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.
Low-cost airline Wizz Air, a major operator in Romania, announced the largest expansion of its network in the country so far for the 2025 winter season on Thursday, August 14. The expansion includes 15 new routes from all over Romania to destinations in the EU. The new routes will connect Bucharest Otopeni, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, and […]
Social and political activists within the Declic Community have contested the appointment of controversial judge Lia Savonea as president of the High Court in Romania with the Superior Council of Magistracy, or CSM. The motion to contest Savonea’s appointment is based on several irregularities in the appointment process. The legal action is supported by a […]
The official teaser for The Yellow Tie/Cravata Galbenă, a biographical drama inspired by the life of famed Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache, was released on Thursday, August 14. The film stars John Malkovich alongside Miranda Richardson, Ben Schnetzer, Kate Phillips, Sean Bean, Anton Lesser, and Charlie Rowe. Covering more than seven decades, the film follows Celibidache's […]
According to data from the Ministry of Education's report on the state of higher education in Romania, for the years 2022–2023, only 1,948 out of a total of 240,000 teachers in state education in Romania have completed postgraduate studies and courses. As such, only 0.8% of all teachers at the national level follow advanced forms […]
Romanian border police announced on August 13 that they had seized 473 mobile phones suspected of being counterfeit, with an estimated value exceeding RON 3 million. The discovery was made the day before, on August 12, during a routine patrol near the Nădlac border area. ...
Seven performances from the OFF Avignon Festival, one of the world's largest theater events, will be held at the International Shakespeare Festival in Craiova in 2026, following the establishment of a partnership between the two. The official launch conference of Shakespeare Of(f) Avignon, which took place at the Village du OFF, was attended by H.E. […]
