Radio România Internațional

Tag: budget

December 29, 2023 UPDATE

BUDGET President
Klaus Iohannis Friday promulgated the state budget law and the social security budget
law for the year 2024. Next year, Romania’s budget will be focused on
investments of about 7% of the GDP, as well as on an economic growth rate of
3.4%, while the budget deficit is estimated at 5% of the GDP. The government
passed the bills on December 15, and the budgets were endorsed five days later
by the joined chambers of the Romanian Parliament.

PARLIAMENT Romania’s Senate Friday dismissed 3 bills
tabled by the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania regarding the autonomy of the Szeklers Land, a
region in the centre of the country. The
initiatives were rejected by the Chamber of Deputies on Thursday. At the
plenary talks, the MPs from all the other parties stressed that the bills came against
several articles in the Constitution and harmed the rule of law, while the
initiators argued the opposite, saying that territorial autonomy worked in a
number European states. The bills provided for the Covasna and Harghita
counties and a part of Mureş county becoming autonomous, as part of a region
with legal personality. In that presumed autonomous entity, the Hungarian
language would have had the same status as the official language of the
Romanian state. The land would also have its own president, elected for a
four-year term by universal ballot. The so-called Szeklers Land, the only area
in Romania where the Hungarian population is the majority, benefited from
autonomy between 1952 and 1968. According to historians, this was an experiment
in Soviet-occupied Romania imposed on Bucharest by the Kremlin dictator Joseph
Stalin, at the insistence of the communist leaders in Budapest. The ethnic
Hungarian population in Romania has been represented, without interruption, in
the Parliament of post-communist Romania since 1990 until today, by the
Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians. Since 1996, the UDMR has been part of
numerous coalition governments in Bucharest, whether right-wing or left-wing.

EDUCATION The Romanian government Friday passed the 2024 – 2027
National Strategy on Adult Education, aimed at enhancing citizen participation
in life-long learning programmes and at improving the quality of adult
education and training. The targeted participation rate by the end of 2027 is
12%, as against 5.9% at present. The EU average life-long learning
participation rate is 11.9%. The low level of participation in lifelong
learning schemes has led to persisting lack of skills, which prevents economic
development and hinders Romania’s adjustment to a fast-changing labour market
in the digital era, the government said in a news release.

TIMIŞOARA The activities carried out part of the ‘Timişoara – European Capital
of Culture 2023’ programme, including the Constantin Brâncuşi exhibition,
received the most votes (29%) to receive the title of ‘event of the year 2023
in Romania’, in a survey carried out by the Romanian Institute for Evaluation
and Strategy (IRES). According to the poll, the second event that marked
Romania in 2023 was the qualification of the national football team to the
final tournament of the European Championship – UEFA EURO 2024, which will take
place next summer in Germany (24% of responses). Regarding culture and free
time, 58% of the survey respondents said that they read at least one book in
2023, and 41% that they also bought books, 36% went to a show, and 20% went to
a stadium or attended a sports competition. More than three quarters of the
survey participants (76%) stated that they went to church this year.

POLICE Close to 24,000 interior ministry staff will be on
duty during the 4-day New Year’s holiday, while road traffic will be monitored
by 360 radar speed guns and DUI check teams. Meanwhile, the authorities announced
having seized over 100 tonnes of fireworks kits and opening more than 500 criminal
investigations in this respect, and have once again called on parents not to
buy firecrackers for their children as such materials may be extremely
dangerous.

HANDBALL The men’s national handball team of Romania Friday won the
Carpaţi Trophy international handball tournament, organised in Pitesti,
southern Romania, after defeating Georgia 31-25 in the final. For Romania, trained by the famous Spanish
coach Xavi Pascual, this was the last test before the European Championship -
EHF EURO 2024 to be held in Germany, between January 10 and 28, 2024. The
Romanians will play in Group B, alongside Spain, Austria and Croatia. The first
two ranked teams will qualify for the so-called main groups. A 4-times world
champion in the 1960s-70s, Romania had not qualified for a European
Championship since 1996. (AMP)

