April 4, 2024 UPDATE
A roundup of the latest local and international news
Newsroom, 04.04.2024, 20:19
NATO Romania’s NATO accession represented the fulfillment of a historic aspiration and a security imperative and now the alliance is an essential pillar of our foreign and security policy, Romania’s Foreign Minister Luminita Odobescu said in a speech during a ceremony marking 75 years since the foundation of NATO. According to the head of the Romanian diplomacy, the alliance has passed the test of time and proved strategic vision, determination, resilience, and adjustment abilities. NATO has become stronger in terms of size and influence, the minister went on to say. Romania is firmly devoted to NATO’s permanent adjustment process so that it may become stronger and better prepared for the future” – Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said in a message on a social network. In turn, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said the present development in terms of security at regional and global levels confirms the need for a joint defensive concept in response to Russia’s expansionist ambitions and the aggression against Ukraine. NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said the United States and Europe are stronger and safer within the Atlantic Alliance. It was announced the member countries are working on a financial framework for a 100 billion dollars military aid for Ukraine. Part of the allies said they would be backing the Czech initiative to buy weapons for Kyiv from third countries.
BANK Romania’s Central Bank, also known as BNR, on Thursday decided to keep the yearly key interest rate at 7%, a figure, which remained unchanged for one year and four months. The interest levels the banks can take loans from the Central Bank and those they get while keeping their deposits at the Central Bank have also been kept. The annual inflation rate went up to 7.41% in January and to 7.23 a month later and according to BNR experts, it will continue its downward trend in the following months.
INVESTIGATION The European Commission has opened two in-depth investigations in Romania in connection to possible problems with the implementation of a big EU-funded project. According to a statement from Brussels, the target is a tender launched by a company from Rovinari for the design, construction and exploitation of a photovoltaic park. The project is partially funded by the EU’s Modernisation Fund and the Commission believes there are sufficient indications that two of the bidders received foreign subsidies that distort the internal market. One of the consortiums that made a bid is listed on the Hong Kong exchange and the other is subordinated to the China Central People’s Government. Under the EU Foreign Subsidies Regulation, companies are obliged to notify their public procurement tenders in the EU when the estimated value of the contract exceeds €250 million, and when the company was granted at least €4 million in foreign financial contributions from at least one third country in the three years prior to notification.
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