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Tag: Budai

  • Scandal in nursing homes prompts minister to resign

    Scandal in nursing homes prompts minister to resign

    As a consequence of the scandal regarding the ill-treatment of the elderly and the vulnerable people in nursing homes, the Romanian Labor Minister, the Social Democrat Marius Budai, resigned on Thursday, although, a few days ago, he said that this gesture didnt matter. The Deputy Prime Minister Marian Neacşu will replace him and political sources say that the future Labor Minister will be appointed by the Social Democratic Party – PSD (in the governing coalition), next week, when a meeting of the leadership of this political party will be organized.



    The resignation decision was announced by the Social-Democratic prime minister Marcel Ciolacu, who believes this is a normal gesture in a democracy: I had a discussion with the Labour Minister, Marius Budai, who informed me about his decision to submit his resignation at the end of this meeting. From my point of view, it is a gesture of honor for which I thank him and I am convinced that this is the natural reaction of a political decision-maker in such a crisis. It is a natural reaction in any consolidated European democracy.



    The huge scandal of the ‘homes of horror as they are called in the Romanian media broke out a week and a half ago, but the first accusations were first made several months ago. The revelations showed, back then, that more than 100 so-called beneficiaries of these homes were isolated, starved, tortured, exploited and deprived of minimal hygiene conditions.



    In the meantime, the authorities continue the nationwide verification action of residential social centers. In recent days, several such homes have been checked. Of these, over 20 have been closed, most of them in Bucharest. Also, the activity of almost 30 centers has been suspended and fines have been given worth almost 10 million lei (about 2 million Euros). Several criminal files were opened, some of which concern crimes against the person and economic crimes. At the same time, two inspectors of the Ilfov County Agency for Payments and Social Inspection were detained, because they allegedly did not properly evaluate the situation in a care center for people with disabilities.



    The Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu asked the civil society to propose new names for the future leadership of the National Authority for Persons with Disabilities, because he believes that the NGOs have more expertise in presenting competent people for this domain. In turn, the opposition Save Romania Union party demands the organization of an extraordinary parliamentary session, to look into the situation in the social centers. (LS)


  • July 13, 2023 UPDATE

    July 13, 2023 UPDATE

    STRIKE Disgruntled with
    their salaries, trade unionists from Romania’s public finances on Thursday
    picketed the headquarters of the Finance Ministry in Bucharest. Their main
    claim is that the pay of the employees of ANAF and the Finance Ministry be
    adjusted in keeping with the inflation rate. Protesters have also asked for
    decent working conditions, for legislating the professional status and covering
    the staff deficit. Also on Thursday, representatives of cancer patients in
    Romania protested in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of Health,
    disgruntled by the fact that the provisions in the National Plan for Combating
    and Controlling Cancer are not applied from the beginning of this month under a
    law endorsed with a landslide majority in Parliament, promulgated by president
    Klaus Iohannis and which has been in force since the beginning of the year.








    WEATHER Meteorologists on Thursday issued a code yellow alert for extremely hot
    weather valid until Sunday in several counties in Romania’s western, eastern
    and central regions. The heat-humidity comfort index is expected to exceed the
    critical threshold of 80 units with highs between 35 and 37 degrees centigrade.
    The weather is significantly cooling in the rest of the regions with highs ranging
    between 25 and 33 degrees Celsius.






    HEAT A heat wave struck southern Europe
    on Thursday, and according to Reuters, authorities have cautioned against
    record highs next week. A weather warning has been issued for the Canary
    Islands, an archipelago belonging to Spain, Italy, Cyprus and Greece. Authorities
    in Greece have announced that temperatures can reach 43 or 44 degrees Celsius on
    Friday or Saturday. Europe’s hottest temperature, 48.8 degrees centigrade, was
    recorded in Sicily in August 2021, but, according to the European Space Agency,
    it could be exceeded next week.






