Radio România Internațional

Tag: budget bill

  • February 4, 2025

    February 4, 2025

    Budget – Today, the Romanian MPs are focusing on the state budget and social insurance bills. With over 1,000 amendments submitted, most of them by the opposition, they will be discussed at an accelerated pace in the committees. The finance minister, Tánczos Barna, explained that the Government’s bill is based on spending cuts and supporting investments, with record allocations of 150 billion lei (about 30 billion Euros), which would ensure compliance with the deficit target of 7% of the gross domestic product. Adopted by the government at the end of last week, Romania’s budget bill for this year is built on an economic growth of 2.5% and an average inflation rate of 4.4%. The debates and the vote in Parliament are predictable, as the MPs of the ruling coalition (PSD-PNL-UDMR) form the majority.

     

    Israel – The American President Donald Trump today receives the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the first foreign leader invited to the White House after his return to power. The talks take place at a delicate moment in the negotiations between Israel and Hamas, for the second phase of the agreement to end the war in Gaza. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Israel, the public channel of the Israeli television reported that a compromise is foreseen between the desire of the extremist wing of the Israeli government, which seeks to compromise the transition to the 2nd stage of the Israel-Hamas agreement for the release of the hostages and the continuation of the war in the Gaza Strip, and the American administration, a firm supporter of the release of all hostages and of the end of the war. The compromise would consist in adopting the so-called Tunis model, which was applied in the 1980s to the Palestine Liberation Organization, when its leaders were expelled to Tunis, guaranteeing their lives and the continuation of the organization’s structure in return. On the same model, the extremist wing in the Israeli government could agree to a cessation of the war in the Gaza Strip and the only symbolic defeat of the Hamas organization, whose leaders, without being eliminated, would be expelled to another country, after the Tunisian model.

     

    BOR – Today, the Romanian Orthodox Church (the majority denomination in Romania) celebrates 100 years since its promotion to the rank of Patriarchate. According to Patriarch Daniel, this anniversary is not only a celebration of the past, but also a call to gratitude towards our ancestors and a reflection on the role of our Church in the life of the Romanian people. The Romanian Patriarchate was, throughout its 100-year existence, an unquenchable torch of faith and national unity, he said. Specialists recall that the Romanian Patriarchate was born on February 4, 1925, in a historical context marked by the Great Union of 1918, which brought together all the historical Romanian provinces in a single unitary state.

     

    Defense – European defense without the United States will not work, said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, after an informal defense meeting of European leaders in Brussels. Mark Rutte highlighted the importance of the NATO-European Union partnership, emphasizing the transatlantic connection as the foundation of European security. The former Dutch prime minister pleaded, at the same time, in favor of increasing defense spending and increasing military production. Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, said, among other things, that the US defense industries must collaborate much better and reiterated that Romania did not support the idea of ​​a separate European defense.

     

    Customs – The Romanian Customs Authority (AVR) has started real-time monitoring of means of transport with the help of smart seals applied by customs inspectors within mobile teams, as part of the RO e-Seal National System, the institution announced on Tuesday. This system significantly reduces customs and tax fraud, because the entire process of freight transport becomes transparent and uses a modern method to ensure the modernization and digitization of customs processes, the integrity of goods and the prevention of burglary, also in the case of other risks associated with transport, shows an AVR press release. According to the aforementioned source, the advantages of using the RO e-Seal National System include real-time monitoring, as electronic seals equipped with GPS technology allow full tracking of the transport route and, depending on the information obtained, the rapid intervention of mobile teams throughout the national territory for detecting, sanctioning of customs or fiscal fraud and fraudulent handling of goods. (LS)

  • February 3, 2025 UPDATE1

    February 3, 2025 UPDATE1

    Budget – Romania’s 2025 budget bill will enter Parliament’s debate as of Tuesday, and the final vote is expected to take place by the end of the week. The vote is predictable as the parliamentarians of the ruling coalition (PSD-PNL-UDMR) have the majority. However, the document met with much criticism from the opposition parties, which submitted over 1,000 amendments. Adopted by the government at the end of last week, Romania’s budget bill for 2025 is based on an economic growth of 2.5%, an average inflation rate of 4.4% and a deficit of 7% of the GDP. According to the Finance Minister, Tanczos Barna, the budget focuses on investments, with record allocations of 150 billion lei (about 30 billion Euros).

     

    Investigation – The prosecutors from the Directorate for Fighting Organized Crime (DIICOT) carried out, on Monday, dozens of searches in Romania and Monaco, in a case involving fraud with particularly serious consequences, embezzlement, money laundering and tax evasion, related to what the press called the Nordis real estate business. The investigations targeted a number of about 70 suspects, natural and legal persons. Among the people interviewed are Laura Vicol, former head of the Legal Commission in the Chamber of Deputies, and Ioana Băsescu, the daughter of the former president of Romania, Traian Băsescu, who was called at the DIICOT headquarters to give explanations regarding her involvement as a notary in the Nordis business. Starting in 2018, three of the suspects allegedly initiated and set up an organized criminal group, which conceived and implemented a complex criminal mechanism, consisting, mainly, in the promotion and development of real estate projects under the cover of several commercial companies, followed by collecting money from clients, misleading buyers during the execution of pre-contracts and sale-purchase contracts. The leaders of the organized criminal group are said to have collected over 957,000,000 lei (over 195 million Euros) from customers as an advance payment within the framework of bilateral sale-purchase promises, respectively sales-purchase agreements.

     

    Defense – Europe must assume greater responsibility for its own defense in order to strengthen our strategic resilience, said President Klaus Iohannis, present, on Monday, in Brussels, at the informal meeting of EU leaders on defense issues. The discussions focused on military capabilities and the European defense industry. President Iohannis evoked, in this sense, the need for adequate financing seen not only as the allocation of more money, but also as the effective use of the already existing tools. Regarding defense, Romania’s president emphasized the need for complementarity between the European Union and NATO. (LS)

     

  • January 31, 2025 UPDATE 2

    January 31, 2025 UPDATE 2

    Budget – Romania’s draft budget law for 2025 is going through the last stages of debate before the Government approves it in a meeting that is to take place on Saturday. The Finance Minister in the governing coalition (PSD-PNL-UDMR), Tanczos Barna, stated that there is money in the budget for investments in infrastructure, for the payment of salaries and pensions, at the level of November 2024. The budget will be built on a deficit of no more than 7% of the GDP. The funds allocated to the Presidential Administration, the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies will decrease and the budgets of some ministries will increase, such as the environment, health, education or transport ministries.

