OMV Petrom (BVB: SNP), the largest energy company in Romania, no longer buys crude oil from Russia for consumption at the Romanian refinery, company officials told Economica.net. Even if it is going to be more expensive, OMV Petrom will seek to buy crude oil from other sources. By its decision, OMV Petrom follows a trend of an informal ban on Russian oil that will probably soon become formal in Europe - after such a ban was enacted in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. While sanctions on Russian natural gas are unlikely at this point because of the economic damage they would cause, Europe could better withstand an embargo on Russian oil. "We have chosen not to process crude oil from Russia. We bring non-Russian crude oil, it may originate from ex-Soviet republics - but not Russia. We also look to North or West Africa [for oil supplies]. We also have the offer of crude oil from Kazakhstan on the table. But all purchases are made through our London office (OMV Trading), which looks at all options for purchases," said Radu Caprau, a member of Petrom's management responsible for refining and marketing. "Russian oil would have been delivered at a discount, but we are not buying. It is our way of sanctioning Russia. It was our decision and that of the OMV group, they are going in the same direction as well," the official explained.
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 […]
