Radio România Internațional

Tag: 2019 draft budget

  • February 8, 2019

    February 8, 2019

    BUDGET – Romanias 2019 draft budget is presented for adoption in Government session today, the Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici has announced. He has stated that the document provides for significantly more money for investments, health-care and education. Also, the draft budget stipulates the allocation of 2% of the GDP for defence, in keeping with Romanias commitment to its partners in the North-Atlantic Alliance. Also, the necessary funds are secured for increasing pensions by 15%, as of September this year, as well as significant budgets for the local administration. The draft budget, criticized by the right-wing opposition, was built on an estimated 5.5% economic growth rate, an inflation rate of 2.8% and a deficit of 2.5% of the GDP.



    JHA – An informal meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council continues in Bucharest, focusing on justice. Todays agenda includes topics such as means of boosting judicial cooperation in civil and commercial matters and obtaining electronic evidence in criminal cases. The talks are chaired by the Romanian Justice Minister Tudorel Toader, who has announced that another topic of discussion is the functioning of the European Public Prosecutors Office. Competing for the position of head of this office are three candidates, including the former head of the Romanian National Anticorruption Directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi. On Thursday, the participants approached the issues of terrorism, police cooperation, the Schengen Area and migration.



    VENEZUELA – Romanias President Klaus Iohannis has decided to recognize Juan Guaido as interim president of Venezuela, the Presidential Administration announced on Friday. Klaus Iohannis believes that, as Romania is currently holding the Presidency of the EU Council and against the background of an increasing dynamics of international developments, Romania must have fast and well-grounded reactions with regard to foreign policy issues, in keeping with the main priorities it has constantly related to on long term. The US, Canada and most countries in the EU and Latin America have voiced support for Guaido. On Saturday, at a UN Security Council meeting, President Nicolas Maduro was supported by China and Russia. Maduro has rejected the calls for new elections made by the US, Canada, the EU and the Latin American countries.



    CORRUPTION – Radu Mazare, the former mayor of the Romanian Black Sea Port of Constanta, has received a final 9 year prison sentence issued by the High Court of Cassation and Justice, in a case involving illegal return and assignment of plots of land in the vicinity of beach areas in the county. Mazare will not serve his sentence, though, as he has fled to Madagascar. The former Social Democratic president of the Constanta County Council, Nicusor Constantinescu, and the former financier of the Dinamo Football Club, Cristian Borcea, have also received sentences in the same case. According to investigators, states assets were illegally deprived of large plots of land, worth some 114 million Euros.



    CENTRAL BANK – On February 12th, the board of the Romanian Central Bank will be heard in Parliament, the Central Bank Governor Mugur Isarescu has announced. He has stated that the Senates Budget and Finance Committee had sent the invitation some time ago, but the meeting could not be held, as there were points that needed clarification. Mugur Isarescu also declined an invitation to a hearing on Thursday, as it overlapped with the Boards meeting on monetary policy.



    DEVESELU – The Russian Defense Ministry has urged the US to destroy the anti-missile shield in Romania, claiming the system violates the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty. The request was made after both the US and Russia announced their withdrawal from the treaty signed in 1987. In response, the Romanian Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu has stated that the facility in Deveselu, in southern Romania, is purely defensive, and allegations that the base might be used to launch nuclear missiles are used by Russia to justify its own intention of building missiles that do not observe the INF treaty. In turn, US officials have stated that the US Administration has no intention of providing Europe with nuclear weapons, even if a potential termination of the INF treaty would allow it to develop new missiles.



    FLU – The number of people who have succumbed to the flu in Romania has reached 95, according to the latest information provided by the National Centre for Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases. The victims had all suffered from other diseases and had not been vaccinated against the virus. So far, some 1.3 million Romanians have got the anti-flu shot and the Health Ministry has purchased another 30,000 shots for people at risk: patients with chronic diseases, pregnant women, children and elderly. Flu epidemic has been declared in Romania after the country registered three consecutive weeks of epidemic nature and the flu death toll increased.

  • February 6, 2019 UPDATE

    February 6, 2019 UPDATE

    VISIT – Romanian PM Viorica
    Dăncilă on Wednesday paid a visit to Brussels. She presented Romania’s
    priorities at the helm of the Council of the EU during the plenary session of
    the European Committee of Regions. Also on Wednesday she met with Katharina von
    Schnurbein, EU coordinator for combating anti-Semitism. Prime Minister Dancila
    said combating anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial are key priorities for the
    Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU. Also on Wednesday, PM Dancila met
    with the Secretary General of the World Jewish Restitution Organization,
    Collette Avital. Talks focused on Romania’s recent efforts to accelerate the
    process of Jewish restitution, as well as the latest legislative action to pay
    allowances for Holocaust survivors. Prime Minister Dancila on Thursday will
    attend the conference titled The Fight against Anti-Semitism: a common
    approach to better protect Jewish communities in Europe. From politics to
    action. Also on Thursday, Viorica Dancila will meet with European Council
    President Donald Tusk and with European Commission First Vice-President, Frans
    Timmermans.