    RESIGNATION
    The Romanian Labor Minister Marius Budai stepped down on Thursday amid a
    scandal regarding the care centers for the elderly. The Romanian authorities are
    carrying on investigations at residential social centers throughout the
    country. More than 1,500 centers have been checked so far, and 15 nursing homes
    for the elderly, the disabled and children have been closed down. The activity
    of another 26 has been suspended. The authorities have issued 60 fines worth
    almost 800,000 lei (the equivalent of about 160 thousand Euros). A nursing home
    that was operating illegally was identified and a criminal case was also opened
    for abuse of office, fraud, false declarations, unlawful practicing of a
    profession and tax evasion in the case of a commercial company that owns three
    nursing homes. On the other hand, the Bucharest Court of Appeal will judge on
    July 20 the appeals made by the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime
    and Terrorism (DIICOT) regarding the placement under house arrest, under
    judicial control or the failure to take any measures in the case of the 20
    defendants detained last week in the investigation regarding the nursing homes
    for the elderly and the people with disabilities from Ilfov county (south, near
    Bucharest), where the so-called beneficiaries were beaten, insulted, starved,
    subjected to forced labor and deprived of minimum hygiene conditions.


    (bill)

  • July 13, 2023

    July 13, 2023

    Resignation — The Romanian Labor Minister Marius Budai has resigned today against the backdrop of the scandal regarding the care centers for the elderly. The Romanian authorities continue checks at residential social centers throughout the country. More than 1,500 centers have been controlled so far, and 15 nursing homes for the elderly, the disabled and children have been closed. The activity of another 26 has been suspended. The authorities issued 60 fines worth almost 800,000 lei (the equivalent of about 160 thousand Euros). A nursing home that was operating illegally was identified and a criminal case was also opened for abuse of office, fraud, false declarations, unlawful practicing of a profession and tax evasion in the case of a commercial company that owns three nursing homes. On the other hand, the Bucharest Court of Appeal will judge on July 20 the appeals made by the Directorate for Investigating Organized Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT) regarding the placement under house arrest, under judicial control or the failure to take any measures in the case of the 20 defendants detained last week in the investigation regarding the nursing homes for the elderly and the people with disabilities from Ilfov county (south, near Bucharest), where the so-called beneficiaries were beaten, insulted, starved, subjected to forced labor and deprived of minimum hygiene conditions.



    Schengen — The European Parliament reconfirmed its support for the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the Schengen Area. Through a resolution adopted on Wednesday, with a large majority, the MEPs ask the Council of the European Union to approve the candidacy of the two states by the end of this year. The document shows that Romania and Bulgaria meet all the criteria to join the free travel area and that the exercise of the right of veto, “without having presented any justification of a legal nature related to the accession criteria”, fuels anti-European sentiment and harms the economy. The European Parliament emphasizes that Romanians and Bulgarians are discriminated against, because they face delays, bureaucratic difficulties and additional costs when traveling or doing business abroad, in comparison with the Schengen Area citizens. The European Parliament also asks the Commission to estimate the financial losses, lost gains and environmental damage that Romania and Bulgaria have incurred, since June 2011, due to not being members of the Schengen area and to analyze the possible compensation mechanisms.



    Statistics — The Border Police General Inspectorate (IGPR) informs that on Wednesday, 123,649 people entered Romania through the border points, of whom 16,483 were Ukrainian citizens. According to a press release issued on Thursday, starting on February 10, 2022, two weeks before the Russian army invaded their country, 4,998,837 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania. The number of Ukrainian citizens who took up employment in Romania after the start of the war reached a new record last month – said the Romanian Labor Minister, Marius Budai. According to him, at the national level, 6,810 employment contracts were concluded for Ukrainian citizens, the highest level since February 24, 2022 until now. All in all, the minister said, 7,972 active contracts of Ukrainian citizens are registered, of which 6,810 were concluded after the start of the Russian invasion. Most Ukrainians employed in Romania, 1,452, work in the manufacturing industry, and 1,181 in the construction industry. Another 737 are employed in the trade domain. From the point of view of the areas in which they chose to work, the most (2,770) found work in Bucharest, and 418 in Timiş county (west).



