The Alliance for Agriculture and Co-operation (AAC) will urgently initiate steps to organise an authorised nationwide protest unless the Ministry of Agriculture meets their demands, the organisation announced on Monday.AAC reportedly submitted to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MADR) a list of problems facing its members, farmers and co-operatives."AAC has also included in the list of requests clear deadlines for solution/implementation, which the Ministry of Agriculture, through Minister Florin-Ionut Barbu, should undertake during consultations scheduled to start today, Monday, January 15," AAC says.It adds that all these problems were brought to the attention of MADR and other government departments through numerous infos officially submitted over the past two years and beyond.The list of requests mentions the urgent payment of APIA subsidies to all farmers - direct payments and compensatory payments- with a deadline set for January 31, 2024 for schemes that do not meet other deadlines.The association also mentions derogations from good agricultural and environmental conditions of land (GAEC) standards 7 and 8 - GAEC 7 - crop rotation in arable land, except for crops growing under water - and GAEC 8 - devoting 4% of agricultural area to non-productive areas or feature - requesting clarification of the conditions under which the two GAECs apply or do not apply starting from the year of application 2023 - 2024, the deadline being January 23, 2024.The list also includes compensation of losses incurred on Romanian farmers by imports from Ukraine and the reintroduction of customs duties for goods of Ukrainian origin.AAC also mentions loans on subsidised interest for working capital and investment in farms, of a maximum interest margin of 2%.Also, among the demands is the additional use of the temporary Ukraine framework for the grant to all farmers of emergency support payments of 100 euros/ha to all agricultural crops in the agricultural year 2022-2023 (spring crops and autumn crops). The alliance also requests the promotion of an emergency ordinance to declare a state of force majeure in agriculture nationwide by May 31, 2024.The list also includes: undertaking the revision and adoption of the necessary legislation under the incumbent legislature regarding the minimum duration of land lease contracts, as well as the concession of pastures, granting state aid for subsidising fertilisers for agricultural use.AAC is also demanding subsidies for energy used for irrigation (deadline: January 31, 2024), the reintroduction of tax incentives for agricultural employees (deadline: June 30, 2024), clarification of the legislation for the payment of transitional national aid and coupled support in animal farming starting with the application year 2023 (deadline: January 31, 2024) and support for the dairy cow sector through a de minimis aid for the purchase of heifers (deadline: March 31, 2024).More demands regard subsidies based on evidence of agricultural activity to combat the collection of APIA amounts by people who do not do agriculture.Other relevant issues identified by the AAC member organisations are how to apply the legislation regarding the location of photovoltaics on agriculture land; the law on large carnivore hunting; analysing the way in which the Office of Land Registry and Real Estate Publicity (OCPI) implements legislation and court rulings with an impact on farmers (sale-purchase of land, cadastre, etc.); setting up and implementing an integrated agricultural risk management and control national system.
Romanian deep-tech startup .lumen, the developer of what it says are the world’s first AI-powered glasses for the blind, has secured a new investment from EIT Urban Mobility, the European innovation community focused on advancing sustainable and inclusive urban mobility solutions. The value of the new funding round was not disclosed. The investment aligns with […]
The health spending per capita in Romania was the lowest in the EU, with spending less than half the EU average in 2023, the recently released report, State of Health in the EU - Romania Country Health Profile 2025, shows. At the same time, life expectancy in Romania is 5.1 years below the EU average, […]
Romania’s annual inflation rate stood at roughly 9.8% in November 2025, similar to October, according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). Food prices increased by 7.6% last month, while services rose roughly 11% and non-food goods climbed 10.7%. The consumer price index rose by 0.42% in November compared with October, while […]
Three French soldiers deployed in Romania as part of NATO’s Multinational Battle Group at Cincu intervened to save a truck driver following a serious traffic accident on the A3 Bucharest–Ploiești motorway, the Romanian Ministry of Defense said. The incident occurred earlier this week as the soldiers were traveling toward Ploiești and witnessed the truck crash...
Eight contemporary art galleries will present the works of the artists they represent at the third edition of the Smallest Art Fair in Town, an event dedicated to works on paper. This edition showcases works “investigating the state of wandering, disorientation, and rediscovery in the face of uncertainty.” Under the title In Dark Woods, A […]
Parents everywhere are asking an important question: What skills will truly prepare a child for a world defined by rapid change, global uncertainty, and the rise of artificial intelligence? For decades, schools focused entirely on academics. Today, research from neuroscience, performance psychology, and leading universities shows a different reality: The students who thrive long-term are […]