29 December 2023
2024 budget, promulgated

Approved on December 15 by the government and, five days later, by Parliament through an accelerated procedure, the State Budget Law and the State Social Security Budget Law for 2024 were promulgated on Thursday by President Klaus Iohannis. Inflation and maintaining macroeconomic balances are the main challenges of 2024, said the Prime Minister, in the plenum of Parliament, when he presented the draft state budget for 2024, built, according to Marcel Ciolacu, in such a way as to ensure the increase in citizens well-being. The strategic targets on which this budget is based are, according to the prime minister, a coherent economic strategy to achieve in 2024 the second highest economic growth in the European Union, record investments, increased incomes for 12 million Romanians, including pensioners, a stronger economic environment by accessing aid schemes for development and the creation of new jobs.

But, at the same time, in order to have a fair, truly competitive economic environment, with fewer exemptions and tax facilities, the government needs a coherent plan for distributing budget expenditures and a package of measures to increase collection and effectively combat tax evasion, along with a firm guarantee for the security of citizens in the context of the war in Ukraine, by allocating a budget of 2.5% of the GDP for defense. It is a carefully gauged budget, to mitigate inflationary pressures, Marcel Ciolacu claims. ‘Just like in 2023, we will have an economy that will grow on investments, not on consumption, and for this we decided to prioritize investments, which will generate half of the economic growth and will have a growth rate double the consumption rate’, the prime minister explained, given that in the matrix of next years budget construction, investments have a special place, amounting to about 7% of the Gross Domestic Product.

And in order to stop throwing money on tens of thousands of projects started and never completed, over 150 important investment projects were selected for 2024, of which 108 for the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, 21 for the Ministry of Development, 13 for the Environment Ministry and 9 for the Health Ministry. Besides infrastructure, the other two strategic areas in which massive investments will be made in 2024 will be Education and Health. Economic growth is expected to be 3.4%, while the budget deficit is estimated at 5% of the GDP. The opposition, however, criticized the budget construction. Unrealistic, built on false figures, without any vision, the budget bill does not ensure the development of Romania, say the representatives of the opposition parties. According to their calculations, following the overestimation of revenues and the underestimation of expenses, the budget deficit will exceed 7% of the GDP, consequently, there will be no fiscal consolidation, on the contrary. (LS)

29 December 2023
December 28, 2023 UPDATE

Schengen – The Romanian Interior Ministry has reached a political consensus with its counterparts in Vienna and Sofia for the partial extension of the Schengen Area to include air and maritime borders with Romania and Bulgaria starting March 2024. Negotiations are expected to continue in 2024 for the two countries full Schengen accession. On Tuesday and Wednesday, diplomatic talks were held at the level of the Interior and Foreign Affairs ministries, with the participation of diplomatic missions to the EU, regarding a Justice and Home Affairs Council resolution that would make this political agreement legally binding. A positive decision on the two countries Schengen accession requires a unanimous vote in the Justice and Home Affairs Council. We recall that last year the decision was postponed due to lack of unanimity in the Justice and Home Affairs Council regarding the Schengen accession of Romania and Bulgaria, due to opposition voiced by Austria and the Netherlands.

Budget — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis promulgated, on Thursday, the State Budget Law and the State Social Security Budget Law for next year. The laws were approved by the Government on December 15 and adopted by the Parliament, through an accelerated procedure, five days later. In 2024, Romanias budget will focus on investments worth about 7% of the GDP, as well as on an economic growth of 3.4%, while the deficit is estimated at 5% of the GDP.

Aid – The United States has announced the disbursement of an additional 250 million USD in military aid for Ukraine. International media writes this will be the last military aid package for Ukraine before a new vote in Congress, where the Republican majority has shown reluctance towards the initiatives of the Biden administration, which has promised Ukraine over 61 billion dollars. “It is imperative that Congress act swiftly, as soon as possible, to advance our national security interests by helping Ukraine,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said. This aid package includes air defense munitions, other components for air defense systems, additional ammunition for high-mobility artillery rocket systems, 155mm and 105mm artillery ammunition, anti-armor munitions, and over 15 million rounds of ammunition, according to a US Department of State release. “Thank you for your help. We will win”, the former head of the Ukrainian presidential administration, Andrii Yermak wrote on X.

