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CSAT decides on drawing up strategy to improve Romania's relationship with Moldova
Romania's Supreme Council for National Defence (CSAT) on Tuesday decided on drawing up a medium and long-term strategy to improve Romania's relationship with Moldova.
"Our relationship has to become better, better performing, more pragmatic and more predictable. In order to improve the approach of the relationship between Romania and Moldova, a decision was made on work being done on a medium and long-term strategy that spells out Romania's positon in the relationship. Political developments in Moldova has shown us that pro-European parties are facing difficulties that became very obvious after the 2014 general election," Iohannis said Tuesday at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace after a meeting of CSAT.
He added that the relationship needs to be improved, saying that Romania contributing consistent funding to Moldova is a beginning, but deeper involvement is needed.
"We believe that a deeper involvement in the economic relations between Romania and Moldova is needed, along with our involvement in the construction and strengthening of democratic institutions. That will be written down in the strategy that we will prepare for the close of the year," said Iohannis.
The President also said that CSAT made a request that a working group be set up as soon as possible made up of officials of Romania's Foreign Ministry (MAE), Intelligence Service (SRI), Foreign Intelligence Service (SIE) and Presidential Administration. He pointed out that CSAT drew attention to the fact that a difference should be made between a very serious approach of the relationship between Romania and Moldova and "electoral populist approaches," given that a general election will be held in Romania and a presidential election in Moldova this year.
"Any discussion on unification will be dealt with in the strategy that we will discuss at a CSAT meeting at the end of the year," Iohannis concluded.
Healthcare system has seen notable progress
Minister of Health Vlad Voiculescu has presented in the CSAT a notice regarding the public healthcare system and the health status of citizens, said, on Tuesady, President Klaus Iohannis, emphasizing that this domain has seen notable progress.
"Our conclusion was that important steps were taken, there were important steps in regulation, there were important steps in the way in which investments are made in healthcare, but there is still a long way to go to implement this legislation and to effectively get to the investment itself. Drawing a line, I can say that notable progress has been made," said the head of state at the Cotroceni Palace.
He showed that the Health Minister has presented the approach regarding nosocomial infections, informing that important steps were made in clarifying regulations, including those regarding biocidal agents, and in clarifying necessary investments for healthcare infrastructure.
Cybersecurity bill will be ready by the end of 2016
President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday announced that a cybersecurity bill will be ready by the end of the year.
"A very important theme, particularly in the current geopolitical context, has been the assessment of cybersecurity levels at Romania's public institutions. There is where we need also improvements in the legislative framework, and I would mention a cybersecurity law as a much needed piece of legislation. You may remember that there have been some attempts to come up with such a law in Parliament, but so far that has not been successful," Iohannis said Tuesday after a meeting of the Supreme Council for National Defence (CSAT).
He added that the Government is working on that piece of legislation. "The bill will be ready before the year is over," said Iohannis.
He added that awareness in this area needs serious improvements.
"There are many organisations that have not understood how important cybersecurity is. (...) Very many public utilities nowadays are fully computerised, so you can imagine what can happen in case of a cyberattack, say at the water supply system in a big city that will cut off the supply for hours or even days. That is theoretically possible if some state or non-state entity wishes to mount such an attack. That is but a simple example. We must protect our cyberinfrastructures at all public institutions," said Iohannis.