May 18, 2023 UPDATE

FORUM The world has changed and everything in the area of security has been rewritten and must be revised in our Black Sea region, where a large part of the components of Russia's large scale war of aggression in Ukraine are taking place, said Romanian prime minister Nicolae Ciucă in Bucharest at the 7th edition of the Black Sea and Balkans Security Forum. Ciucă went on to say that the region must cope with a long and high-intensity war that is exhausting the resources of both the country in conflict and those of the countries of Europe. The two-day forum hosts over 40 sessions. Attending are top civilian and military officials, diplomats and experts from the European Union and NATO, as well as partner states. The themes discussed include support for the European integration of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine, the reconstruction of Ukraine and the European security architecture after the war, as well as the food crisis caused by Russia's invasion, security energy in Europe, the security of the Western Balkans and cyber resilience.

FLOODING Prime minister Nicolae Ciucă said the Romanian authorities are ready to provide assistance with rescue operations following the floods in Italy. The region of Emilia Romagna in the north of Italy is on high alert as a result of heavy rain that caused massive floods and left victims. According to Radio Romania's correspondent, thousands of people have already been evacuated, but several tens of thousands are still stranded in areas that have been left without electricity. Some trains are still stationary, traffic is disrupted and sections of the motorway are closed.

AGREEMENT The government of Romania and of the UK Thursday signed a joint action plan in Bucharest on fighting human trafficking. The document is part of the vision and strategy that Bucharest has embraced for the past 2 years to turn Romania into a country hostile to people traffickers but safe and friendly to the victims of this phenomenon, reads a news release issued by the Romanian government. Signing the document also proves our government's concern and care for its more vulnerable citizens, those more exposed to the risks of human trafficking, who live either in Romania or in one of the largest Romanian diaspora communities, namely in the UK. "It is absolutely vital for us to keep our firm commitment of fighting this scourge and our capacity and willingness to tackle this issue on all three key levels-prevention, combating and victim protection. (...) My message is quite clear: trafficking in human beings is a form of crime for which the government of Romania has zero tolerance," PM Nicolae Ciucă said.

WB In order to solve external imbalances, Romania needs a mix of fiscal consolidation and structural reforms, reads a World Bank analysis. Political measures aimed at improving its fiscal situation include broadening taxable revenues, improving tax compliance, introducing critical reforms in public pensions and salaries and cutting inefficient expenditure. A consolidation of public investment management would help release significant EU funding and would improve critical sectors lagging behind in Romania, such as the public education and healthcare, reforming state-owned enterprises, or infrastructure. In turn, the latter would contribute to improved productivity and competitiveness, with a positive impact on Romania's foreign position. Romania's external imbalances have deepened lately. Since 2018, the country has seen deepening fiscal and current account deficits, jointly with an expansionary fiscal policy. The two major external shocks, the Covid-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine, have strengthened these imbalances. (AMP)