to secure continuing supplies of
electricity and natural gas, for prices that are not a burden to households. The
Council also discussed the support Romania will continue to provide to Ukraine,
and looked at ways to counter prospective threats.

DECREE Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis Tuesday signed a
decree acknowledging the resignation of Defence Minister Vasile Dincu and
designating Prime Minister Ciuca as the country’s interim defence minister. The
Social-Democrat Dincu stepped down on Monday, two weeks after he made a number
of controversial statements concerning the situation in Ukraine. The Social
Democratic Party (PSD) has called for an emergency meeting of the ruling
coalition for a decision on Dincu’s successor.

COAL Romania has increased its coal output in order to cope
with the energy crisis. According to the National Statistics Institute, the output
went up by 1.7% and imports by 13.5% in the first 8 months of the year. The
National Strategy and Forecast Commission estimates for this year a coal output
10% bigger than in 2021 and imports 2.8% higher, with the coal production expected
to grow by 8% next year.

REFUGEES According
to the Romanian Foreign Ministry, since the beginning of the war in Ukraine,
over 2.6 million Ukrainian nationals have transited Romania and over 86,500
have chosen to stay here. Eight months on from the beginning of the conflict on
February 24th, Bucharest highlights its active involvement in facilitating the
transport and transit of Ukrainian grain towards international markets. At the
same time, the humanitarian hub in Suceava, north-eastern Romania, has
contributed to 56 humanitarian aid shipments from countries like Italy, France
or Germany.

ECLIPSE A partial solar eclipse was visible in Romania on Tuesday.
According to the Astronomic Observatory in Bucharest, the sun was covered up to
44% and the eclipse lasted for two hours and a half. (AMP, DB)