April 3, 2024 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 03.04.2024, 20:00

MEETING – The Romanian President, Klaus Iohannis, said Wednesday that Romania is deeply engaged in the advancement of all EU priorities for the period 2024-2029 and that the country can contribute significantly to this process. He made this statement on the occasion of the working meeting in Bucharest dedicated to the future strategic agenda of the community block. Klaus Iohannis emphasized that, from Romania’s viewpoint, in the coming years, at the EU level, it is necessary to focus on strengthening the European construction, referring, in particular, to security and defense. Attending the meeting, the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, said that the energy sector and the energy transition are a very important topic, as they represent issues related to prosperity and support for industrial ambitions in the future. Discussions on the preparation of the Strategic Agenda for the next institutional cycle will continue at the level of European leaders, with the objective of being adopted by the European Council at the meeting scheduled in June.

STRIKE– The Romanian Post employees’ strike ended on Wednesday, after the company’s management and the representative union signed a new collective bargaining agreement. It provides for salary increases in two installments, from July 1 and from September 1. The announcement was made by the Minister of Digitization, Bogdan Ivan, at the end of the negotiations with the unions. (…) We remind you that over 7,000 postal workers from 32 counties went on a general strike on Monday, dissatisfied with salaries and increases. The Romanian Post Company is the national operator in the field of postal services and is owned by the state.

NATO –  On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Romania’s accession to the North Atlantic Alliance and NATO’s 75th anniversary, the Ministry of Defense is organizing special events in Bucharest and across the country. On Thursday, the South-East Multinational Corps Command in Sibiu (center) will host an “Open Doors Day”, allowing the public to visit an exhibition of military equipment, presented by the subordinate and partner structures of the Corps, as well as a photo exhibition dedicated to NATO Day. On Sunday, April 7, Romanian and NATO flag raising  ceremonies will take place in Bucharest and in the major garrisons in the country. On Tuesday, the Romanian Parliament organized a joint meeting marking Romania’s two decades of NATO membership.

UNEMPLOYMENT –  The unemployment rate in Romania decreased slightly, to 5.6%, in February this year, compared to the previous month, but among young people (15-24 years old) it continues to have a high level, standing at 22.1%, according to data provided on Wednesday by the National Institute of Statistics. The unemployment rate for men was 0.8 percentage points higher than for women, standing at 6%. The number of unemployed people aged 15-74 estimated for the month of February was over 466 thousand people, down compared to January, but higher than in  the same period of the previous year. Regarding the number of unemployed people aged 25-74, this represented more than 74% of the total estimated number of unemployed people.

SEARCHES – More than 230 searches were carried out, on Wednesday, in Romania, to dismantle groups specialized in committing the crimes of human and drug trafficking as well as cyber crimes. Approximately 200 people were taken to hearings. The action is part of a series carried out by the Romanian Police and the Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism, ever since 2018.

INCENTIVES –  People who will donate blood at least three times in a year will benefit from a decrease in the tax due for a single building or land, according to a draft law promulgated by the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis. The discount can be combined with the 10% bonus already applied to those who pay their tax in advance until the end of March. The mentioned document stipulates that the application of the measure falls is the responsibility of the local councils. (EE)