Szeklerland — Romania’s Chamber of Deputies rejected on Thursday, with 260 votes for and 16 against, the three initiatives of the opposition Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR regarding the autonomy of the so-called Szeklerland (centre), made up of Harghita and Covasna counties and part of the Mureş county. During the debates, all other political parties emphasized that the three documents violate several articles of the Constitution and harm the rule of law. The legislative proposals concern the status of autonomy of the area, the status of the cultural autonomy of the Hungarian community in Romania and a framework law on the cultural autonomy of the national communities. Thus, the said Land was meant to be an autonomous region with legal personality within Romania, with its own president. The law also provides that regional autonomy is exercised by an administrative council, while the Hungarian language would have the same status as the official language of the Romanian state. The Social Democratic leader, Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, welcomed the vote of the deputies by which “those toxic initiatives related to the autonomy of the Szeklerland and the cultural autonomy based on ethnic criteria were rejected”. The three documents will be debated on Friday by the Senate, which is a decision-making body. (VP, LS)

28 December 2023
Romania’s Parliament has endorsed the 2024 budget

The ruling Social-Liberal coalition in Romania has imposed its viewpoint and the budget it proposed has been endorsed by the Legislature. The move was preceded by three days of heated debates, often teetering on the brink of indecency. Responsible for the situation were again the representatives of the radical-nationalist and populist group the Alliance for the Union of Romanians, also known as AUR, and which has generally been described by the press and the other parties as belonging to the extremist wing.

The AUR eventually refused to cast their vote disgruntled with the rejection of their amendments to the daft budget. According to the initiator, the PSD-PNL Executive, the budget, which has been designed on a 3.4% economic growth and a 5% deficit, is investment oriented and based on a concrete plan of budget expenses and a measure package aimed at improving tax collection and effectively fighting tax evasion.

This budget is for Romanians, the Social-Democratic Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu said after endorsement.

Marcel Ciolacu: “This is not a budget for politicians, but a budget for development. We are covering investments, which are higher than consumption this year as well. And last but not least, taxes arent going to increase next year.”

The Prime Minister has rejected the allegation of an overrated budget and pledged over 80 thousand new jobs and 5% pay rises in the public sector. Furthermore, the Executive will accomplish all objectives assumed, including the digitization of the National Agency of Fiscal Administration, the Prime Minister pledges.

The opposition Save Romania Union (USR) has lashed out at the new budget, which they deemed as unrealistic and cast a nay vote. Here is USR president Catalin Drula

Cătălin Drulă: “Its the second year in a row when you come up with a budget based on overrated incomes and underrated expenses. A gap of at least 8 billion euros and a budget deficit of 130 billion lei – these are the budget coordinates you proposed to Parliament.

The Liberal MP Florin Roman retorted: “Thats another lie. They say there is no money for investment and we have over 7.1-7.2 % of the GDP for investment. We have the National Liberal Programme Anghel Saligny. The privately administered second pension pillar is growing and nobody is going to touch it.”

Several thousands amendments have been proposed to the new budget and a few have been endorsed. Some have been proposed by the power and others by the opposition and they will be funded through the redistribution of funds.

The social security budget proposed by the government has also got Parliament support. Among other things, it provides for pension raises as of January 1st according to the inflation rate of 13.8% and other pension raises to be applied in September, under the new pension law.

(bill)

21 December 2023
Le budget 2024 est adopté

La coalition sociale-libérale à la
gouvernance a imposé son point de vue et son projet du budget 2024 a été adopté
par le Législatif, après 3 jours de vifs débats au plénum. Un véritable
scandale, pour être précis. Les responsables en ont été une fois de plus les
représentants de l’ultra-nationaliste, voire extrémiste, Alliance pour l’Union
des Roumains (AUR), qui ont fini par ne pas participer au vote, mécontents du
fait que leurs amendements n’ont pas été acceptés.

Selon la coalition à la gouvernance, formée
du PSD et du PNL, le budget 2024 de la Roumanie est construit sur une
croissance économique de 3,4 %, un déficit de 5 % et il donne la priorité aux
investissements, avec un ordre concret des dépenses budgétaires et un paquet de
mesures censées faire croître la collecte des taxes et impôts et de mieux
lutter contre l’évasion fiscale.

