August 13, 2024 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 13.08.2024, 19:55
Farmers. The Minister of Agriculture, Florin Barbu, asked the European Commission to grant urgent compensation to Romanian farmers, affected by the prolonged drought the country is facing. According to him, over two million hectares of corn and sunflower crops were compromised, the average loss being estimated at 200 – 230 euros per hectare. He requested that the total budget of over 75 million euros, intended for crops established in the fall of 2023, be reimbursed to farmers through a single community legal act, to include technical regulations and sources of financing, both from the European Union, and from national sources. The loss of income suffered by farmers endangers the viability of farms and Romania’s security interests, Minister Florin Barbu also said.
Firefighters. Romania sent, on Tuesday, a second contingent of firefighters to support the efforts to fight the wildfires affecting the Attica region of Greece. According to the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU), the contingent is made up of 40 firefighters and two special rapid intervention vehicles supplied to Greece by air and another 3,000 liter forest firefighting vehicles and 4 rescuers, sent by land. On Monday, IGSU announced that a Romanian firefighter, who participated in extinguishing a fire in Greece, had suffered superficial injuries to the face, but did not require specialized treatment. Emergency services in Greece are battling the biggest wildfires this year, with multiple outbreaks, spread over an area of 200 square kilometers of vegetation and forest northeast of Athens. Entire towns have been evacuated. Meteorologists have warned that almost half of the country will be under code red alert, due to high temperatures that will reach 40 degrees Celsius in many regions of the country, as well as strong winds. EU states, as well as Turkey and Serbia, have sent firefighters, planes and intervention trucks to Greece, after the Greek government activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
Deficit. The first six months of this year ended with a deficit of over 60 billion lei, which represents 3.6% of Romania’s Gross Domestic Product. Forecasts for the end of 2024 stand at 6.9% of the Gross Domestic Product, according to the European Commission, and even more than 7%, according to the calculations made by the Fiscal Council. Already in the excessive deficit procedure triggered by Brussels, the country will have, according to the new European fiscal rules, seven years to return to a budget deficit of 3% of the Gross Domestic Product. The gradual decrease in this indicator will be possible only on the basis of a realistic program and, obviously, by observing it, specialists warn. In the latest report “Romania – Euro Zone MONITOR”, carried out by a team of experts from the NBR, it is shown that an increase in budget revenues is absolutely necessary and cannot be reduced to a better collection of fees and taxes, as it also requires changes in the fiscal system. The pressure on the public budget will increase if we also take into account the commitment to have expenditures for military purposes of 2.5% of the Gross Domestic Product, the authors of the analysis also say.
Mini-holiday. Romanians will have a new mini-holiday this week, occasioned by the celebration of the Feast of the Assumption and the Romanian Navy Day on August 15. The Black Sea Coast will be the favorite destination and will see one of the busiest weekends of this summer season, with an estimated number of over 140,000 tourists. According to statistics, the occupancy rate in hotels by the sea will be over 90 percent. 122 years after the first anniversary, the Romanian Naval Forces announces that the Day of the Romanian Navy will be celebrated in the towns by the Black Sea and the Danube, but also in Bucharest with various events, including demonstration exercises, technical and armament exhibitions, interactive workshops, cultural activities and army music concerts.
Labour. Young people in Romania want to be supported in terms of the labor market, housing and access to education, as well as for guidance and career counseling, according to the conclusions of an opinion barometer regarding the situation of the youth and their expectations, carried out at the request of the Ministry of the Family, Youth and Equal Opportunities. Another conclusion is that, for young people, high incomes and job security are the most important aspects. The quality of life is considered problematic by young people, and in terms of mobility and emigration, the barometer reveals that going abroad is still a desire for many young Romanians.
TAROM. The flights operated by TAROM to and from Tel Aviv, Amman and Beirut remain suspended until August 16, the national airline operator announced in a statement. On August 6th, the company temporarily suspended flights to these destinations following the travel alerts issued by the authorities, the recent developments in the Middle East area and the deterioration of the security context in the region. “TAROM advises all passengers to follow the official communications for the latest updates and to contact the company to reschedule the trip to a later date. Passengers also have the option to request a refund of the cost of the plane ticket”, the press release states. (MI)