    DRAFT
    BUDGET – Talks continue in Bucharest on Romania’s 2019 draft
    budget, as the leaders of the ruling parties met on Wednesday with
    representatives of the Municipal Cities’ Association, who are discontent about
    the way in which money is allotted to local communities. Social-Democrat leader
    Liviu Dragnea said the budget of local municipalities will be at least
    tantamount to last year. Mayors remain disgruntled, saying talks would continue
    on Thursday at the Finance Ministry. The coalition intends to finalise talks
    for the budget to be discussed in Friday’s session of the Government, to then
    be forwarded to Parliament for debate. Meanwhile, the Fitch rating agency has warned that the 2019 budget bill, in the
    current form which has been launched for public debate, is actually based on
    optimistic estimates and does not shed light on the uncertainty over the tax on
    bank assets. The Fitch analysts are
    sceptical that Romania will observe the budget deficit target of 2.6%, given
    that the state budget is based on an economic growth rate of 5.5%, higher than
    the 3.2% initial estimate by the agency.




    ROMANIAN-US
    RELATIONS- Romanian deputy prime-minister Ana Birchall, on a visit to the US, has
    reiterated the Romanian Government’s firm commitment to further develop the
    relation with the US on all dimensions of the Strategic Partnership. According
    to a communiqué, during her official visit to the US, Ana Birchall has had
    talks with several US high officials with responsibilities on the relation with
    Romania. They approached issues of high interest on the bilateral agenda, such
    as organising the Romania-US Strategic Dialogue, whose last session was held in
    Bucharest, in June 2018. The officials also tackled opportunities of
    cooperation with the Romanian side to promote common objectives on the
    trans-Atlantic agenda, such as Romania’s priorities during its tenure at the
    helm of the Council of the European Union.




    MEETING -
    Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu on Wednesday met with a delegation of the
    Bundestag Committee for European Affairs, led by President Gunther Krichbaum.
    Talks focused on the latest development of the EU eastern vicinity and the
    Black Sea region, highlighting the support given by Romania and Germany to
    maintaining active action and commitment from the EU towards states in the
    Eastern Partnership. Both sides also reiterated the joint interest to
    developing cooperation in the Black Sea region, as well as regarding the
    European Union Strategy for the Danube Region.




    STATE
    OF THE UNION – US President Donald Trump has launched an
    appeal for unity in his State of the Union address in Congress on Tuesday. He
    said the economic miracle of his country cannot be stopped by fighting,
    policies and partisan investigations. The US President has underlined that his
    agenda is a national one, in the interest of all Americans. Donald Trump, who
    has made of migration policies a priority of the second year of his term in
    office, devoted much of his address to this issue, calling on Congress to
    defend the US’s southern border from illegal migrants, who come-according to
    him- with a criminality potential.




    MACEDONIA – The NATO member states on Wednesday
    signed in Brussels, the NATO Accession Protocol with Macedonia, an important
    step towards accepting that Baltic country as the 30th member of the
    organization. Macedonia will be allowed to participate from now on, in NATO
    meetings, as observer, until all allied countries ratify the accession
    protocol. This step has been taken after the resolution of a protracted dispute
    between Skopje and Athens on the name of the country. The former Yugoslav
    republic agreed last year to change its name into The Republic of North
    Macedonia, to thus make a clear distinction between the former Yugoslav
    republic and the old Greek province of Macedonia. The name change will become
    official once Greece has ratified the accession protocol.




    FLU – The number of people who succumbed to the flu in Romania stands
    at 91, according to the latest data released by National Centre for Surveillance
    and Control of Communicable Diseases. Doctors call
    again on people to get the anti-flu shot. Almost all people who died of the flu
    virus had not been vaccinated. Some 1.3 million people have been vaccinated so
    far, and the Health Ministry has purchased another 30,000 doses of the vaccine
    for people in the high risk category: people with chronic diseases, pregnant
    women, children and elderly people. A flu epidemic has officially been
    declared in Romania, because of the fast-paced spread of the virus and the high
    number of flu-infections and deaths.




    TENNIS – The Romanian
    men’s Davis Cup team will take on Zimbabwe in the first round of Group II in
    the Europe Africa zone, according to Wednesday’s draw venued in London. The
    match will be played on home turf. Romania and Zimbabwe previously played each
    other in the Davis Cup in 2000, in Harare, Romania winning 3-2. Other matches
    in Group 2 are South Africa vs. Bulgaria, Denmark vs. Turkey, Lithuania vs.
    Morocco, Egypt vs. Slovenia and Norway vs. Georgia.