C’est un budget pour les Roumains, a
déclaré le premier ministre social-démocrate Marcel Ciolacu, une fois le document
adopté : « Ce n’est pas un budget
pour la classe politique, c’est un budget pour le développement. Il couvre
les investissements, qui, tout comme cette année, seront plus grands que la
consommation. Et pas en dernier lieu, l’année prochaine les taxes
n’augmenteront pas. »

Le premier ministre rejette l’idée que le
budget serait surestimé. Bien au contraire. Il promet plus de 80 000 nouveaux
emplois et des majorations salariales de 5 % dans le secteur public. L’Exécutif
promet également de réaliser tout ce qu’il a promis, y compris la numérisation
du Fisc, assure encore Marcel Ciolacu.

Dans l’opposition, l’Union Sauvez la
Roumanie ne cesse de critiquer avec véhémence le budget 2024, qu’elle considère
comme non réaliste. C’est pourquoi elle a voté contre le projet. Catalin Drula,
président de l’USR, accuse : « C’est pour la 2e année
consécutive que vous construisez un budget fondé sur des recettes surestimées
et des dépenses sous-estimées. Un trou d’au moins 40 milliards de lei (8
milliards d’euros) et un déficit budgétaire de 130 milliards de lei – ce sont
les coordonnées que vous avez proposées au Parlement ». En réplique, le député libéral Florin Roman
répond : «C’est là un autre mensonge.
Vous avez dit qu’il n’y avait pas d’argent pour les investissements, alors que
nous avons alloué plus de 7 % du PIB aux investissements, Nous avons aussi le
Programme national libéral «Anghel Saligny. Le 2e Pilier des
pensions de retraites (gérées par des opérateurs privés) augmente et personne
n’y touchera.. »

L’opposition a déposé des milliers
d’amendements au projet du budget dont quelques-uns seulement ont été adoptés.
En fin, le budget de la sécurité sociale pour 2024 a été lui aussi adopté par
le Parlement dans la forme avancée par l’Exécutif. Il prévoit une majoration
des pensions de retraite de 13,8 % au 1er janvier et un re-calcul
des pensions au 1er septembre aux termes de la nouvelle loi des
pensions de retraite.

21 December 2023
December 20, 2023 UPDATE

BUDGET Romania’s Parliament Wednesday endorsed the 2024 state budget
and social security budget bills, backed by the parliamentary majority made up
of the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party. Next year,
Romania’s budget will focus on investments of roughly 7% of GDP and a 3.4%
economic growth rate, while the estimated budget deficit is 5% of GDP. According
to PM Marcel Ciolacu, the 2024 budget is aimed at development and equity, is based
on investment and secures the required funding for the promised pension and
salary increases. The opposition on the other hand argues that the budget is
built on unrealistic estimates which will fail to ensure economic development.

EVASION The Romanian Chamber of Deputies passed new measures to curb
tax evasion. Failure to withhold taxes and charges, submitting accounting
documents for fictitious expenses, keeping double accounting records or the use
of cash registers that are not connected to the National Information Control
System will be considered offences. Punishments, which range from one to ten
years in prison, are harsher for repeat offenders.

TIMIŞOARA The western Romanian city of Timişoara Wednesday marked 34
years since it declared itself the first city free of communism in Romania. To
celebrate the victory against communism, several events took place, including
short film and documentary screenings, and a marathon tour at the Brâncuşi
exhibition at the Art Museum. 34 years ago, after the repression of the
uprising that started on December 17, big factory workers went on strike and
gathered in the centre of the city. In front of the crowd, the army withdrew to
the barracks, the people arrested were released and the Romanian Democratic
Front was established. From Timisoara, the people’s uprising against the regime
led by the dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu spread to several other cities in the
country. Over 1,000 people lost their lives and around 3,000 were injured in
the events.