     

    Chişinău – On Friday the Romanian FM Emil Hurezeanu is going on ​​a working visit to the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population), Radio Chişinău reports. The agenda of the visit includes discussions with the Moldovan Foreign Minister Mihail Popşoi as well as the reception by the country’s president, Maia Sandu, by the president of the Moldovan Parliament, Igor Grosu, and by the deputy prime minister for European Integration, Cristina Gherasimov. The two foreign ministers are to deliver a joint press statement.

     

    Rugby – The Romanian national rugby team will make their debut on Friday evening in Bucharest, in a match against Germany, in the 2025 edition of the Rugby Europe Championship. The Romanians will also play against Belgium, on February 8, away from home, in Mons, and against Portugal, on February 15, at home, in Botoşani (northeast). Romania can secure direct qualification for the Rugby World Cup in Australia, if it finishes the championship in one of the first two places of the group. With one exception, Romania has participated in all the world final tournaments.

     

    Candidacy – The president of the opposition Save Romania Union (USR), Elena Lasconi, will run again in the presidential election in May. She announced that she has the support of her party and is responsible for the votes cast by citizens two months ago. In turn, the mayor of Bucharest, Nicuşor Dan, said that he maintained his decision to enter the presidential race as an independent and the governing coalition (PSD-PNL-UDMR) would support a common candidate in the race, the former Liberal leader, Crin Antonescu. We remind you that, in December, the Constitutional Court of Romania annulled the presidential election, citing interference by a state actor, and decided that the electoral process should be entirely resumed. The first round had been won by independent sovereigntist Călin Georgescu and the USR leader Elena Lasconi. On the other hand, European Union member states, including France, Germany and Romania, requested the Commission to take measures to protect the elections in the community space from interference by external actors.

     

    Aircraft – An F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft, purchased by Romania from the Kingdom of Norway, landed, on Thursday, at the 71st General Emanoil Ionescu Air Base at Câmpia Turzii. The aircraft thus completes the 48th Fighter Squadron with all 16 aircraft, the Romanian Defense Ministry informs. The purchase of the new batch of F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft and the related package of goods and services ensures the increase of Romania’s security by defending the national or NATO airspace, in peacetime and in crisis situations, through the Permanent Combat Service – Air Policing, under NATO command.

     

    Collision – Romania’s President, Klaus Iohannis, sent a message of solidarity to the American people on Thursday following the collision in the air, above Washington, of an American Airlines passenger plane and a Black Hawk helicopter of the US army. “Our thoughts go out to the families of the victims” – the head of state wrote on platform X. The American Airlines plane, with 64 people on board, and the military helicopter with three soldiers on board crashed, on Wednesday evening, in the Potomac River. Extremely difficult search operations were launched. Since February 2009, there have been no fatal passenger plane accidents in the United States. (LS)

     

     

  • December 11, 2022

    December 11, 2022

    Budget — The state budget and social insurance draft laws will be debated in Romania’s Parliament on Monday. The final vote is to be given in the plenary sessions of the two chambers on Thursday. The state budget for next year is based on an economic growth of 2.8% and a revenue increase of 14%. The budget deficit is forecast to increase by almost 4.4% of the GDP, and the main novelty is the increase to 2.5% of the Defense budget. The state budget for next year will allow, according to the authorities, an increase in pensions by 12.5% ​​and a minimum wage of 3,000 lei (about 600 Euros). According to the document, the Ministries of Defense, Development, Agriculture, Transport and Education will receive more funds. The fields of Energy, Justice and Health will receive less money. The opposition criticizes the Governments budget bill and announces that it will submit amendments in Parliament.



    Meeting — The Romanian Agriculture Minister, Petre Daea, is participating, on Sunday and Monday, in the meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council (AGRIFISH) in Brussels. According to an agriculture ministry communiqué, the meetings agenda includes important aspects for the Romanian agricultural sector, such as the market situation, the strategic plans of the CAP, animal welfare and fishing opportunities for next year. The ministers are discussing the progress of the new EU forest strategy for 2030 and the actions taken at EU and national level. At the same time, the ministers will debate the current situation of the market in the member states, the main issues related to the energy and fertilizer crisis, the high prices of production factors, as well as the pressure that the crisis exerts on both farmers and consumers. Also, the European officials will tackle the strategic plans included in the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the context of the current situation in Ukraine and the new challenges facing both the agriculture and fisheries sectors.



    Gaudeamus — The 29th edition of the Gaudeamus book fair, organized by Radio Romania at the Romexpo exhibition center in Bucharest, comes to an end on Sunday. Starting on December 7, approximately 200 participants offered the public a varied range of editorial products, on different supports, suitable for all ages and fields of interest, music and educational games. For the first time, two spaces dedicated to interactive activities for the youngest visitors were set up within the fair. All stands were also found in virtual format on the gaudeamus.ro website. The honorary president of this years edition was the writer Ana Blandiana.



    Agreement — The EU member states reached an agreement, on Saturday, regarding the unlocking of a financial assistance package worth 18 billion Euros, which will be granted to Ukraine in 2023. ‘Ukraine can count on the EU. We will continue to support Ukraine also from a financial point of view, as long as it is necessary’ shows a press release from the European Council. The proposal was adopted by the Council and will be presented to the European Parliament to be adopted next week. On Tuesday, Hungary vetoed the package proposed by the European Commission.



    Negotiations — The EU countries participated in emergency negotiations on Saturday in an attempt to reach an agreement on capping the price of natural gas at the December 13 meeting of European Energy Ministers, but they remain divided over the plan. 12 member states, including Romania, Belgium, Italy, Poland and Slovenia, are pushing for a significantly lower cap on the price of natural gas across the Union. The latest proposal, according to Reuters, provides for a cap if prices exceed 220 Euros/Megawatt hour for five days, at the Natural Gas futures quotes of the Amsterdam-based TTF Hub (where reference prices are set in Europe) to be delivered the next month, and when the prices are higher by 35 Euros compared to the world average price for liquefied natural gas. It is a lower level than the limit of 275 Euros/Megawatt hour proposed by the European Commission, but the 12 EU member states say it is still not low enough.



