August 19, 2023
A roundup of domestic and international news.
Newsroom, 19.08.2023, 13:27
DECISION – Romania plans to ensure the transit of more than 60% of the Ukrainian grain exports to the international market in the future, Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said after Friday’s meeting, in Bucharest, with his Ukrainian counterpart Denys Şmyhal. The two officials decided that in the upcoming period, the grain transit from Ukraine to the international market, via Romania, to be doubled, from two to four million tons per month, but with the protection of Romanian farmers. Two accords were also signed during the meeting, one regarding the mutual recognition of documents of study and another one for the opening of a new border checkpoint between the two states, in Sighetul Marmaţiei, in the county of Maramures.
ENERGY – Helleniq Renewables, a Greek subsidiary of one of the main energy groups in South-Eastern Europe, Helleniq Energy Holdings, has signed a contract for the construction of four photovoltaic parks in Romania, with a total capacity of 211 megawatts. The agreement was signed with Mytilineos Energy. The projects will be gradually developed until 2025, and the total annual production of renewable energy will be cover the needs of 100,000 households. In parallel, Helleniq Renewables signed another agreement, for the development of a portfolio of photovoltaic parks with a capacity of 600 megawatts, also located in Romania, in the southern part of the country.
MUSIC — Găesti, the hometown of the famous Romanian musician Gheorghe Zamfir hosts the 5th edition of the “Gheorghe Zamfir” International Music Festival under way until Sunday evening. Symphonic pop and classical music have been scheduled for today, as well as concerts by musicians Aydin Yavas (Turkey) and Jean-Luc Faraux (France). On Sunday, a folk music concert will be held, with the participation of the “Lautarii” Orchestra, from Chisinau, conducted by Nicolae Botgros. Maestro Gheorghe Zamfir will take the stage of the festival on both days. An internationally renowned musician, composer, conductor, poet and painter, Gheorghe Zamfir is a symbol of Romania.
EUROSTAT – Romania registered in June the most significant advance in the European Union in the field of construction works, of 3.6%, followed by Sweden and the Czech Republic, according to the European Statistics Office. At the opposite end are Germany, France, Slovakia and Hungary. Eurostat data also shows that construction works decreased in June by 1% in the eurozone and by 0.6% in the European Union, compared to the previous month, when a slight advance was registered.
SCHENGEN — Austria continues to oppose the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area. The subject was on the agenda of Fridays meeting, in Salzburg, between Austrian chancellor, Karl Nehammer and German chancellor, Olaf Scholz. While Vienna rejects the bid of the two countries motivating its stand with the increasing flow of migrants, the German chancellor reiterated that Berlin supports “the continued development of the EU, and this includes the fact that EU member countries can join the Schengen Area”. The Austrian chancellor also said that the Schengen system has structural deficiencies and recalled that last year more than 75% of those over 120 thousand asylum seekers in his country had not been registered.
UKRAINE — The Kyiv authorities have hailed the US decision to allow the delivery of F-16 aircraft to the Ukrainian army. The US-made aircraft will be delivered by Denmark and the Netherlands, once Ukrainian pilots are ready to fly them. “What we did this week is formalized, through a letter from Secretary of State Antony Blinken to his counterparts in Europe, that upon the completion of that training, the United States would be prepared, in consultation with Congress, to approve third-party transfer of F-16 aircraft to Ukraine,’’ Jake Sulliven said. (EE)