AWARD The president
of the Republic of Moldova, Maia Sandu, was awarded on Wednesday the Timişoara
for European values prize. The award and the EUR 30,000 prize will be handed
to her on January 12-13. According to Timişoara’s Mayor Dominic Fritz, in
selecting Maia Sandu as the recipient of this prize, the jury appreciated her
clear stand on Moldova’s integrity, and her determination in pursuing the goal
of Moldova’s European integration.

MIGRATION MEPs and
the representatives of EU member states have reached an agreement on a
comprehensive approach to the Union’s migration and asylum policies, one of the
most toxic political topics facing the bloc in recent years. The document is
aimed at standardising and stepping up migrant verification procedures at the
EU’s external borders, a solidarity mechanism and the repatriation of the
migrants ineligible for the refugee status. (AMP)

20 December 2023
December 20, 2023

Budget – The Romanian Parliament meets today in a joint session to debate and vote on the state budget and the state social insurance budget, supported by the government majority made up of the Social Democratic Party — PSD and the Liberal Party – PNL. The social-democratic PM Marcel Ciolacu argued that the budget for next year is one of development and balance, a budget based on investments and which provides the necessary sums for the promised pension and salary increases. The opposition says that the budget is built on unrealistic figures, which will not ensure economic development.

Evasion — The Romanian Chamber of Deputies adopted new measures to combat tax evasion. Failure to withhold taxes and contributions, the accounting documents for fictitious expenses, keeping double accounting records or the use of cash registers that are not connected to the National Information Control System will be considered crimes. Punishments, which range from one to ten years in prison, are harsher for repeat offenders.

Timisoara – The western Romanian city of Timişoara marks today 34 years since it declared itself the first city free of communism in Romania. To celebrate the victory against communism, several events are taking place today, including screenings of short films and documentaries, as well as a marathon tour at the Brâncuşi exhibition at the Art Museum. 34 years ago, after the bloody repression of the uprising that started on December 17, the big factories went on strike, and the workers lined up and gathered in the center of the city. In front of the crowd, the army withdrew to the barracks, the people arrested were released and the Romanian Democratic Front was established. Started in Timisoara, the people’s revolt against the regime led by the dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu extended to several cities of the country. In the violent events that took place then, over 1,000 people lost their lives and around 3,000 were injured.

Energy – The European Union extended several measures that should ensure the stability of energy prices and the supply of consumers. The European Commission says that the decision was made even if the member states have stored enough natural gas to avoid problems over the winter. The first measure refers to energy solidarity between EU countries, the second aims to shorten the deadlines for the approval of renewable projects, and the third imposes a temporary mechanism to correct possible high gas prices. The Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, said that the measures are taken preventively and that the market is currently stable.

Odorhei – The administrator of the company that was undertaking works on the foundation of the boarding school in Odorheiu Secuiesc (central Romania), where the collapse of a wall on Sunday resulted in the death of a 17-year-old student and the injury of three others, was detained, on Tuesday, for 24 hours. He is being investigated for the crimes of manslaughter and bodily injury. The Prefect’s Office and the Education Ministry also ordered the start of investigations in the case of the building that housed almost 100 students, owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Alba Iulia and rented by the local public authority. The doctors are reticent regarding one of the victims, a 17-year-old student, seriously injured. She is in Intensive Care in critical condition. The other two injured girls are now better and will receive psychological counseling.

Gaza – The UN Security Council postponed, again, for today, the vote on a new resolution on the war in Gaza, at the request of the US, dpa reports. The draft resolution presented by the United Arab Emirates calls for the suspension of hostilities in the Gaza Strip to facilitate more deliveries of humanitarian aid. Previously, several resolutions calling for a ceasefire failed in the UN Security Council, because the US opposed it. So far, the Council has adopted only one resolution with a humanitarian focus, a few weeks ago. On the ground, the Hamas terrorists resumed rocket launches from the Gaza Strip at Israeli targets. On the other hand, the Palestinian death toll reported in Gaza since the outbreak of hostilities in October has risen to 20,000. We remind you that the war broke out after the attack committed by Hamas against Israel, resulting in over 1,200 deaths, mostly civilians, and hundreds of kidnappings. (LS)

