The decision on the partial accession of Romania and Bulgaria to Schengen has been published in the Official Journal of the EU
The decision of the Council of the European Union of 30 December 2023 on the partial accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen area has been published in the Official Journal of the EU. The document states that, as of 31 March 2024, controls on persons at internal air and sea borders with and between Bulgaria and Romania will be lifted. At the same time, the EU Council commits itself to working towards a decision to lift controls on persons at the internal land borders of the EU. Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu said on Thursday that Romania has taken a big step forward in the Schengen area and his government will continue to work this year to bring the accession process to a definitive conclusion.
Romania to purchase 200 missiles for PATRIOT systems
Romania’s Ministry of National Defence (MapN) will purchase 200 missiles for PATRIOT systems, at a cost of more than 1 billion euro, including spare parts and related services. The move is part of a NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) contract to jointly purchase up to 1,000 such missiles for the surface-to-air missile systems in the German, Dutch, Romanian and Spanish forces. The Romanian Minister of National Defence, Angel Tîlvăr, said the purchase demonstrates that the Alliance has appropriate and tailored solutions to the security situation Romania is facing in Eastern Europe with the outbreak of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. He adds that Romania will continue its efforts to acquire state-of-the-art military equipment and ammunition to achieve its defence policy objectives.
Romanian doctors successfully removed a brain tumour from a three-year-old child
A team of doctors from Iasi in north-eastern Romania have successfully removed a brain tumour from a three-year-old boy. The tumour put the child’s life at risk, but he now has the chance of a normal life, said the manager of the Neurosurgery Clinical Hospital in Iasi, Lucian Eva. „The toddler was admitted to our clinic with a tumour lesion in his cerebellum, a lesion of about four centimetres in diameter, which was life-threatening”, says Lucian Eva. The child’s evolution was very good from the first day of the surgery and he had a good evolution throughout his hospitalization. The case was a success, Lucian Eva also said, adding that the toddler will be discharged in the coming days and, after that, with the right adjuvant treatment the child would have every chance to have a good life from now on. Manager Lucian Eva also said that every intervention performed on a child is a success due to the experience of the medical staff, especially as there is no over-specialisation in paediatric neurosurgery in Romania. Last year, more than 10,000 people, including 200 children, were admitted to the neurosurgery hospital in Iasi, and 15 of the patients were diagnosed and operated on for tumour formations.
Magda Baciu – RADOR