    Football — Romanias football champions, Farul Constanţa (southeast), defeated, on Wednesday evening, at home, 1-0, Sheriff Tiraspol from the Republic of Moldova, in the first leg of the first preliminary round of the Champions League. The return match takes place next week, in Tiraspol. The qualified team will play in the next round with the winner of the two-legged tie between Maccabi Haifa (Israel) and Hamrun Spartans (Malta). In the first match, the Israelis won 4-0. We remind you that three Romanian teams are participating in the Conference League. In the 2nd preliminary round, the former champions CFR Cluj (north-west) will meet Adana Demirspor, from Turkey. The winner of Romania’s Cup and Supercup, Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe (center) will play against CSKA Sofia from Bulgaria, and the runner-up FCSB (Bucharest) with CSKA 1948 Sofia. The first leg takes place on July 27, and the return leg a week later.



    Inflation – The annual inflation rate slightly decreased in Romania in June 2023, to 10.3%, from 10.64% in May, in the context in which the prices food stuffs rose by 17.88%, of non-foods by 4.84%, and of services by 11.5%, according to data published on Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics. In June compared to May, the inflation rate was 0.4%. The National Bank of Romania (BNR) revised upward to 7.1% the inflation forecast for the end of this year and maintained the estimate of 4.2% for the end of 2024, according to data presented in May by Governor Mugur Isărescu. (LS)

  • July 7, 2023 UPDATE

    July 7, 2023 UPDATE

    TENNIS Romanian tennis player
    Sorana Cirstea has qualified for the third round of the Grand Slam tennis
    tournament in Wimbledon after a three-set win against Jelena Ostapenko of
    Latvia. The WTA 37th Cirstea has never got over the third round of
    the Wimbledon competition, which she reached four times in 2009, 2021, 2017 and
    2021. She will be next up against Beatriz Haddad Maia of Brazil on Saturday.
    Haddad, a finalist of the Roland Garros tournament a couple of weeks ago, on
    Thursday eliminated Romanian Jaqueline Cristian. Two other Romanian players,
    Ana Bogdan and Irina Begu left the competition on Friday.








    ARRESTS Romania’s Prime Minister
    Marcel Ciolacu has called on the country’s Labour Minister, Marius Budai, to dismiss
    the boards of the National Agency for Social Inspection and its branch in
    Ilfov, southern Romania, following the scandal over the inhuman conditions in several
    old people’s homes in the region. In the meantime, Marius Budai has ordered
    checks and measures from all the directions involved in the case and upon the
    Prime Minister’s request, commissions will be set up in every county. Four
    people have been apprehended so far in the aforementioned file, whereas 11 others
    have been placed under house arrest and six under judicial control. Following
    this case, with a prejudice that exceeds one million euros, inspections have
    been ordered at similar institutions all over the country. Among other things,
    prosecutors are investigating the way in which the aforementioned centers have
    got their operating permits.






    SUMMIT Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis will be participating in
    the NATO summit in Vilnius on Tuesday and Wednesday, the presidential
    administration in Bucharest has announced. The summit is to include three
    high-level meetings of the North-Atlantic Council, in formats, which include
    Ukraine, the European Union as well as NATO’s Indo-Pacific partners. At the
    summit, the Romanian president is expected to underline the fundamental
    importance of continuing the implementation of the Madrid decisions on
    strengthening the allied defence and deterrence posture on the Eastern Flank.
    Iohannis will also reiterate the robust support for Ukraine, including its NATO’s
    accession, as well as for the most vulnerable partners, especially for the
    Republic of Moldova. According to the same sources, the head of the Romanian state
    will be also referring to the need for having the importance of the Black Sea
    region in the Euro-Atlantic security reflected in the allied documents and
    decisions.






