Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has begun a two-day visit to London
Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu begins a two-day working visit to London on Tuesday, the first by a Romanian prime minister to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland in 17 years. The objective is to strengthen the strategic partnership. Romania is interested in attracting British investors in high-potential development areas, such as the energy sector. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu will meet his British counterpart Keir Starmer, the Speaker of the House of Commons Sir Lindsay Hoyle, and the Lord Mayor of London Alastair King. Additionally, the Prime Minister will visit the Romanian Church this evening and will meet members of the Romanian community in the UK, which is considered a link and promoter of the bilateral relationship, as it is estimated to number over 1.2 million people. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister will take part in the Romania-UK Economic Forum, which will present areas of interest where British investors can get involved, such as energy for local businesspeople. Also important are the state aids that the Bucharest Government will grant, which are subsidies of up to 60% of the investment value for promoting Greenfield projects. Other attractive sectors in the Romanian industry include defense, electric car production, and the food industry.
Romania has recently become the largest natural gas producer in the European Union
Romania has recently become the largest natural gas producer in the European Union, a situation that puts the country in a favorable position both in terms of meeting national energy needs and the possibility of exporting natural gas. Moreover, the start of offshore extraction projects, such as Neptun Deep, can increase Romania’s natural gas production capabilities, and it could soon become the main natural gas exporter in Europe. These developments come in the context of the European Union’s efforts to reconfigure its energy strategy, disrupted by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, as well as transportation issues within the European Union. Invited to the Natural Gas Forum on Monday, MEP and former Energy Minister Virgil Popescu has explained the reasons why he believes that liberalizing the gas market in Romania is not a good idea at this time, considering the European context of this market.
Virgil Popescu: I raised in the European Parliament the issue of the dysfunctionality of the energy market – because we talk about the electricity market as long as there are congestions and no free circulation of energy from north to south, from east to west, meaning there is that break between Austria and Hungary, between the Austrian and Hungarian transport systems, and between the Slovak and Austrian systems – practically, there is no connection between Austria and Slovakia – we cannot talk about a single market. And if we cannot talk about a single market while we have a war at the border, while Russia is bombing the Ukrainian energy system and then, naturally, Ukraine looks to buy energy from neighboring markets, it is clear that Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland are in a situation where prices are higher compared to the rest of Europe. And then, if the Commission does not intervene in such a way that the transport system, the interconnection capacity increases between states so that energy can circulate from Western Europe to Southeastern Europe, I would not rush to say, okay, from March 31 we should liberalize. There is clearly a dysfunctionality of the energy market and when we have a dysfunctionality of the energy price, we are not talking about a free market. So we do not have a free energy market at the moment.
Sighisoara marks 25 years since it was included in UNESCO World Heritage list
The city of Sighisoara is marking 25 years since the inclusion of the Medieval Fortress in the UNESCO heritage list, in the context of the seventh edition of the International School for Heritage, Culture, and Art „Constantin Brancusi”. More than 20 students from seven countries are taking part in theoretical and practical workshops where they observe the fortress and submit solutions for heritage conservation, not only in Sighișoara but also in Bucharest, Saschiz, Biertan, Alba Iulia, Brașov, Prejmer, and Viscri. The city of Sighișoara has opened its doors to all current and future heritage specialists who can offer solutions for the conservation of the medieval fortress, Mayor Iulian Sârbu has said at the opening of the International Heritage Camp.
Iulian Sârbu: We are working with European funds to raise and consolidate three sections of the fortress wall. Two years ago, we managed to complete section seven with our own funds. Currently, we are working on the roof of the Clock Tower to restore the original model.
The manager of the National Heritage Institute, Oana Zaharia, highlighted the advantages that heritage offers to communities.
Oana Zaharia: The most important thing we need to focus on is making everyone understand that development centers can be created around heritage. Ultimately, it is a duty we have towards those who have passed on these invaluable values to us, and that’s how they should be passed on further.
Mădălina Brotăcel