    Football – The French team, the defending world champions, qualified for the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar on Saturday, after defeating England 2-1 in the last quarter-final. Also on Saturday, the Moroccan national team became the first African team to qualify for the semi-finals, after defeating the Portuguese team, score 1-0. There are only four matches left in the final tournament in Qatar, the semi-finals, third-place playoff and the final. On Tuesday, Argentina will meet Croatia, and on Wednesday Morocco will be up against France. The third-place playoff will take place on December 17, and the final on December 18. (LS)

  • New trade union protests

    New trade union protests

    Unsatisfied with the draft state budget law and the ordinances related to it, trade unions’ representatives staged protests in the capital Bucharest, in front of the Government building and the offices of the parties making up the centre-right ruling coalition, as well as in front of a number of prefect’s offices. They argue the austerity budget will prologue the economic crisis, lowering living standards and condemning citizens to poverty. ”Decent work, social justice and social dialogue” is the slogan of the trade unionists affiliated with the CNS Cartel Alfa, who, on their fifth week of protests, picketed the offices of the USR-PLUS alliance and the Government’s headquarters. Protesters are asking for decent wages, fair pensions, quality public services and the unblocking of collective bargaining.



    The freezing of salaries for various categories of workers and the elimination of holiday vouchers is also a reason for discontent, as protesters fear this may affect the hospitality industry, a sector already highly affected by the restrictions imposed in the context of the sanitary crisis. Cartel Alfa’s general secretary, Petru Dandea, explains: “Romania is in the grip of an economic crisis. No austerity measures should be imposed in this context, because they only make things worse. The Government does not seem to understand that. This is our goal, to convince the ministers and the Government to come up with development policies, which we don’t have at this point.”



    Representatives of Solidaritatea Sanitara Federation protested at the headquarters of the National Liberal Party, the main party of the ruling coalition, and then at the Government’s headquarters. They asked more money for the healthcare system, the observance of the legal rights and protection measures for healthcare workers, who face higher risks than they did before the pandemic and the bonuses are not the same.


    The PUBLISIND Federation, affiliated with the National Trade Union Bloc, with employees from the police, public administration, social assistance, finance and financial control, also protested against measures likely to trigger a decrease in the public servants’ salaries. Trade union leader, Cosmin Andreica: “This is the seventh week of protests. We protest because the law is not enforced, because Romania is ruled through emergency ordinances. We saw, at the end of last year, that the Government issued an emergency ordinance that prevents the salary law from 2017 from taking effect, a law aimed at doing away with inequities and discrimination in the system”.



    Employees with the public rail system also protested in Bucharest, unhappy with the lack of investment in rail infrastructure and the small salaries. They argued that the number of rail workers is insufficient and the railway is on the verge of collapse, due to the lack of any investment in the last 30 years. (EE)


  • February 14, 2021 UPDATE

    February 14, 2021 UPDATE

    Vaccines — The simple motion entitled “Incompetence and lack of commitment kill. Vlad Voiculescu, a danger to the health and life of Romanians”, submitted to the Chamber of Deputies by the main opposition party, the Social Democratic Party-PSD, against the health minister will be debated on Monday in Bucharest and voted two days later. The National Liberal Party will not vote on the motion filed against Vlad Voiculescu (a member of USR-PLUS Alliance, in the governing coalition), announced the Liberal leader Ludovic Orban. Meanwhile, the anti-COVID vaccination campaign continues in Romania. According to the Romanian authorities Romania is ranked 6th in a classification of European countries in terms of the total number of vaccine doses administered. More than one million doses of vaccine have been given to date, most of them from Pfizer/BioNTech company, as well as from Moderna and AstraZeneca. Latest data from the Strategic Communication Group show that over 1,900 new cases SARS-CoV-2 infection have been reported in the past 24 hours. The death toll exceeded 19,400, and about 960 people are in ICUs. As of Saturday, people coming to Romania from countries in the yellow zone, i.e. where the infection rate is higher than in Romania, must comply with new rules.



    Budget — In Romania, the budget bill, currently under public debate, is to be adopted in the coming days. The Prime Minister Florin Cîţu, who made a series of clarifications on the topic, recalled that the government has proposed 4 reforms related to salaries, pensions, education and fiscal administration. According to the PM, the salary expenses for 2021 have been capped at the level of those from 2020, and salaries in the public sector will be established, this year, when the law on unitary salary is modified. Florin Cîţu also said that he wanted performance from the government ministers and announced that he would make a mid-year assessment of the budget execution and this check the ministers’ activity. The draft budget is based on a deficit of 7.16% of the GDP and an economic growth rate of 4.3%. The calculations are based on investments of 5.5% of the GDP, on 13% higher revenues than last year and also rising expenses by only 5%.



    Acquittal — In the US, the Senate has acquitted the former US President Donald Trump in second impeachment trial on charge of inciting Jan. 6 Capitol riot. 5 people died in the riots. Trump is the first president in the history of the United States to go through two impeachment trials. The big stake in the second trial was the former presidents political future – if he had been convicted, he would have been barred from holding federal office ever again. Now he might try to get a new term in office in 2024. 57 senators voted against Trump – all the 50 Democrats and 7 Republicans — but the vote fell short of the two-thirds majority needed. After his acquittal, Donald Trump issued a statement saying the trial was “yet another phase of the greatest witch hunt in the history of our country” and added that “his patriotic movement” was just beginning. President Joe Biden said that Donald Trumps acquittal shows that democracy is fragile.



    Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep (2 WTA), qualified today in Melbourne, to the quarterfinals of the Australian Open, the year’s first Grand Slam tournament, where she will take on Serena Williams (11 WTA). In the eighth finals, Simona Halep defeated the Polish player Iga Swiatek (17 WTA), in three sets, 6-3, 1-6, 4-6, while Serena Williams won, also in three sets, 6-4, 2 -6, 6-4, against the Belarusian player Arina Sabalenka (7 WTA). In the eighth finals of the mens doubles tournament, the Romanian-Brazilian pair Horia Tecău / Marcelo Melo will play against the pair Ivan Dodig (Croatia) / Filip Polasek (Slovakia).



    Brussels — The European Union, accused of slow management of the coronavirus pandemic, will speed up the procedure for authorizing improved versions of the vaccines against new strains of the virus, the European Commissioner for Health and Food Safety announced today. Stella Kyriakides told the German daily Augsburger Allgemeine that the procedure had been discussed with the European Medicines Agency and it was decided that, from now on, a vaccine, which is improved by a manufacturer to fight new strains based on an existing and certified vaccine, no longer needs to go through all the authorization stages. The health commissioner also said the EU had managed to secure a supply of 700 million doses of vaccine by the end of the third quarter of this year.