    DEFENCE The Country’s Supreme Defence Council on
    Thursay approved the creation in Romania of a regional centre to train pilots
    flying military F16 aircraft. The centre will initially train Romanian pilots
    and later also pilots from allied and partner states, including Ukraine. The
    Council also approved Romania’s objectives for the upcoming NATO summit in
    Vilnius next week. President Klaus Iohannis will again bring to the fore
    aspects related to the security of the Black Sea region. According to a
    statement from the president’s office, Romania is ready to contribute to the
    allied effort both by hosting NATO multinational structures and by boosting its
    defence spending to 2.5% of GDP from this year. The Council also approved the
    army and interior ministry personnel to take part next year in foreign missions
    and operations, with Romania’s boosting its participation in the EUFOR ALTHEA missions in the Bosnia and Herzegovina
    theatre of operations.




    (bill)

  • November 21, 2022

    November 21, 2022

    Pensions – The Romanian Labor Minister Marius Budăi, is invited, today, in the plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies, to answer the questions of the opposition Save Romanian Union – USR representatives, who want to know the stage of reduction of expenses with the special pensions and the concrete steps taken to fulfill the commitment assumed in the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. Recently, the European Commission has said that military pensions must be reformed together with the special ones, and that, starting next year, Romania must observe the percentage of 9.4% of the GDP in the pensions chapter, conditions to be met for the approval of the third payment request for European funds. Minister Budăi is expected to come with clarifications regarding the pensions increase percentage, which will be applied as of the beginning of next year. In the governing coalition, opinions remain divided – the Liberals want a 15% increase for all pensions, while the Social Democrats insist that small pensions should be increased by a higher percentage.



    Covid — COVID-19 no longer represents, at this moment, a public health issue in our country – the Romanian Health Minister, Alexandru Rafila, said on Sunday. In the last period, the authorities have reported between 200 and 400 cases daily and there are also reports that do not include any deaths. Alexandru Rafila emphasized, however, that any virus can be unpredictable from the point of view of its evolution, so the vaccination recommendation for the vulnerable categories is maintained, especially since the vaccine adapted to the Omicron variants of the coronavirus will soon be available in Romania. The anti-COVID-19 vaccination will be performed in the family doctor’ offices and in the vaccination centers opened in several hospitals in Romania.



    Conference – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Bogdan Aurescu, co-chairs, today, in Paris, the third ministerial conference of the support platform for the Republic of Moldova (with a majority Romanian-speaking population), initiated by Romania, Germany and France this spring. The conference focuses on emergency assistance options for the Republic of Moldova, in the context in which it faces major energy, economic and humanitarian challenges, against the backdrop of the brutal war of aggression waged by the Russian Federation against Ukraine. The presidents of France, Emmanuel Macron, and of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, are also participating in the event. At the previous conference, held in Romania’s capital Bucharest, the participants decided to grant financial support for Chişinău worth 615 million Euros.



    Drill – In Brasov County (center), at the NATO military base in Cincu, a joint exercise is taking place as of Monday until Friday, in which 600 Romanian infantrymen are participating, together with soldiers from France, Portugal, Poland and the United States. The objectives of the “Black Scorpions” exercise are the joint training of the military and, implicitly, increasing the cohesion of the structures through training on the ground and tactical exercises with combat shooting. The personnel convoys and the more than 70 pieces of technical equipment will withdraw from Cincu on Saturday.



    Summit – Romania emphasized, during the La Francophonie Summit in Tunisia, the serious impact on security and stability at the regional and global levels generated by Russias military aggression against Ukraine, as well as the particularly vulnerable situation of the Republic of Moldova in this context. Presidential adviser Sergiu Nistor, the representative of the President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, for La Francophonie also highlighted Romanias solid contribution to the promotion of the French language and Francophone values, underlining Bucharests active commitment to international cooperation and assistance for development in the French-speaking area, by financing programs run in the French-speaking Africa or in the member states of Central and Eastern Europe.



