Romanian Prime Minister to send proposal for European Commissioner to Brussels
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu will send Romania’s proposal for European Commissioner to Brussels on Monday. According to political sources, the head of the executive has already discussed the matter with the head of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and will submit a single nomination. The same sources claim that the best chance of filling the post is given to PSD MEP Roxana Mînzatu, who has experience in managing European funds.
Romania to donate Patriot missile system to Ukraine
The Romanian government on Monday adopted a draft law under which Romania will donate a Patriot missile system to Ukraine. The bill will be sent to parliament as a matter of urgency, as it is a document that complements the law on ground-based air defense capabilities, government spokesman Mihai Constantin announced. „After the law is passed by the Parliament, the Government will be able to issue the decision that will operationalize the act of donation. The Executive is also empowered to reconstitute the country’s ground-to-air defense capability from the budget allocated to the Ministry of National Defense,” Mihai Constantin added. The project was initiated by the Ministry of National Defense, following the decision of the Supreme Council for National Defense (CSAT) in June.
Over 80% of pensions in Romania have increased after recalculation
More than 80% of pensions in payment have increased since they were recalculated, said Romanian authorities. Thus, 3.8 million pensioners are benefiting from increases, with an average increase of 26%, the labor minister said. To ensure that all those with increased pensions lose nothing by exceeding the tax threshold, it will be raised from 2,000 to 3,000 lei through a law that will enter emergency parliamentary procedure on Monday, at the start of the last session of the current legislative period. Liberals, who initiated the draft, say the document will take effect from October. The Romanian government has also decided to raise the ceilings for social benefits for low-income pensioners. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said that over two million pensioners, people with disabilities and single-parent families will benefit from these decisions.
Two Romanian films will be presented at the Venice Film Festival
The 81st edition of the Venice International Film Festival is in full swing. 21 feature-length films are competing to win the main trophy – the Golden Lion. It’s a big influx of Hollywood stars. They star in many of the films, joining promising art films, also festival headliners. Romania will be represented by „Things I Said Today”, directed by Andrei Ujică, out of competition in the non-fiction sub-section, and „The New Year That Never Was”, directed by Bogdan Mureșanu, which will be screened in the Orizzonti section.
Magda Baciu