    Handball — CSM Bucharest defeated, on home ground, the Greek team AEK Athens HC, with the score of 28-23, in the first round of the eighth finals of the mens handball competition EHF European Cup. The second round will take place on February 21 in Athens. Also on Sunday, HC Dunărea Brăila (southeast) defeated the French team Fleury Loiret Handball, 31-25, in Orleans, in Group D of the womens handball competition EHF European League. Siofok KC leads in the ranking, with 9 points, followed by Kuban – 6 points, Dunărea Brăila – 5 points, Fleury Loiret Handball – 0 points. To qualify to the quarterfinals, Dunărea Brăila needs a victory with Kuban, in the last round, on February 20, in Brăila. In the first round, the score was equal, 25 all. (tr. L. Simion)

  • February 10, 2021

    February 10, 2021

    Budget – Romanias state budget bill for 2021 has been completed and will be made public today. According to Prime Minister Florin Cîțu, the budget is based on a deficit of about 7% of GDP. The budget bill aims at resetting the economy, at repairing the anomalies introduced in the legislation in the last 4 years, without overlooking the observance of the budgetary targets. The prime minister has also said that the budget bill is intended to maintain the confidence of the EC, of the foreign investors and of the rating agencies. In order to meet the deficit figure agreed with the EC, the government has to reduce some expenses. It needs to cut or cap employee benefits, subsidies for unprofitable state-owned companies, and to reduce funding for political parties. Child allowances will remain unchanged this year, and public pensions will increase only as of January 1, 2022



    Protests — In Romania continue the protests of the trade unionists against the salary policies of the coalition government. Today, the Cartel Alfa trade unionists are picketing the Liberal Party headquarters in Bucharest, after on Tuesday they protested in front of the Finance Ministry. Sanitas trade unionists have also announced protests as of Thursday, dissatisfied with the announced reduction of employee benefits, the suspension of holiday vouchers for 2021 and the reduction of the food allowance. In turn, the Publisind trade union federation, affiliated to the National Trade Union Bloc, is organizing protests today at the Parliament Palace as well as at the Prefect’s Offices across the country. They have launched protests since December 31, 2020 and have announced they are going to continue the protest actions for an indefinite period of time. The National Federation of Pensioners in Romania is also protesting against the Governments decision not to increase pensions this year.



    Motion — The opposition Social Democrats – PSD, are submitting today, at the Chamber of Deputies in Bucharest, a simple motion against the health minister Vlad Voiculescu, after having met with representatives of the professional and trade union organizations in the field and of the patients associations. “Within the Health Ministry, it was not action but inaction and an obvious inability to manage this pandemic that dominated during this period”, said the PSD deputy, Alexandru Rafila, Romanias representative at the WHO. The motion on health will be debated next week.



    Vaccine — More than 3 thousand new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection were reported in Romania on Wednesday in the past 24 hours. The total number of cases exceeded 752 thousand, with the death toll exceeding 19,100. Almost 1,000 patients are in ICUs. In another development, the first 14,000 doses of Moderna vaccine arrived in Romania. These will be distributed to regional and vaccination centers across the country. Since the beginning of the vaccination campaign in Romania, on December 27, about 140 thousand people have been vaccinated with the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine. The two vaccine types available in the European Union, Moderna and BioNTech-Pfizer, are very similar in effectiveness and use messenger RNA-based technology. The coordinator of the anti-COVID vaccination campaign, Dr. Valeriu Gheorghiţă, stated that in the second vaccination stage, which started on January 15, 40-45,000 doses might be administered daily throughout the country.



    colectiv — The documentary film collective, directed by Alexander Nanau, has been shortlisted in the Documentary Feature and International Feature Film categories of the Academy Awards. The film, co-produced by Romania and Luxembourg, is a story that presents the joint efforts of doctors, government officials and investigative journalists, who fight corruption while discovering large-scale fraud in the health system in Bucharest after the fire in the Colectiv club. The fire took place on October 30, 2015 and made 65 victims. The Oscar nominations will be announced on March 15, and the winners will be announced at the Academy Awards Gala on April 25. (tr. L.Simion)

  • February 8, 2021 UPDATE

    February 8, 2021 UPDATE

    School – More than 2.4 million school students out of Romanias almost 3 million returned to school on Monday for the second semester. Students and teachers will have to wear face masks in classroom at all times and children have to sit within at least 1 meter of each other. Education minister, Sorin Cîmpeanu, on Saturday told a TV station that education during the pandemic has been of low quality, largely because of on-line teaching, but also because of poor access to technology in some places, especially in rural areas. The education minister has also added that that there are big gaps between different schools and children, and that it will be difficult for them to catch up with the information lost. He has also said that his ministry will closely monitor the recovery scheme, which benefits from 30 million Euros worth of funding.



    Budget – The 2021 state budget will be on Parliament’s agenda this week. According to the Government, the budget is based on a deficit of around 7% of GDP and aims to boost economic recovery and to put an end to excessive and unjustified public spending. Liberal Prime Minister Florin Cîţu has said the budget also takes into account restructuring loss-making state companies, which will be denied funding unless they carry out reforms. The government plans to cut bonuses in state-owned companies, which amount to 120 million Euros. The prime minister said that while staff expenses doubled in the last four years, public administration did not become more efficient. The Social Democratic Party in opposition has come up with its own budget bill, saying its goals are healthcare, education, economic recovery and raising peoples living standards.



    Film – The film ‘colectiv’ by Alexander Nanau – a Romanian-born German director- was designated the best documentary at this years edition of the London Critics Circle Awards, held on Sunday in virtual format. The film follows a journalistic investigation into the corruption of the Romanian healthcare system, after the 2015 devastating fire in a Bucharest club called Colectiv in which dozens of people died. This is also Romanias nomination in the “Best International Feature Film” category of this years Oscar Awards. In December 2020, colectiv was nominated Best Documentary at the European Film Academy Awards. The main trophies of the Critics Circle Awards were won by the American feature film “Nomadland” by Chloé Zhao and the British horror film “Saint Maud” by Rose Glass.



