January 25, 2024 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 25.01.2024, 20:00
Salaries. The Bucharest government has accepted, in principle, an increase in salaries in the health-care system, but new talks will follow on the percentage. The unions are asking for a 20% increase, while the executive would lean towards 15%, applicable in the first half of this year. At the meeting between Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and leaders of the SANITAS Federation, the adjustment of personnel schemes and the unlocking of positions in the system according to needs were also established. An assessment of the needs will be carried out next week, at a new meeting, to which managers of hospitals and county hospital centers, the leadership of the National Health Insurance House and representatives of the ministries with responsibilities in the field will be invited. The other day, SANITAS representatives threatened an all-out strike and picketed the headquarters of the Ministry of Labor. They were joined by members of the Hippocrates trade union federation, who announced that they had started collecting signatures to trigger a strike.
Subsidies. The Romanian government has earmarked 79 million euros for subsidies benefitting breeders of dairy cows, buffaloes, poultry and pigs. The money will reach the farmers by the end of June this year. Another form of aid that the Executive will grant to farmers is subsidizing the excise duty on diesel fuel used in agriculture at the maximum possible amount of 2 lei/l. And also for farmers, the Cabinet has adopted an emergency ordinance that allows them to postpone the payment of bank loan installments. The measures resolve some of the demands made by the farmers who have protested recently.
Drugs. Fighting drug trafficking remains a priority in Romania in spite of the extremely complex domestic agenda in 2024, the Romanian Interior Minister, Catalin Predoiu said in Antwerp, Belgium during the launch of a new platform aimed at fighting drug trafficking in Europe. Networks of domestic and international cooperation are the most effective ways to fight drug trafficking, Minister Predoiu said, adding that Romanias Police and Border Police as well as the institutions coordinating various financial activities, transport and logistics will resort to concrete measures aimed at keeping the phenomenon at bay.
Antibiotics. In the last 10 years, Romanians have been ranking first in the European Union in terms of antibiotic consumption. According to statistics, in 2022, for example, Romania ranked second , being surpassed only by Greece. Under these conditions, the Romanian Ministry of Health has announced that the new order regarding the release of antibiotics in pharmacies stays in place. Secretary of State Adriana Pistol said that, for emergency situations and only based on the pharmacists decision, first-line antibiotics, which cannot lead to resistance, can be released for 48 hours. The Secretary of State has specified that, in this way, more than 60 products that are most likely to produce resistance can no longer be released other than based on a prescription.
Moldova. Mihai Popsoi, the incumbent vice-president of Parliament in the pro-western government of the Republic of Moldova, an ex-soviet, Romanian-speaking country, has been appointed Foreign Minister to replace the outgoing minister, Nicu Popescu, who stepped down. The new government reshuffle is to also include a new minister portfolio, that of European Integration. Ex-minister Popescu might become chief-negotiator for the countrys EU-accession.
Automotive. The production of vehicles in Romania registered a record increase in 2023 and exceeded by more than 4% the total number of cars in 2019. The increase was possible thanks to the efforts of the Dacia and Ford factories to find solutions to the electronic components crisis, according to the secretary general of the Romanian Automobile Manufacturers Association, Adrian Sandu. He has stated that last year around 513,000 units were produced and voiced hope that 2024 will represent a new year of growth. Sandu has stressed, however, that this depends on the supply and maintaining a high demand for the products manufactured in Romania in the important markets where they are sold, such as those in Western Europe.
Air quality. Romania risks a sentence from the European Court of Justice for not solving its air quality issues. The only city at risk of infringement is Bucharest, for which the Environmental Guard has issued 12 notifications since October. The deadline for solving the reported problems was extended until the end of October 2024, and until February 15, the Capital City Hall is obliged to present a calendar of works to improve air quality in the city. According to the Environmental Guard, the municipality has not implemented any of the measures assumed in appendix 1 submitted to the EU. They include streamlining the traffic, raising a forest curtain, regenerating green areas, improving the quality of public transport, increasing the use of electrical means of transport or creating new bike lanes. If the Bucharest City Hall does not observe the new deadlines, it risks a fine of 100,000 lei (about 20,000 euros). (MI)
