November 13, 2023 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 13.11.2023, 19:54

Training centre. The European F-16 Training
Centre in Romania opened on Monday at the 86th air base in Feteşti,
in the south-east, in the presence of the defence ministers of Romania and The
Netherlands. The centre will provide training for F-16 pilots from allied and
partner states, including Ukraine, as well as from Romania, whose army is to be
supplied with 32 F-16 aircraft purchased from Norway. Romania’s defence
minister Angel Tîlvăr noted the short time in which the centre was established
and said its location in this country is proof of the trust of NATO states in
Romania. Netherlands’ defence minister Kajsa Ollongren said Romanian pilots
would have priority, but the centre will also provide training for Ukrainian
pilots, as Netherlands, Denmark and Norway are about to deliver F-16 planes to
Ukraine. She said Ukrainian pilots already began training in Denmark and the
United States. The centre was created based on a collaboration agreement under
which Romania is to provide the base, the training facilities and the support
of the host nation, the Royal Netherlands Air Force is to supply the F-16
aircraft and the American company Lockheed Martin, which makes the planes, is
to provide the instructors and the maintenance.

Budget. The ruling coalition met on Monday to
discuss Romania’s next year’s budget. The latter will be focused on
investments, and education and healthcare will benefit from additional funds,
said finance minister Marcel Boloş. All aspects related to the pensions bill,
including its funding sources, have been clarified, said prime minister Marcel
Ciolacu in an Internet post. He said together with the Liberal leader Nicolae
Ciuca, a decision was made to file a bill as soon as possible to combat tax
evasion and enhance budget revenues. Ciuca said the debates on next year’s
budget should focus on healthcare and education. The government wants
Parliament to pass the pensions bill by 20 November. The opposition has
criticised the bill saying the reform does not even cover the inflation rate.

Evacuation. Another
86 Romanian citizens and their family members left the Gaza Strip through the Rafah
check point on Sunday and are now on Egyptian territory, said the Romanian
Foreign Affairs Ministry. They will be flown to Romania in the upcoming days.
134 Romanian citizens and their families who have evacuated from Gaza have
arrived in Romania. The Foreign Ministry continues the dialogue with the
Israeli and Egyptian authorities to facilitate the evacuation of the other
Romanians who have requested repatriation, depending on the developments on the
ground and the approval of the parties involved.

Gaza. The
largest hospital in Gaza, al-Shifa, has stopped working and deaths among
patients are increasing, said the head of the World Health Organisation, Tedros
Adhanom Ghebreyesus. He joined other high-ranking UN officials in calling for
an immediate ceasefire, a course of action rejected by Israel unless Hamas
releases all the hostages. In Geneva, the UN observed a minute’s silence in
memory of the 101 UN staff killed in the last month in Gaza. The vice-president
of the European Commission Janez Lenarčič said the situation in Gaza was
worsening by the hour and that food, water and fuel must enter Gaza because half
of the hospitals there have stopped working. The European Union has condemned
Hamas for using hospitals, schools and civilians as human shields and also
urged Israel to show utmost restraint in order to protect innocent civilians.

Tour. The
Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, began a 10-day tour of Africa, travelling
to Kenya, Tanzania, Cape Verde and Senegal. According to the Presidential
Administration, this is the first high-level political and diplomatic visit to
the region in the last 30 years, aiming to re-launch Romania’s relations with
the African continent and to revive the European Union’s relations with Africa.
During talks with counterparts and other high-ranking African officials,
President Iohannis will try to find ways to boost commercial ties, promote
cooperation in areas of common interest, and consolidate Romania’s image as a provider
of education. Romania has recently adopted a National Strategy for Africa.

Inflation. Romania’s annual inflation rate
dropped to 8.1% in October from 8.8% in September, according to the National
Institute for Statistics. A series of price hikes were recorded last month,
including for bread, eggs and meat. Compared with last year, beer recoded the
highest increase in price, by 17%, followed by fresh and canned fish, by almost
16%. Among non-food products, cleaning substances saw the highest increase,
with 24%. The biggest drop in prices was recorded by edible oil, by 25%. The
net average salary income in Romania stood at 924 euros in October, up 12.5
euros compared with the previous month. (CM)