    COVID-19 — Another 1,319 new cases of infection with the new coronavirus have been reported in the last 24 hours in Romania, after more than 9,500 tests were made. The total number of cases exceeded 746,000, according to data provided on Monday by the Strategic Communication Group. Also, 80 deaths were registered, which brings the death toll to almost 19,000. Almost one thousand people are in intensive care. On the other hand, the eighth tranche of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine has no longer arrived in Romania on Monday as scheduled, because the flight was canceled due to bad weather in Germany. The tranche consisting of almost 164 thousand doses, will arrive on Tuesday by air at the airports in Bucharest, Cluj (northwest) and Timisoara (west). The vaccination process continues both in the centers from Bucharest and from across the country. According to the delivery schedule, the next tranche would be brought to Romania in a week’s time. As for the delivery schedule of the doses, Pfizer has announced that it will increase their number around February 15. As the new tranches arrive in Romania, the registration application is being updated, allowing for the registration process to continue, which has been stopped for the time being. So far, in Romania, over 656,000 people have been vaccinated, mostly with Pfizer / BioNTech doses. For a week people in Romania have also been vaccinated with Moderna doses. On Sunday, a first tranche of over 80,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses were distributed in Bucharest and other cities of Romania. The vaccine will be given in Romania only to people between 18 and 55.



    Visit — The Romanian Prime Minister Florin Cîţu will pay a working visit to Brussels on Wednesday and Thursday, during which he will have a series of meetings with EU high-ranking officials, including the presidents of the European Council and of the European Commission, Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen. According to the Government, the PM’s schedule also includes meetings with the President of the European Parliament, David Sassoli, as well as with the Executive Vice-Presidents of the European Commission Frans Timmermans, Margrethe Vestager and Valdis Dombrovskis. The Romanian PM is also going to have official meetings with the European Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean, and with the NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana. The agenda of his visit also includes meetings with representatives of the political groups within the European Parliament.



    Chisinau – The Prime Minister designate of the Republic of Moldova, Natalia Gavriliţă, presented, on Monday, in Parliament, the government program and the executive membership. Advisers to the pro-Western President Maia Sandu and deputies from the Action and Solidarity Party which she founded, have been nominated for several key portfolios. Like the Moldovan president, the prime minister designate is in favor of early legislative elections, stating that the new government is professional and ready to be voted by the future parliament. According to the legislation of the Republic of Moldova, if the government is not invested after at least two attempts, the Parliament will be dissolved. Maia Sandu states that Natalia Gavriliţă is a person she trusts and an “honest and responsible professional”, from whom she expects a government program focused on economic development and cleansing the state institutions of corruption. An economist by profession, Natalia Gavriliţă is the general manager of the Global Innovation Fund (GIF), based in London. She also holds a masters degree in public policies from Harvard Kennedy School. Since 2017 she has been a member of the Action and Solidarity Party — PAS and in 2019, she was finance minister in Maia Sandu’s government. The Moldovan government is currently led by an interim PM who is also the acting foreign minister, Aureliu Ciocoi, after the former Prime Minister, Ion Chicu, resigned on December 23, 2020, on the last day of the term in office of the former pro-Russian President Igor Dodon. (tr. L. Simion)

  • Budget bill, resent to the President for approval

    Budget bill, resent to the President for approval

    The Romanian Parliament’s budget and finance committees rejected, on Wednesday, the request that the President Klaus Iohannis had made a week before, for the 2019 budget bill to be reexamined. Consequently, the bill was adopted without any modifications from its initial version and reached Parliament’s plenary sitting for the final vote. Given that senators and deputies followed the model of their colleagues in the committees, the same version of the bill was sent back to the President for promulgation, a version that the head of state defined as a bill of “national shame.”



    President Iohannis had asked for the bill to be reexamined, as, in his opinion, the budget was based on unrealistic figures and failed to ensure the proper functioning of key public institutions. Moreover, Iohannis has also said that the Social Democratic Party, the main party of the governing coalition, is responsible for Romania’s not having a budget law yet, although the deadline was November 2018.



    It is also true, however, that in keeping with a pattern of behavior seen by many as having electoral ground, Iohannis, who runs for a second term as president, in keeping with the rights offered by his current position, challenged the budget bill in the Constitutional Court, soon after having received it for promulgation. Since the Court ruled that his appeal was ungrounded, the President sent the bill back to Parliament to be reexamined, which has also delayed its adoption.



    Actually, the responsibility for delaying the passing of the 2019 budget should be shared by the power and the opposition, as stated on Wednesday in Parliament, during the heated debates between the governing coalition and the right of center Opposition.



    Varujan Vosganian, an MP representing the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE) in the coalition, has stated: “In my opinion, the developments of this past month are embarrassing in terms of the quality of the domestic political life. Our President is a pamphleteer. It is clear to us that what Romania’s President did was meant to boost his public image. Now, we are talking about a pamphlet, so, we have read it, we thank the president for it and we are sending it back to him for promulgation.”



    On the other hand, the Liberals argue that the budget voted by the Social Democratic Party, the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats and the Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania does not provide enough funds for infrastructure, education and health, sectors that have been declared national priorities.



    Florin Roman, a Liberal MP has said: “You have made an electoral budget, a budget from which big sums of money will be channeled to the communes administered by mayors from your party, so that they can mobilize the voters during the election campaign. At the same time, you have dealt a heavy blow to local budgets. Economic directors with the town halls will have to check the bank statements every day to see if they can make payments any longer.”



    When all the ways to challenge the budget bill have been used up, the law provides for a 10-day deadline for the bill to be promulgated.

  • March 6, 2019 UPDATE

    March 6, 2019 UPDATE

    BUDGET – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis announced on Wednesday that he would send the 2019 budget bill back to Parliament. Previously, the President had challenged the bill in the Constitutional Court which ruled that the legislation in question is constitutional. Iohannis has refused to comment on the Court’s decision and has said that the 2019 budget is one of ‘national shame’, based on fake figures. Iohannis has pointed out that the budget presented by the Social Democratic Party (PSD), the main party of the government coalition, is designed to serve mostly the political interests of a small group. His opinion is shared by the right of center opposition, who agree to the bill being resent to Parliament and who say that only a realistic budget can save economy and help regain investors’ trust. In turn, the Social Democrats have announced they will send for promulgation the same version of the bill adopted initially by Parliament, as it ensures the necessary resources for all important economic sectors. PSD accuses President Iohannis of telling lies when he criticizes the budget bill, which they say gives the healthcare system the biggest amounts this sector has ever got.




    MOTION – The vote on the simple motion filed by the right of center opposition, made up of the National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union, will be rescheduled after Wednesday’s plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies was suspended due to a lack of quorum. Social Democratic MPs have decided not to participate because, they say, the no-confidence motion includes untrue things, while the party leader Liviu Dragnea has explained that Toader’s situation will be discussed in the ruling coalition given that there is a state of discontent as far as he is concerned, which needs to be addressed with the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats (ALDE), the junior partner in the ruling coalition. An independent supported by ALDE, Toader has also come under criticism from the Social Democrats, the main force in government, as well as from the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, who support the government in Parliament. The Liberals, however, say that through the lack of quorum the ruling coalition puts pressure on Minister Toader to promote the legislative changes that the power wants. Even if the motion passes, only Prime Minister Viorica Dancila can decide if minister Toader is dismissed.




