June 27, 2023 – UPDATE

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Newsroom, 27.06.2023, 20:00

RECOVERY The European Commission Tuesday endorsed a positive preliminary
assessment of the second payment request submitted by Romania under the
National Recovery and Resilience Facility, and found 49 out of the 51 targets
and milestones to be completed. Two
milestones, concerning investments in the energy sector, are deemed as not satisfactorily
fulfilled, and therefore the Commission activated a ‘payment suspension’
procedure. The EC acknowledged the first steps already taken by Romania to
fulfil these outstanding milestones, but emphasised that important work remains
to be done. Romania is to submit its observations within one month, and has an
additional 6 months to fulfil the outstanding milestones. If and when they have
been completed, the Commission will lift the payment suspension. In this
context, the EC chief Ursula von der Leyen stated that Romania has progressed
well in the implementation of its recovery and resilience plan, for instance
carrying out reforms on road safety, renewable energy and public sector cloud
services. PM Marcel Ciolacu says the
two delayed milestones will be recovered quickly, so that the country may
receive all the funds earmarked for them. The total amount in the second
payment request is EUR 2.8 billion, but Romania will receive EUR 53 million
less. The USR leader in opposition, Cătălin Drulă, says the money will only
arrive in September and the 3rd and 4th payments, also
scheduled for this year, stand no chances of being received

PROTEST About 700 employees with the police and penitentiary systems,
as well as court clerks protested in front of the Parliament building on
Tuesday, against the revision of the military and service pension system.
Protesters also asked for the elimination of all wage inequities, ceilings and
postponements imposed by the Government since 2010. According to protesters,
the increase in the retirement age from 60 to 65 is unjustified and will turn
Romania into the country with the most unfavourable retirement terms in the
NATO bloc. On Monday, the Romanian MPs passed a bill on the reform of all
special pensions received by some professional categories in Romania. The
changes concern, among other things, the increase in the retirement age for
some beneficiaries and the taxation of amounts that exceed the net average
salary. On the same day, Parliament eliminated the special pensions of senators
and deputies.

BACCALAUREATE Romanian high school graduates Tuesday sat the
compulsory test in their respective majors as part of the Baccalaureate exam. The
last test of the exam for most students is scheduled for Wednesday, with only
ethnic minority students left to sit a mother tongue test on Thursday. During
the examinations all classrooms are subject to audio and video surveillance,
and access with electronic devices or any other materials may lead to expulsion.
The grades will be announced on 3 July, and they may be appealed on the same
day, with the final results to be announced on 7 July.

FARMERS Romania will receive EUR 30 million from the European
Commission in aid for farmers affected by the import of cheap grain from
Ukraine. The support package, the second approved by Brussels after the one in
March, is worth a total EUR 100 million and is granted to five border countries
– Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia. Poland, with almost EUR 40
million and Romania with EUR 30 million are the biggest beneficiaries of this
aid. The deadline for payments to farmers is 30 September. After the Ukrainian
Black Sea ports were blocked following the Russian invasion, the Romanian port
of Constanţa has become the most important alternative shipping route. (AMP)