    (Translated by D. Vijeu & V. Palcu)

  • February 5, 2019 UPDATE

    February 5, 2019 UPDATE


    DRAFT BUDGET – According to experts with the Fiscal Council in Bucharest, Romanias budget deficit at the end of this year might stand at around 3% of the GDP, against an overestimation of revenues from VAT and social contributions. The experts believe that, in the event of macroeconomic developments less favourable than those taken into account in building the budget, the level could be even exceeded. Fitch rating agency too believes that the budget deficit target proposed by the Romanian Government is unrealistic, and the premises that the 2019 budget is based on, such as the economic growth rate, are too optimistic. The 2019 draft budget is based on a 5.5% economic growth rate, a budget deficit of 2.5% of the GDP and an annual inflation rate of 2.8%.



    JHA – Over February 6-8, Bucharest is hosting an informal meeting of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Ministers, under the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU. The participants will discuss terrorism, migration and asylum seeking, the Schengen area and means of developing judicial collaboration in civil and commercial matters. Attending the meeting will be, among others, the EU Counter-Terrorism Coordinator Gilles de Kerchove, the Eurojust president Ladislav Hamran, the Executive Director of Europol, Catherine de Bolle, and the Frontex Director Fabrice Leggeri.



    DIPLOMACY – The Romanian foreign minister, Teodor Meleşcanu, has held bilateral talks with his counterparts from Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen, on the sidelines of the EU and the League of Arab States ministerial meeting held in Brussels on Monday. During the talks, the Romanian foreign minister approached issues related to the future bilateral agenda, laying emphasis on boosting political, economic and sectoral cooperation. Meleşcanu has reiterated Romanias commitment to maintaining its support for Iraq. He has also expressed concern over the escalation of violence in Yemen and gave assurances that Romania will get actively involved in all the EUs demarches to politically solve the conflict in the region. The Romanian foreign minister has also reiterated Bucharests support for Lebanons unity, territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as for the European and international initiatives aimed at consolidating the stability of the Lebanese state.



    EUROPEAN CHIEF PROSECUTOR – The former chief prosecutor of the Anti-Corruption Directorate in Romania, Laura Codruta Kövesi, is the first on the list of preferences for the position of European Chief Prosecutor. She is followed by prosecutors from France and Germany, respectively. The selection procedure for the position of European Chief Prosecutor does not depend on the candidates country of origin, as it is unfolding exclusively at European level. The New European Prosecutors Office will closely cooperate with OLAF, to detect and investigate cases of fraud all across the European Union. The European Prosecutors Office will have competence to research and prosecute crimes which impact the EU budget, such as corruption and fraud related to European funds. Laura Codruta Kovesi has been removed from office as chief prosecutor of the National Anticorruption Directorate, following a decision issued by the Constitutional Court. Earlier, President Klaus Iohannis had rejected as ungrounded the proposal to remove Kovesi from office, a proposal formulated by the Justice Minister, Tudorel Toader.



    POPE – Pope Francis on Tuesday ended his historical visit to the United Arab Emirates, with a grand mass celebrated in the open, in a country which authorises the practice of the Christian faith, on condition this is done in churches, FP reports. One of the organisers has announced some 170,000 people attended the event, an unprecedented public gathering in the United Arab Emirates. Participating have been Catholic believers from some 100 countries, alongside some 4,000 Muslims. According to the local media, that was the largest gathering ever in that small Gulf country, which is home to approximately half of the 2 million Catholic expats who live on the Arabian Peninsula. On Monday, the Pope gave a speech in the United Arab Emirates, urging people to build bridges between peoples and cultures.



    FLU – The number of people who have succumbed to the flu in Romania stands at 82, according to the latest data released by National Centre for Surveillance and Control of Communicable Diseases. The last three people who succumbed to the flu had pre-existing conditions and had not been vaccinated. A flu epidemic has officially been declared in Romania, because of the fast-paced spread of the virus and the high number of flu-infections and deaths.



    TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Marius Copil on Monday qualified for the eighth finals of the ATP tennis tournament in Sofia, with over 500,000 Euro in prize money up for grabs, after he defeated the Swiss Stan Wawrinka, in three sets 3-6, 7-6, 6-4. Copil, no. 56 ATP, got his first victory over his famous contender, no.57 ATP and three times winner of a Grand Slam. Copil will meet in the eighth finals the winner of the match between Spains Fernando Verdasco, 6th seed, and Bulgarian Alexandar Lazarov.