    EUROSTAT – In 2017, around 825,000 persons acquired citizenship of a Member State of the European Union (EU), down from 995,000 in 2016 and 841,000 in 2015, Eurostat has announced. Of the total number of persons obtaining the citizenship of one of the EU Member States in 2017, 17% were former citizens of another EU Member State, while the majority were non-EU citizens or stateless. Romanians (25,000 persons), Poles (22,000) and Britons (15,000) were the three largest groups of EU citizens acquiring citizenship of another EU Member State. Half of the Member States granted citizenship to more people in 2017 than they did in 2016. The largest relative increases were recorded in Romania (from 4,527 persons in 2016 to 6,804 persons in 2017. The naturalization rate is the ratio of the number of persons who acquired the citizenship of a country during a year over the stock of foreign residents in the same country at the beginning of the year. In 2017, the highest naturalisation rates were registered in Sweden (8.2 citizenships granted per 100 resident foreigners), Romania (5.9) and Finland (5.0), followed by Portugal (4.5), Greece (4.2) and Cyprus (3.9).




    EXERCISE – Two Romanian war ships are taking part this week in manoeuvres at sea together with two Turkish military vessels as part of the Mavi Vatan exercise conducted by the Turkish Navy in the Black Sea, the Sea of Marmara, the Mediterranean Sea and the Aegean Sea, the chief of staff of the Romanian Navy has said. The two ships will carry out exercises in the Romanian territorial and international waters aimed at deterring asymmetric threats. The activity forms part of the provisions of the strategic partnership signed by Turkey and Romania in 2011. The bilateral training activities in which Romanian Navy military are also involved are included in a set of measures to discourage threats and risks to the security of NATO states, measures adopted at the NATO summit held in Brussels last year.




    TALKS – The Romanian prime minister Viorica Dancila is in Brussels for talks with representatives of EU institutions. On Wednesday she met the first vice-president of the European Commission Frans Timmermans to discuss the recent changes to the justice legislation in Romania. She will also have talks with the Commissions chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier ahead of the UKs scheduled date for leaving the European Union, March 29th. Talks will focus on the protection of the rights of EU citizens. Dancila is also expected to attend two events on equality of chances and the promotion of womens rights. This years edition of the Womens European Council is held in partnership with Romanias presidency of the Council of the EU and the European Parliament and looks at ways to improve womens representation in politics and in leadership positions.


    (Translated by Elena Enache)


  • February 16, 2019 UPDATE

    February 16, 2019 UPDATE

    AWARD – ”Monsters”, the debut feature film of Romanian director Marius Olteanu won the award offered by the Tagesspiegel readers at the 69th edition of the Berlin Film Festival. The film, selected in the Forum category, tells the story of Dana and Arthur, two young people married for eight years. The film explores their life together for 24 hours, and the way in which various problems and encounters with other people brings along the end of their relationship. Marius Olteanu is both the film’s director and scriptwriter.



    PRESIDENCY – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on Saturday that the international multilateral system is under growing pressure, that the solution in this case is cohesion and that the main objective should be an Enhanced European Commitment. That is why, the President went on to say, this message of unity and cohesion clearly defines Romania’s priorities at the helm of the Council of the EU. President Iohannis, attending the 55th edition of the Munich Security Conference as the guest of honor, has also said that efforts should focus on developing a harmonized approach between NATO and the EU. In his opinion, this could be done by combining NATO’s comprehensive role in collective defense with the EU’s integrated approach to crisis management.



    MEETING – President Klaus Iohannis reiterated on Saturday, during a meeting with the American Vice President Mike Pence, Romania’s firm commitment to consolidating the Strategic Partnership with the US and to strengthening the trans-Atlantic ties. According to the Presidential Administration, the two officials have evoked the excellent stage of the Romania-US Strategic Partnership and ways to strengthen it, with an emphasis on its economic and defense dimensions.



    FLU – In Romania, the number of deaths caused by the flu stands at 128. The most recent victim is a 27-year-old woman who suffered from additional health conditions and had not been vaccinated against the flu. We remind you that Romania is facing a flu epidemic.



    CANDIDACY – The Social Democrat Mircea Draghici on Saturday announced that he decided to withdraw his candidacy for the position of Transport Minister of the Bucharest cabinet. His party colleague, Lia Olguta Vasilescu did the same on Tuesday, when she withdrew her candidacy for the position of Minister of Regional Development and Public Administration. The two had been proposed for these posts by the Social Democratic Party, the main party of the ruling coalition. President Klaus Iohannis had rejected Lia Olguta Vasilescu’s candidacy but had not made any specification as regards Mircea Draghici.



    BUDGET BILL – The government majority formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, with the support of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, on Friday passed the budget bill proposed by the government without major changes. The budget is based on an economic growth rate of 5.5%, a deficit level of 2.76% and a GDP of over 1,000 billion lei (the equivalent of more than 200 billion euros). The government says healthcare, education and investments are the privileged areas. The Opposition, however, says that the budget is based on unrealistic economic estimates.



    PROTESTS – Rallies were held on Friday in Bucharest and other Romanian cities in support of the former head of the anti-corruption directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi and against the government coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats. On Friday, Kovesi went to the Department for the Investigation of Magistrates with the General Prosecutors Office in Bucharest to be briefed upon the accusations leveled against her in a file where she has been charged with abuse of office, bribe-taking and false testimony. After the hearings, Kovesi said she had submitted two recusation applications against both the special prosecutor and the departments chief prosecutor. Kovesi said she wasnt guilty and that there was no coincidence that the subpoena she received came right ahead her upcoming interview with the European Parliament for the position of European chief prosecutor. The local press has credited Kovesi as Romanias right candidate for the job.



    EU – The European Union will soon have a more solid framework for bank regulation and supervision after ambassadors of the member states have approved an accord reached by the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU and the Parliament in Strasbourg. The document provides for a series of revised norms aimed at reducing risks in the EU banking sector. The measures agreed on will provide the guarantee that the banking sector has enough capital to grant loans to natural persons and companies under safety conditions, Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici has said.



