November 2, 2022 UPDATE

Plan - President Klaus Iohannis signed, on Wednesday, in a ceremony that took place at the Cotroceni Palace in Bucharest, the decree for the promulgation of the law on the National Plan to prevent and combat cancer. The plan covers the period 2023 - 2030 and represents the main public policy document that underpins the measures in the field at the national level. The law stipulates that all citizens have the state-guaranteed right to medical, social and psychological support services such as: prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer, care, including palliative care, psycho-oncology, onconutrition and oncofertility, social services and monthly food allowances. "These are remarkable advances of the medical science, they are state-of-the-art technologies that transform cancer into a disease that can be controlled. Romanians have the right to these innovations of the present", said Klaus Iohannis.

Winter season - 58% of Romanians say they will find it hard to pay their energy bills in the upcoming winter season, the same percentage estimating temperatures in their homes will be lower compared to previous years, a recent study reveals. According to the study, increased utility costs have caused changes in the Romanians' consumption and purchasing behavior. Therefore, 55% of Romanians say they have stopped buying non-essential products. 40% of the respondents say the energy bills represent their biggest concern for the coming period. 

Moldova - The President of the Republic of Moldova (an ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian speaking population), Maia Sandu, received assurances, in Bucharest, of Romania's full support in the context of the energy crisis. On Tuesday, she met with the President Klaus Iohannis and the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca, whom she thanked for their support and for the measures adopted by Romania regarding the facilitation of the supply of electricity, natural gas, fuel oil and firewood for Moldovan citizens. Furthermore, Maia Sandu thanked Romania for the reaction regarding the emergency compensation of the electricity deficit. We remind you that Bucharest urgently began to supply Moldova with electricity and natural gas, after Ukraine stopped exporting energy to Chisinau due to damaging of the power plants in the bombings of the Russian army. 

Russia - Russia announced on Wednesday that it reentered the Ukrainian grain exports agreement, after receiving "written guarantees" from Ukraine regarding the demilitarization of the maritime corridor used for their transport, AFP reports. Moscow suspended its participation in the grain deal on Saturday, citing a Ukrainian drone attack on Russian military ships in the port of Sevastopol in the annexed Crimea. According to Russia, in this attack, remote-controlled aerial and maritime drones moved through the secured corridor intended for ships carrying Ukrainian grain. On Monday, Moscow warned of the "danger" of continuing navigation without its consent and asked Ukraine to guarantee the security of the respective maritime corridor.

Governemnt - In Wednesday's meeting, the Romanian government approved a draft law on the organization and functioning of the National Signaling Information System and Romania's participation in the Schengen Information System, which ensures harmonization with the standards in the field. On the other hand, the government expanded by 21 molecules the list of compensated and free medicines. These are destined for patients with oncological diseases, heart failure, Parkinson's disease, endocrine and metabolic diseases and chronic lung diseases. The updated list will enter into force on December 1.

Constitutional Court - The Constitutional Court of Romania admitted, on Wednesday, the notification of the opposition Save Romania Union - USR in relation to the law that allows the construction of small hydropower plants in protected areas. USR invoked 11 arguments of unconstitutionality, including the violation of the principle of bicameralism, given that there are major differences in legal content between the form adopted by the Senate, as the first Chamber notified, and the form adopted by the Chamber of Deputies. USR also invoked the violation of the right to a healthy environment. At the beginning of the year, the Parliament, controlled by the government coalition made up of the PSD-PNL-UDMR, adopted the bill which stipulates that hydropower plants in protected areas, with a more than 60% completion percentage, are considered of major public interest and national security and are to be put into operation by the end of 2025. (LS)