20 December 2023
18.12.2023 (mise à jour)

Budget – Le projet du budget d’Etat de la Roumanie et celui de la sécurité sociale pour 2024, récemment adoptés par le gouvernement, sont à compter de ce lundi en débat au Parlement, en procédure accélérée. Ces jours-ci c’est aux commissions spécialisées et au plenum du Parlement de se pencher sur le document, avant le vote final, prévu mercredi. L’Exécutif table sur une croissance économique de 3,4 %, censée lui assurer, hormis des fonds européens, des recettes budgétaires renforcées et faire diminuer l’évasion fiscale. S’y ajoutent des majorations substantielles des fonds alloués aux Transports. Les fonds destinés aux Investissements devraient augmenter jusqu’à près de 7 % du PIB et l’Education se verra allouer l’enveloppe la plus importante de son histoire. De même, les pensions de retraite augmenteront au premier janvier de 13,8 %, soit un alignement sur le taux d’inflation et un nouveau calcul des pensions est prévue pour le 1 er septembre 2024. D’autres majorations figurent aussi dans le budget construit par le gouvernement, à savoir : les allocations familiales et la sécurité sociale, les salaires des enseignants et les salaires du système public (5 %). De son côté, l’opposition a déposé des centaines d’amendements au projet du budget 2024 et accuse le gouvernement d’avoir construit le budget sur des chiffres non réalistes qui ne feront qu’accentuer le déficit.

Motion – La Chambre des Députés de Bucarest a
débattu de la motion simple déposée par l’USR et par la Force de la Droite, à
l’encontre de la ministre libérale de l’Education nationale, Ligia Deca. Le
document, porte le titre « Un ministre qui ment ne peut pas gérer l’éducation
». Les initiateurs de la démarche demandent la démission de la ministre qu’ils
accusent d’être la cause des résultats catastrophiques des élèves roumains aux
tests PISA et d’avoir essayé de truquer les résultats de ces tests, choisissant
de montrer uniquement les chiffres qui lui étaient favorables. L’opposition
reproche à Ligia Deca d’avoir provoqué « la grève des enseignants la plus grave
de Roumanie au cours des dernières 18 années » mais aussi le fait que ceux-ci
avaient été trompés par le gouvernement. L’USR et la Force de la Droite
affirment que la ministre Deca aurait dû démissionner aussi à cause des Lois de
l’éducation, résultat du projet « la Roumanie éduquée ». La ministre de
l’Education nationale a rejeté les accusations et affirme que les résultats de
la Roumanie aux tests PISA de l’année dernière se sont maintenus au même niveau
qu’en 2018. Elle a souligné que les effets des réformes introduites maintenant
dans l’enseignement roumain seront visibles avec le temps. Le vote sur cette
motion sera exprimé durant la réunion de mardi de la Chambre des Députés.

Timisoara – La commémoration des victimes de la révolution anticommuniste roumaine de décembre 1989 se poursuit à Timisoara, ville de l’ouest de la Roumanie, où a éclaté la révolution il y a 34 ans. Ce lundi une messe de commémoration est prévue à la Chapelle des Héros du Musée mémorial de la Révolution, suivie par un pèlerinage aux monuments de la Révolution à travers la ville. Pour rappel, il y a 34 ans, les forces de l’ordre du régime communiste de l’époque avaient ouvert le feu sur les manifestants, causant la mort d’une centaine de personnes et blessant d’autres centaines. Après le massacre de la veille, le 18 décembre 1989, la loi martiale avait été déclarée à Timisoara, les hôpitaux débordaient de blessés et les rues étaient occupées par les dispositifs des forces de l’ordre, plus encore tout rassemblement de plus de 3 personnes était interdit. Ce fut le jour où le plus grand nombre de jeunes ont perdu la vie, tués par balle, sur les marches de la cathédrale orthodoxe de la ville.

Météo – Les températures
sont à la hausse en ce début de semaine en Roumanie, notamment dans le sud où
elles dépassent la normale saisonnière. Le soleil sera au rendez-vous sur la
majorité des régions. Les maxima de la journée iront jusqu’à 8 degrés à
Bucarest.