    RUGBY – Romania’s national rugby team defeated Germany on Saturday 38-10 in the second match of the 2019 Rugby Europe International Championship held in Botosani, in north-eastern Romania. Romania lost the first match to Georgia, 9-18 in the Romanian city of Cluj while Germany was defeated by Belgium in Brussels. Romania is on the 18th place in the world rankings while Germany is on the 27th place. (Translated by Elena Enache)

  • February 16, 2019

    February 16, 2019

    PRESIDENCY – Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said on Saturday that the international multilateral system is under growing pressure, that the solution in this case is cohesion and that the main objective should be an Enhanced European Engagement. That is why, the President went on to say, this message of unity and cohesion clearly defines Romania’s priorities at the helm of the Council of the EU. President Iohannis, attending the 55th edition of the Munich Security Conference as the guest of honor, has also said that efforts should focus on developing a harmonized approach between NATO and the EU. In his opinion, this could be done by combining NATO’s comprehensive role in collective defense with the EU’s integrated approach to crisis management.




    FLU – In Romania, the number of deaths caused by the flu stands at 128. The most recent victim is a 27-year-old woman who suffered from additional health conditions and had not been vaccinated against the flu. We remind you that Romania is facing a flu epidemic.




    CANDIDACY – The Social Democrat Mircea Draghici on Saturday announced that he decided to withdraw his candidacy for the position of Transport Minister of the Bucharest cabinet. His party colleague, Lia Olguta Vasilescu did the same on Tuesday, when she withdrew her candidacy for the position of Minister of Regional Development and Public Administration. The two had been proposed for these posts by the Social Democratic Party, the main party of the ruling coalition. President Klaus Iohannis had rejected Lia Olguta Vasilescu’s candidacy but had not made any specification as regards Mircea Draghici.




    BUDGET BILL – The government majority formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, with the support of the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, on Friday passed the budget bill proposed by the government without major changes. The budget is based on an economic growth rate of 5.5%, a deficit level of 2.76% and a GDP of over 1,000 billion lei (the equivalent of more than 200 billion euros). The government says healthcare, education and investments are the privileged areas. The Opposition, however, says that the budget is based on unrealistic economic estimates.




    PROTESTS – Rallies were held on Friday in Bucharest and other Romanian cities in support of the former head of the anti-corruption directorate, Laura Codruta Kovesi and against the government coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats. On Friday, Kovesi went to the Department for the Investigation of Magistrates with the General Prosecutors Office in Bucharest to be briefed upon the accusations leveled against her in a file where she has been charged with abuse of office, bribe-taking and false testimony. After the hearings, Kovesi said she had submitted two recusation applications against both the special prosecutor and the departments chief prosecutor. Kovesi said she wasnt guilty and that there was no coincidence that the subpoena she received came right ahead her upcoming interview with the European Parliament for the position of European chief prosecutor. The local press has credited Kovesi as Romanias right candidate for the job.




    EU – The European Union will soon have a more solid framework for bank regulation and supervision after ambassadors of the member states have approved an accord reached by the Romanian Presidency of the Council of the EU and the Parliament in Strasbourg. The document provides for a series of revised norms aimed at reducing risks in the EU banking sector. The measures agreed on will provide the guarantee that the banking sector has enough capital to grant loans to natural persons and companies under safety conditions, Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici has said.




    TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, number 3 in the world, on Friday qualified for the finals of the WTA tournament in Doha, Qatar, a competition with more than 900 thousand dollars in prize money. The Romanian defeated Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, 6-3, 3-6, 6-4. Today Halep will be up against Elise Mertens of Belgium who secured a 6-4, 2-6, 6-1 win against Angelique Kerber of Germany. (Translated by Elena Enache)

  • February 13, 2019

    February 13, 2019

    Budget — The draft budget law and the draft national insurance budget law for 2019 started being debated Wednesday in the plenum of Parliament. They received the favorable approval in the Parliament’s expert committees. In a 17-hour meeting, MPs approved the funds allotted to the main authorizing officers and the projects that will benefit from funding in 2019. As compared to the form proposed by the Government, cuts were operated on the budgets for the Finance Ministry, the Romanian Intelligence Service and the Security and Protection Service. The Education and Transport ministries received more money for investments. The budget is based on a 5.5% economic growth rate, a budget deficit of 2.5% and a GDP of more than 200 billion Euros.



    ECB — The European Central Bank officials reminded the Romanian authorities, in a letter sent to finance minister Eugen Teodorovici, that they should have consulted with the European institution before adopting the emergency ordinance that provides for the introduction of a tax on bank assets. According to European legislation, the national authorities are bound to consult with the ECB officials in relation to any draft law that is in the institution’s domain of competence, among which laws applicable to financial institutions, to the extent to which they significantly influence the stability of financial institutions and markets. The European institution claims the emergency ordinance was not accompanied by an assessment of its impact on the banking sector, and in the absence of such a document, there is the risk for the tax to impact the stability of the banking system. Recently other international financial institutions have also sent letters to the Romanian government in relation to the aforementioned tax, in which they expressed their concern with the new plans targeting the banking system.



    Protests — Hundreds of taxi drivers are protesting today in front of the government headquarters in Bucharest against the alternative services offered by means of online platforms which they consider unfair competition. They are calling on the government to come up with clear and strict legislation in the field that should oblige car-sharing service providers to observe the regulations on passenger transportation. Similar protests are taking place in other cities of Romania. The Confederation of Authorized Operators and Transporters in Romania threaten to stage a large-scale protest rally on February 27 and 28, if the taxi drivers’ claims are not met. The Confederation threatens to block the city of Bucharest with buses, minibuses and taxis brought from the entire country.



    World Radio Day — ‘Dialogue, tolerance and peace’ is the theme of this year’s World Radio Day which is marked on February 13. The event is meant to promote international cooperation among broadcasters and to encourage access to information by means of radio stations. World Radio Day was set up in 2011 at the 36th UNESCO conference. On February 13, 1946 the first broadcast of the UNESCO radio station was aired. For Radio Romania, World Radio Day 2019 is celebrated in the context in which the institution is one of the official broadcasters of the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU.



