Prime minister Marcel Ciolacu on Wednesday said that negotiations regarding the European commissioner from Romania continue for another week.Ciolacu was asked what is happening with the negotiation regarding the European commissioner, after the nominations were postponed."It was delayed for a week because of Slovakia. I spoke with the president of the European Commission, we are continuing the negotiations (...) The structure of each portfolio is very important. It is really tempting to have a portfolio with more social impact, focusing on social housing, with two general directions within the Commission, where that Commissioner will be the decision-maker. It is very tempting to have a commissioner within the Commission. We will weigh these things. The president of the Commission said that she will send me all the information, because there is an ongoing negotiation process within the Commission right now," said the PM.The presentation of the new team of European commissioners, which was expected on Wednesday in Brussels, will finally take place next Tuesday in Strasbourg, a sign that the negotiations are being prolonged, reports AFP.The distribution of the future EU Executive will be presented to the leaders of the political groups in the European Parliament on Tuesday morning, on the sidelines of the MEPs' plenary session in Strasbourg, a Commission spokesman announced.The delay is related to the change of the commissioner for Slovenia, a country that finally opted for Marta Kos, a former ambassador, whose candidacy is to be approved by the Slovenian parliament on Friday.With this new candidate, European leaders are trying to mitigate the controversy regarding the absence of a sufficient number of women in the team being formed.At this stage, the new college could have approximately ten women out of a total of 27 commissioners, without achieving parity.
Romania was formally designated the 43rd country to join the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP) on Friday, January 10. According to the Romanian ambassador to Washington, Andrei Muraru, Romanian citizens will be able to travel to the US without the need for a visa starting March 31, 2025. "Romania becomes the first country in the […]
Cluj-Napoca, the city in Romania with some of the highest rents and a fast-growing IT industry, is closer to banning smoking in playgrounds and parks after mayor Emil Boc expressed his support for the measure. The mayor cited the prioritization of public health as the reason behind such a ban. He mentioned that he has […]
Romania's Sibiu County Emergency Clinical Hospital will receive a robotic system to prepare cytostatic drugs needed by cancer patients, along with other equipment, after the County Council obtained funds from the European Regional Development Fund. With an estimated value of EUR 1 million, the "Robotic Composition System for Sterile Preparations of Cytostatic Drugs" is among […]
Romania’s government adopted in its January 10 meeting a decision granting an extra day off to public sector employees at the beginning of May. Thus, Friday, May 2, will be an official day off for public sector workers, linking the legal holiday of May 1 (Labor Day) with the weekend (May 3-4). This...
The Ministry of Environment announced that 2024 was the hottest year in the history of Romania's meteorological records. Red alerts for heat waves began in June of 2024, with the longest consecutive periods of persistent and intense heat waves, six consecutive days, between July 13-18 and August 15-20. "The year 2024 is the hottest year...
Supporters of former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu gathered outside the Parliament Palace in Bucharest, which houses the Constitutional Court, on January 10, demanding a rerun of the second round of the presidential elections. The protest, dubbed "The Great Judicial Union," was initiated by Georgescu, who called on his supporters to challenge the election annulment, as […]
