* The Commission will provide technical expertise to help nine Member States welcome people fleeing the war in Ukraine. Member States that have applied for support will receive it in the coming months. These are Belgium, Cyprus, Czechia, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira, said: “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine triggered an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. We have a duty to help those fleeing war and seeking safety in the EU. This means access to housing, education, healthcare and jobs. Through the Technical Support Instrument, the European Commission is supporting Member States to provide this aid smoothly and quickly”. Technical expertise shall be provided under the Technical Support Instrument (TSI) managed by the Commission. It will support Member States in: absorbing EU funds for reception and integration purposes, implementing the Temporary Protection Directive, facilitating the recognition of Ukrainian refugees’ qualifications and diplomas to facilitate their entry into the EU labour market, adapting school curricula to the needs of Ukrainian pupils, and improving inter-ministerial coordination. On 21 March 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the Commission launched a specific call to support Member States receiving refugees from Ukraine and phasing out their dependence on Russian fossil fuels. The applications submitted by the Member States have been assessed and approved by the Commission. Through IST 2022, the Commission is already supporting Croatia, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Portugal in the framework of the flagship projects “Integration of third-country nationals in EU Member States”. These projects improve the capacity of national administrations to provide inclusive and effective integration services, contribute to the retention of talent and facilitate the access of third-country nationals to the labour market. Support through IST complements the work of EU agencies, in particular the European Asylum Agency (EUAA), which is active in Malta, Italy, Greece, Spain, Cyprus, Romania, Belgium, Latvia and Lithuania, and will soon be in the Czech Republic and the Netherlands.
Bucharest’s District 3 City Hall will once again organize a special New Year’s Eve event in Titan Park, with a program of live concerts, multimedia shows, and even a simulation of the Northern Lights. The event, set to begin at 8:00 PM on December 31, will focus on the theme of infinity. “If you missed […]
Traffic on Lot 1 of the A7 Ploiești-Buzău highway, stretching 21 kilometers in southern Romania, was officially opened on Monday, December 23. With this opening, 102 kilometers of the total 320 kilometers of the highway are now usable. The Moldova Highway, as it has been called, is meant to connect Romania's economically underdeveloped eastern regions to […]
The Dutch technology investor Prosus NV, also the majority shareholder of Romania’s largest online retailer eMAG, is set to buy the online travel agency Despegar.com Corp, focused on Latin America, for approximately USD 1.7 billion. The purchase consideration will be funded from existing cash resources, the company said. Founded in Argentina in 1999, Despegar is one […]
The new Forestry Code, which passed the Parliament vote on December 17 and was signed into law by president Klaus Iohannis on December 20, includes provisions that protect all forests in Ilfov, the county surrounding Bucharest, making them the cornerstone of the future green belt around the capital city. Moreover, it legislates green belts nationwide, […]
Bucharest’s Police will be equipped with 100 state-of-the-art drug detection devices as part of a new initiative by the Capital City Hall, mayor Nicușor Dan announced. The acquisition has been completed, and the first 50 units have already been delivered to the authorities. According to mayor Dan, the devices, equipped with cutting-edge technology, can detect […]
Hotel International Băile Felix, in western Romania, will enter the Mercure brand after a franchise contract with French multinational hospitality Accor. According to the managing company behind the hotel, the publicly-traded Tourism Felix SA (TUFE), the approval of the franchise contract by the company's Board of Directors represents an essential first step towards sustainable development. […]