    Tennis — The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, top seeded and world’s no. 3 player, is taking on today the Ukrainian Lesia Ţurenko (24 WTA) in the eighth finals of the WTA tournament in Doha, Qatar. The tournament has prizes up for grabs worth around 900 thousand dollars. Simona Halep has won all the previous 5 matches against Ţurenko, her latest win being in 2018 in the quarterfinals of the Cincinnati tournament. Mihaela Buzarnescu was eliminated on Tuesday in Doha by Latvian Jelena Ostapenko. (translation by L. Simion)

  • The Week in Review 4-10 February 2019

    The Week in Review 4-10 February 2019

    JHA Council meeting in Bucharest



    This week Bucharest played host to the informal meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council (JHA) on the sidelines of its presidency of the Council of the EU. Talks focused on short and medium-term actions to manage migration, law enforcement cooperation and combating terrorism. On this occasion, Romanian Interior Minister Carmen Dan said the solution to the migration crisis consists in the solidarity of member states and dealing with the cause of the problem, not just its effects. In turn, EU Commissioner for Migration, Dimitris Avramopoulos, pointed out that a temporary solution needs to be found concerning migrant arrivals, in addition to measures aimed at better protecting and overseeing the external border of the European Union. In this respect, the EU official argued, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) needs to be strengthened. The JHA meeting continued on Friday when Justice Ministers discussed topics such as corporate and civil law cooperation, cybercrime and potential international agreements in the field, as well as the issue of the European public prosecutor, which the Romanian presidency of the Council of the EU wants to take office starting next year. The European Prosecutor’s Office will be an independent and decentralized institution, which will investigate, prosecute and bring to trial people suspected of bringing prejudice to the budget of the European Union.



    Prime Minister Viorica Dancila pays a visit to Brussels



    Romania’s priority at the helm of the Council of the European Union is the cohesion policy. At domestic level, the rule of law is observed and the fight against corruption is key, just as the rights and liberties Romanians enjoy like all Europeans, Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said on Wednesday and Thursday in Brussels, where she attended the plenary session of the European Committee of the Regions. The Romanian official also said Romania fulfilled all technical criteria for joining the Schengen Area in 2011, although a decision in this matter has been delayed on political grounds. Viorica Dancila met with European Commission First Vice-President Frans Timmermans and with European Council President Donald Tusk. Talks focused on the future of Europe and consolidating the Union. Regarding Brexit, Prime Minister Dancila said Romania’s Presidency will seek to preserve the observance of the rights of European citizens post-Brexit. Also in Brussels, the Romanian Prime Minister attended the conference organized by Romania on combating anti-Semitism and the need to protect Jewish communities in Europe. The conference brought together representatives of Jewish communities from across Europe and the United States.



    Romania’s 2019 state budget



    After having returned from Brussels, the Romanian PM Viorica Dăncilă, on Friday chaired a cabinet meeting, during which the ministers approved Romania’s 2019 draft budget. Significantly larger amounts of money will go to investments, healthcare and education. Romania further allots 2% of the GDP for defense, in keeping with its NATO commitments, the necessary sums of money have been secured for further increasing pensions and salaries in the state sector as well as significant sums for local budgets. Whether revenues stand at 33.4% of the GDP, with the largest sums of money being estimated to come from social security contributions, VAT, excise duties and taxes, expenditures account for 35.9%. The right wing political opposition has criticized the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for what it called the inexcusable delay in establishing the budget for the current year. This is based on a GDP which exceeds for the first time 1,000 billion lei, that is some 212 billion Euros, an economic growth rate of 5.5%, an average annual inflation rate of 2.8% and an estimated budget deficit of 2.55%. The draft budget is submitted to Parliament for debate and voting.



    Russia, on the offensive again



    Romania’s Foreign Minister Teodor Melescanu has demanded explanations from the Russian Federation after Moscow on Thursday called on the United States to bring down the anti-ballistic missile shield installation in Deveselu, southern Romania, as a prerequisite to Russia returning to full compliance to observe the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. The United States and Russia have both withdrawn from the treaty signed in 1987 after accusing each other of violating its provisions. Moscow claims missile launchers from Romania can be used to deploy medium-range Tomahawk missiles, which are illegal under the INF. Minister Melescanu reiterated the shield in Deveselu is purely defensive, saying that the Romanian army scrapped its last Tomahawk missiles a year ago. The Romanian official believes Russia is looking for new arguments to justify its violation of the INF Treaty. In an official release, NATO recently recalled that, after six years of talks with Moscow, Allied forces discovered in December last year that Russia has developed and deployed a missile system violating the INF Treaty and jeopardizing Euro-Atlantic security.

  • Controversies on the new budget bill

    Controversies on the new budget bill

    The government has again postponed a
    meeting to approve the 2019 budget bill, a meeting initially scheduled to take
    place on Tuesday. Published on the website of the finance ministry, the bill
    has come under criticism from both the ruling parties and the opposition. The
    leaders of the ruling coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party and the
    Alliance of Liberals and Democrats met on Monday evening to discuss the matter,
    in particular the local budgets, which have generated a lot of discontent among
    loyal mayors. Having failed to reach an agreement, they will continue the talks
    in the next few days. The bill has been criticised by the Social Democrats’
    leader himself, Liviu Dragnea, who has asked the prime minister and the finance
    minister to consider the possibility that some of the additional funds
    allocated to the secret services be rechanneled towards more important areas,
    such as healthcare. Liviu Dragnea:


    I think a lot of these funds can be re-allocated to healthcare, for
    example. In my opinion, a programme to grant free vitamin D to all children in
    Romania is also a matter of national security, or a programme for diabetes. The
    prime minister and the finance minister have said they will look at the bill
    again. If the government don’t make this change, I will do it myself in
    Parliament.


    The president of the Democratic
    Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania, Kelemen Hunor, says the current version
    of the budget bill has serious problems, especially with regard to the local
    administration. He says he will announce whether he supports the bill after
    talks with the prime minister. Kelemen Hunor:


    We cannot begin with a huge deficit when it comes to the local
    authorities. We have made some calculations in a few counties, and we have
    arrived at a deficit ranging from 60 million to 11.7 million. Expenses in areas like child protection,
    persons with disabilities and non-clerical staff are much higher than what we
    are left with at local level. There are many problems that need to be discussed.


    The budget bill has also been
    criticised by the National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union in
    opposition, who says they will seek to amend it. The bill does not reflect
    Romania’s development problems, said on Monday the deputy president of the
    National Liberal Party, Raluca Turcan:


    The government should have adopted the budget bill for 2019 a long time
    ago, so as to be subject for public debate for at least ten days before
    debating it in Parliament. We cannot tolerate that the extremely serious work
    the National Liberal Party has put in to amend the budget through concrete
    proposals to be wasted because the current government simply does not respect
    the law that regulates the drafting, presentation and debating of the state
    budget.


    The current version of the bill is based
    on a 5.5% economic growth rate, a 2.8% inflation rate and a deficit level of
    2.5% of the GDP.