    Investigation – The Romanian MPs are going to decide, today, by vote, on the request of the Minister Justice regarding the approval of a computer search in a file targeting the former mayor of Bucharest’s Sector 1, Daniel Tudorache. He is being prosecuted for illegal and overprices purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic. Last month, the National Anti-Corruption Directorate announced that it had started the criminal investigation of 56 suspects, legal entities and natural persons, including the former mayor Marian Vanghelie, local councilor in Sector 5 until 2020, and the former mayor Daniel Tudorache, currently a Social Democratic deputy, for illegal, overrated purchases. Prosecutors say that the group was founded and coordinated by Marian Vanghelie and that they managed to obtain more than 13.5 million Euros from these contracts. (LS)

  • Support for pensioners

    Support for pensioners

    Romania’s draft budget for 2022 is not ready yet but the governing coalition made up of the PSD (Social Democratic Party) — PNL (National Liberal Party) – UDMR (Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania) hopes to finalize it in due time for it to be approved by Christmas. There are, however, several certainties related to the budget. One of them is that pensioners with low incomes of up to 320 Euros will next month receive substantial aid from the state to pay their bills. The measure has been agreed upon in the governing coalition, so, 2 and a half million pensioners will already have their pensions augmented in January to 440 Euros.



    The social package for the poorest of the pensioners will have an impact on the budget estimated at over 500 million Euros, said the minister of labor and social protection, the Social Democrat Marius Budăi. He explained that the aid would be granted proportionate with their current revenues. For instance, those with pensions of 1,000 lei that is about 200 Euros will receive 1,200 lei that is around 240 Euros. Eventually, 2.5 million Romanians will receive, in January pensions of 2,200 lei that is about 440 Euros. This is not the only social measure provided for in the governing program. 2022 will also bring about increases in child allowances, in salaries, pensions and indemnities for people with disabilities.



    Marius Budăi has pointed out that the biggest impact on the budget will be created by the increase in the pension point, amounting to almost 12 billion lei, that is 2.4 billion Euros. As of 2022 the minimum gross salary is to grow up to 2,550 lei that is about 510 Euros. For all the increases it has promised, the government needs to find financial resources without augmenting taxes or imposing new ones. PSD and UDMR have tried to introduce a 1% surcharge to be levied on companies with a turnover of more than 100 million Euros, to obtain more money for investments in healthcare and education. But the Liberals have opposed the attempt, given that the business environment rejected the intention. The measure has been eventually rejected, and the Liberal PM Nicolae Ciucă has given assurances that no such tax will be levied on companies.



    The Social Democratic finance minister Adrian Câciu has also promised that the budget will be set up without introducing new taxes and that any change of the taxation system will be made in a predictable way, following dialogue with the private business environment. He has presented a first version of the draft budget for 2022. The leader of the PNL, the former prime minister Florin Cîțu has called attention to the fact that the budget deficit needed to stay at 5.84% of the GDP and investments should remain at 7%, according to the common governing program. He expressed confidence that the budget for 2022 will be approved by December 23. (LS)

  • 02.09.2019

    02.09.2019

    Das rumänische Parlament hat am Montag seine zweite ordentliche Sitzung dieses Jahres und die erste nach dem die Allianz der Liberalen und Demokraten (ALDE) die Regierungskoalition verlassen hat eröffnet. Der Vorsitzende der ALDE, Calin Popescu Tariceanu, hat mit dem Rücktritt aus der Regierung auch das Amt des Senatsvorsitzenden niedergelegt. Premierministerin und Vorsitzende der PSD, Viorica Dancila, erklärte, dass ihre Partei an der Macht bleibe und dass ihr Kabinett nicht die Absicht habe, zurückzutreten, so wie es die Opposition gefordert hat. Diese droht nun mit einem Misstrauensantrag im Parlament. Nachdem die PSD die Mehrheit verloren hatte, bat Staatsoberhaupt Klaus Iohannis die sozialdemokratische Regierung, eine weitere Bestätigung durch das Parlament einzuholen. Er lehnte auch alle von der Premierministerin vorgelegten Personalien für die, nach den Rücktritt der ALDE, freigewordenen Ministerposten ab.



    In Rumänien ist der Wert des Punktes der Altersrente zum 1. September um 15 % gestiegen und die ersten Zahlungen der neuen Beträge beginnen am Montag, sagte Arbeitsminister Marius Budai. 5 Millionen Rentner profitieren von dieser Erhöhung. Die Opposition ist der Ansicht, dass diese Entscheidung das Haushaltsdefizit vertiefen wird. Der IWF empfahl kürzlich den Behörden in Bukarest, das neue Rentengesetz zu überprüfen, da es die finanzielle Nachhaltigkeit gefährden könnte.



