On Wednesday, the European Parliament approved nearly EUR 455 million in EU Solidarity Fund aid in response to recent natural disasters in Romania, Italy and Turkey.According to a press statement released by the European Parliament on Wednesday, Romania will get EUR 33.9 million following damage caused by severe 2022 drought; Italy will get EUR 20.9 million for the damage caused by the September 2022 flooding in the Marche region, and Turkey will receive EUR 400 million following two major earthquakes in February 2023.MEPs express their "deepest solidarity with all the victims, their families and all the individuals affected" by the natural disasters in Romania, Italy and Turkey. They point to the "increasing number of severe and destructive natural disasters in Europe," and stress that "due to climate change extreme weather events such as those observed in Romania and Italy resulting in emergencies are going to further intensify and multiply." The EU should therefore "strengthen its efforts to tackle climate change both in the Union and globally."The European Commission has proposed to use the European Union Solidarity Fund (EUSF) to grant financial assistance of EUR 454,835,030to the three countries. EUSF assistance will cover parts of the costs of emergency and recovery operations like repairing damaged infrastructure, securing preventive infrastructure and the protection of cultural heritage, as well as clean-up operationsUnder the fund's rules, emergency and recovery operations may be financed by the EUSF retroactively from day one of a disaster.The aid package was approved by 593 votes in favour, 11 votes against and 22 abstentions. The European Council has already approved the aid on 18 September.
Update: In a statement explaining its decision, the Central Electoral Bureau emphasized that presidential candidates must "respect the Constitution and defend democracy," criteria Călin Georgescu fails to meet. The bureau also pointed out that the Constitutional Court had previously annulled an election due to Georgescu, making his candidacy automatically invalid, Digi24...
Romania’s Central Electoral Bureau, BEC, rejected the registration of Călin Georgescu's candidacy on Sunday, March 9. Călin Georgescu, the far-right, Russia-friendly politician who surprisingly emerged as the first-round winner of last year’s annulled presidential elections, officially submitted his candidacy for the repeat presidential election on Friday, March 7. BEC's...
Călin Georgescu, the far-right, Russia-friendly politician who surprisingly emerged as the first-round winner of last year’s annulled presidential elections, officially submitted his candidacy for the repeat presidential election on Friday, March 7. Outside the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) headquarters in Bucharest, supporters gathered to chant...
Romania’s anti-fraud agency ANAF will look into roughly 23,000 individuals who have earned income from renting properties for tourism purposes through online platforms such as Booking.com and Airbnb, according to finance minister Tanczos Barna. Individuals identified in this situation will receive compliance notifications, and anti-fraud inspectors will initiate audits where necessary. While obtaining such information […]
The Circular Catalysts program, an initiative of the British Council in partnership with the Romanian Cultural Institute, is making a return to Romania with the reopening of its documentary exhibition at the Museum of History and Ethnography in Târgu-Neamț. Running from March 7 to May 11, the exhibition showcases collaborations between Romanian and British designers, […]
Bucharest general mayor Nicușor Dan submitted his candidacy for the 2025 presidential elections on Friday, March 7, the first to do so among the announced candidates. He is running as an independent, and was assisted by volunteers to gather the necessary signatures. The 2025 presidential elections will take place on May 4 (first round) and […]