18 December 2023
December 17, 2023 UPDATE

Budget. Parliamentary procedures for the adoption of the 2024 budget begin on Monday morning. The deadlines are very tight and the entire legislative process should be completed in just three days. On Monday and Tuesday, the debates will take place in the specialized committees, first to approve the allocations for each field of activity, then the members of the budget-finance committees must complete the reports. The plenary debates would begin on Tuesday evening, and the final vote is expected the following day, Wednesday, December 20. The drafts of the state budget law and the state social security budget law for 2024 include the pension and salary increases already announced, a percentage of approximately 7% of the gross domestic product for investments, significantly higher allocations than this year for education, transport or health. According to the calculations presented by the Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, the Government estimates an economic growth of 3.4%, a budget deficit of 5% and an average annual inflation of 6%. The parliamentary opposition in Bucharest, however, believes that the draft budget for 2024 has nothing to do with the real needs of Romanian society and is only an electoral document. The Save Romania Union estimates that the deficit will be much higher than in the executives calculations, because revenues are overestimated and certain expenses are not included. The party announced that it has submitted over 400 amendments to the draft budget, changes which it claims would correct the normative act.

Commemoration. It was a day of mourning on Sunday in the western city of Timisoara, in memory of the heroes who lost their lives during the anti-communist Revolution of December 1989. December 17 is the day when dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu ordered the repression forces to open fire on the demonstrators. Memorial services were held in churches and at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Timisoara, and wreaths were laid by local authorities and revolutionary associations at the monuments dedicated to those who sacrificed their lives for freedom. Saturday was an open gates day at the Museum of the “Revolution Memorial” Association in Timisoara.. There were also exhibitions, concerts, a festive meeting of the City Council and a march in memory of the martyred heroes. The revolt against the communist regime in Romania broke out in Timişoara on December 16, 1989 and then spread, starting December 21, to Bucharest and other cities across the country. In total, over 1,000 people died and around 3,000 were injured in the fighting that took place in the only country in Eastern Europe where the regime change took place violently.

Hostage. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has stressed that Romania is with the international community in supporting the efforts of the State of Israel to release all the hostages kidnapped by Hamas. “The death of the 27-year-old artist Inbar Haiman, Pink, killed by Hamas terrorists, deeply saddened me. My heart goes out to her family and friends”, he wrote on social media on Sunday. According to the prime minister, negotiations to resolve conflicts are the viable solution for restoring peace and security in the region. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest had announced, on Saturday, the death of another hostage with dual citizenship, Israeli and Romanian, in the Gaza Strip, and the Embassy of the State of Israel in Bucharest announced her identity. The MFA communique reiterates the need for the release of all hostages in the Gaza Strip and emphasizes that, currently, only one Romanian with dual Israeli and Romanian citizenship is still a hostage there. The Romanian Embassy in Tel Aviv is in permanent contact with the Israeli authorities.

Schengen. Hungary will veto Bulgarias entry into the Schengen Area if Sofia does not remove the transit tax for Russian gas, the Hungarian Foreign Ministry announced on Saturday in a statement, Reuters reports. While Western European countries have made great efforts to get rid of Russian gas, landlocked Hungary has received 4.5 billion cubic meters of gas a year from Russia under a deal signed in 2021, mainly via Bulgaria and Serbia. We recall that at the European Council on Friday in Brussels, the Netherlands officially announced that it agreed with Bulgarias entry into the European area of free movement. In this context, the only country that should change its position and accept the accession of Romania and Bulgaria – states that technically meet the necessary criteria – to Schengen is Austria. Over the last year, Vienna has spoken out against the enlargement of the free movement area, citing the fact that it is not functional as many unregistered migrants arrive in central and western Europe. Late last year, Austria voted against the accession of either country in the Schengen area, while the Netherlands opposed only Bulgaria.

AUR.The President of the Alliance for the Union of Romanians (AUR), George Simion, participated in the annual conference of the Fratelli dItalia party, led by the Italian Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni. Simion, whose parliamentary group is in opposition in the Bucharest Parliament, stated that the solution to defend the Latin and Christian roots of Europe is for a center-right government to be established in Brussels, and the patriotic parties to win all the electoral battles to come. In a press release, AUR reported that Simion and Meloni discussed the possibility of establishing an alliance and emphasized the common roots of the two peoples, Italian and Romanian. The event, organized by the party led by the head of the government in Rome, brought together conservative and reformist European leaders, but also personalities from the business world, such as Elon Musk. On Saturday, George Simion had a private audience with Pope Francis at the Vatican.