    Die 24. Ausgabe des Internationalen George Enescu Musik-Festivals findet gegenwärtig in Rumänien statt. Auf dem Programm am Montag in Bukarest steht ein Konzert des London Symphony Orchestra. Gleichzeitig geben mehr als 2000 Sänger und Instrumentalisten Mini-Konzerte in der ganzen Hauptstadt. Das George Enescu Festival findet bis zum 22. September nicht nur in Bukarest, sondern auch in 10 weiteren rumänischen Städten und 5 weiteren Ländern (Deutschland, Frankreich, Italien, Kanada und der Republik Moldau) statt; das Thema der Veranstaltung lautet Die Welt im Einklang“. In Bukarest werden rund 2.500 der weltbesten Musiker 84 Konzerte und Rezitale geben. Darüber hinaus finden mehrere Konferenzen, Platten- und Buchvorstellungen und andere Veranstaltungen statt.




    Die Arbeitslosenzahl in Rumänien lag Ende Juli bei 3 %, um ca. 0,5 % niedriger als im gleichen Zeitraum 2018 und nur geringfügig höher als im Juni dieses Jahres, berichtet die Nationale Arbeitsagentur. Der leicht steigende Trend der Arbeitslosenzahl wird durch die Zahl der Studierenden beeinflusst, die eine abgeschlossene Ausbildung haben und als arbeitslos gemeldet sind. Die Gesamtzahl der Arbeitslosen lag Ende Juli bei 262.044 Personen, von denen die meisten im ländlichen Raum gemeldet wurden. Die Zahl der Arbeitslosen mit Grundschulausbildung oder ohne jegliche Form von Ausbildung macht mit fast 30 % den grö‎ßten Anteil aus.



    Der Nordwesten der Bahamas-Inseln wurde vom Hurrikan Dorian heimgesucht, wobei die Windgeschwindigkeit bis zu 300 km/h erreichte. Dorian hat Gebäude und Autos zerstört, Bäume entwurzelt und Sturzfluten verursacht. Das National Hurricane Centre in den Vereinigten Staaten hat bestätigt, dass Dorian ein Sturm der Kategorie 5 ist, der mächtigste, der jemals diese Region heimgesucht hat. Die Vereinigten Staaten haben den Ausnahmezustand für die Staaten an der Ostküste ausgerufen, wobei Dorian sich nähert, berichtet die BBC.



    Die deutsche Rechte Partei AfD hat nach vorläufigen Schätzungen einem deutlichen Anstieg der Stimmen bei den beiden am Sonntag abgehaltenen Regionalwahlen in Deutschland erzielt. Die AfD-Alternative für Deutschland, die die einwanderungsfreundliche Politik von Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel kritisiert, steht in Sachsen und Brandenburg auf dem zweiten Platz, nach der CDU beziehungsweise der SPD. Ostdeutschland bleibt daher ein Stützpfeiler der AfD, die in Westdeutschland weniger beliebt ist.



    Die rumänische Tennisspielerin Raluca Olaru hat bei den US Open beide Spiele am Sonntag verloren, sowohl im Damen-Doppel als auch im gemischten Doppel. Die andere rumänische Spielerin, Simona Halep (Welt Nr. 4) hat überraschend in der dritten Runde das Spiel gegen die Amerikanerin Taylor Townsend, 116 in der WTA Rangliste, verloren und wurde ausgeschieden. Taylor Townsend eliminierte auch einen weiteren Rumänen Sorana Cirstea, 106. In der WTA aus dem Wettbewerb.



    In Rumänien ist das Wetter schön. Die Hitze hält auch Anfang September, vor allem im Süden weiter an. Vereinzelte Regenfälle werden nur im Gebirge gemeldet, insbesondere in den Ostkarpaten. Die Tageshöchsttemperaturen lagen zwischen 27 und 35 Grad.