December 5, 2022

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 05.12.2022, 14:15

SUMMIT — The Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will take part, on Tuesday, in the EU — Western Balkans summit, held in Tirana, Albania. According to the Presidential Administration, the summit in Tirana is the first of its kind held in a capital in the region, which reconfirms the European commitment as regards the Western Balkans. Iohannis will reiterate, at the summit, his country’s willingness to further support concrete efforts and actions to integrate the countries in the region into the EU. He will also emphasize the need to consolidate the partners’ resilience and the European support in sectors like energy, digital transformation, cyber security and migration. The Tirana Declaration will be adopted at the summit, mirroring the support of the EU and of member states for the Western Balkans’ European perspective.

BUDGET – The government in Bucharest is planning to put to public consultation and then adopt the budget for next year towards mid-December. The 2023 budget is the first to be based on economic and social programmes and to include an allocation of 2.5% of the GDP to defense. A budget built on programmes is believed to allow for better monitoring of expenses, their implementation and the real impact on the economy.

EU — Finance ministers in the eurozone are meeting today in Brussels, their last gathering this year. Talks are held after the Eurostat previously announced a slight decrease in the inflation rate in the eurozone. Thus, the inflation rate last month stood at 10%, down from the record level of 10.6% in October. The decrease is mainly due to the fact that the energy price went up at a slower pace than in October. The European Central Bank chief, Christine Lagarde has warned that the inflation rate has not yet reached its peak in the eurozone.

SANCTIONS — Fresh economic sanctions on Russia, imposed by the EU and G7, take effect today. The oil price cap, which comes on top of the EU import ban on Russian seaborne crude oil and oil products, and the corresponding bans of other G7 partners — will further reduce the revenues Russia earns from oil. The cap is rejected by Russia, which says it will only sell oil to countries that do not limit the price. On Sunday, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has decided to maintain current production levels, saying it is too early to assess the impact of the new sanctions.

PARLIAMENT – The Romanian Parliament is today discussing the revokation, from the position of vice-president of the Court of Accounts of Nicolae Badalau, a former member of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), accused by anti-graft prosecutors of influence peddling and bribe giving. PSD, who requested Badalau’s revokation, says suspending him from this position can only be done in case of indictment and warned that keeping him in this position would seriously affect the institution’s credibility. The Opposition has also asked for Badalau’s revokation. The Bucharest Court of Appeal ordered the preventive arrest, for 30 days, of the former PSD Senator Nicolae Badalau, for bribe giving and influence peddling, in a case in which he is accused of offering 170,000 euros as bribe to a mayor in Giurgiu (southern Romania), in exchange for cotracts for public works.

HANDBALL – In the women’s handball Champions League, CSM Bucharest beat the Hungarian team Ferencvàros 30-24 at home, in Group A. The Romanian team is on 2nd place in the group. On December 10 the Romanians will play the return leg, away from home. On Saturday, in Group B, Rapid Bucharest was defeated away from home by Hungary’s team Győr, 30-32. Rapid ranks 4th in the group and will play the return leg on December 11 in Bucharest. (EE)