December 17, 2023
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 17.12.2023, 14:00
Budget. The 2024 state budget and social insurance bills enter parliament debate in Bucharest on Monday, the two draft laws being analyzed by the specialized committees. On Tuesday, the two Chambers will start the debates in joint session. The final vote is expected on Wednesday. The Romanian government approved, on Thursday evening, the draft laws on the state budget and the state social insurance budget for next year. In 2024, the executive relies on the absorption of European funds and counts on increasing the collection of fees and taxes through a better functioning of the National Agency for Fiscal Administration and of the customs, as well as on reducing tax evasion. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, the leader of the Social Democratic Party, spoke of an increase in revenues from 27% to 30% of the Gross Domestic Product. He says that in the 2024 budget, the sums allocated for investments, but also for education, are the largest in the history of Romania. The opposition claims, however, that the budget is based on unrealistic figures, and a major problem next year will be the payment of pensions.
Commemoration. Its a day of mourning today in the western city of Timisoara, in memory of the heroes who lost their lives during the anti-communist Revolution of December 1989. December 17 is the day when dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu ordered the repression forces to open fire on the demonstrators. Today, memorial services are held in churches and at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Timisoara, and wreaths are laid by local authorities and revolutionary associations at the monuments dedicated to those who sacrificed their lives for freedom. Saturday was an open gates day at the Museum of the “Revolution Memorial” Association in Timisoara.. There were also exhibitions, concerts, a festive meeting of the City Council and a march in memory of the martyred heroes. The revolt against the communist regime in Romania broke out in Timişoara on December 16, 1989 and then spread, starting December 21, to Bucharest and other cities across the country. In total, over 1,000 people died and around 3,000 were injured in the fighting that took place in the only country in Eastern Europe where the regime change took place violently.
Hostage. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has stressed that Romania is with the international community in supporting the efforts of the State of Israel to release all the hostages kidnapped by Hamas. “The death of the 27-year-old artist Inbar Haiman, aka Pink, killed by Hamas terrorists, deeply saddened me. My heart goes out to her family and friends “, he wrote on social media today. According to the prime minister, negotiations to resolve conflicts are the viable solution for restoring peace and security in the region. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest had announced, on Saturday, the death of another hostage with dual citizenship, Israeli and Romanian, in the Gaza Strip, and the Embassy of the State of Israel in Bucharest announced her identity. The MFA communique reiterates the need for the release of all hostages in the Gaza Strip and emphasizes that, currently, only one Romanian with dual Israeli and Romanian citizenship is still a hostage there. The Romanian Embassy in Tel Aviv is in permanent contact with the Israeli authorities.
Schengen. Hungary will veto Bulgarias entry into the Schengen Area if Sofia does not remove the transit tax for Russian gas, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday in a statement, Reuters reports. While Western European countries have made great efforts to get rid of Russian gas, landlocked Hungary has received 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas a year from Russia under a deal signed in 2021, mainly via Bulgaria and Serbia. We recall that at the European Council on Friday in Brussels, the Netherlands officially announced that it agreed with Bulgarias entry into the European area of free movement. In this context, the only country that should change its position and accept the accession of Romania and Bulgaria – states that technically meet the necessary criteria – to Schengen is Austria. Over the last year, Vienna has spoken out against the enlargement of the free movement area, citing the fact that it is not functional as many unregistered migrants arrive in central and western Europe. Late last year, Austria voted against the accession of either country in the Schengen area, while the Netherlands opposed only Bulgaria.
Alert. The population of several communes in Tulcea county, in the south-east of Romania, received a new RO-ALERT warning message on the night of Saturday to Sunday about the possibility of objects falling from the airspace, in the context of the war started by Russia against neighboring Ukraine. Citizens were advised to take protection and shelter measures, if the situation required it. According to the Inspectorate for Emergency Situations, the structures responsible for the defense of the territory of Romania and NATO have identified possible attacks on some Ukraine targets in the border area with the Romanian state. Following the RO-ALERT message, no call was received to signal the fall of objects on the territory of Romania. We recall that three days ago, a drone used by Russia in the attack on the Ukrainian region of Odesa fell near the border with Romania, in the area of a locality in the same county. The, too, the citizens received a warning message. (MI)