Oil. In the first ten months of 2023, Romania extracted 4% less oil than in the same period last year, according to the National Institute of Statistics in Bucharest. Crude oil imports amounted, in the indicated period, to 6.35 million TOE and were 12 percent below those recorded in the first ten months of 2022. According to the National Strategy and Forecast Commission, this years crude oil production was estimated to approximately 3 million tons of oil equivalent, down 2.3% compared to last year. The commission signals that Romanias crude oil production will be on a downward trajectory in the period 2023-2026, with an average annual rate of -2.2%, a consequence of the natural decline of deposits and the maintenance of existing production units.(MI)

17 December 2023
La semaine du 11 au 17 décembre 2023

Le projet de budget 2024

La coalition PSD-PNL, au pouvoir en Roumanie, a approuvé
le 14 décembre, tard dans la nuit, le budget public et de la Sécurité sociale
pour l’année prochaine. Les budgets seront par la suite débattus au Parlement et
adoptés avant Noël. La construction budgétaire 2024 table sur une croissance
économique de 3,4%, un taux moyen d’inflation annuelle de 6% et un déficit de
5% du PIB. Le futur budget public repose également sur des investissements de 7%
du PIB et contient des montants record alloués à la Santé, à l’Education, aux
Transports et aux investissements. Le Ministère des Affaires intérieures se
verra attribuer un milliard de lei de plus, soit 200 millions d’euros pour le
renforcement de la lutte contre les drogues. A partir du 1 juin, le SMIC sera
de 3700 lei, soit 740 euros. Aux dires du premier ministre, Marcel Ciolacu, les
pensions de retraite seront majorées à deux reprises. D’abord, à partir du 1 janvier,
quand elles seront indexées sur l’inflation, de 13,8% et ensuite, à partir du 1
septembre, suite à leur revalorisation. Les professeurs bénéficieront aussi d’une
hausse salariale. Le premier ministre a annoncé une hausse générale de 5%, de
tous les salaires dans la fonction publique, à l’exception des dignitaires. Le
gouvernement ne prévoit aucune majoration de taxe ou d’impôt pour l’année
prochaine. Les hausses envisagées seront possibles grâce aux investissements et
à la lutte contre l’évasion fiscale, a encore ajouté M. Ciolacu dont le cabinet
a préféré ignorer l’avis négatif du Conseil économique et social. « Ce
projet de budget est un exemple colossal de cynisme. Le Titanic coule et le
gouvernement fait des feux d’artifices » a réagi le parti AUR, en
opposition.

Jeudi encore, le gouvernement a décidé par décret d’urgence,
la suppression des primes, des chèques vacances et des tickets restaurants de
tous les fonctionnaires publics dont les heures de travail supplémentaires seront
récompensées par des jours de congé. Le nouveau document s’ajoute à celui pour
lequel le Gouvernement a déjà engagé sa responsabilité, en automne, afin de
contrôler le déficit budgétaire. Les syndicats ont annoncé d’amples mouvements
de protestation.

Vers la zone de libre circulation, par étapes ?

Bucarest attend le calendrier
précis de son adhésion à l’Espace Schengen de libre circulation qui se fera par
étapes : dans un premier temps, les aéroports, en mars 2024, ensuite les
frontières terrestres vers la fin de l’année prochaine. La nouvelle est
tombée après que l’Autriche a annoncé en début de semaine, accepter seulement l’élimination
des contrôles aux frontières aériennes pour
la Roumanie et la Bulgarie, même si les pays répondent à tous les critères d’adhésion.
Lundi, le ministre autrichien des Affaires Intérieures, Gerhard Karner, a exigé
plusieurs progrès dans le domaine de la protection des frontières extérieures
de l’UE. L’Exécutif européen, a-t-il dit, devrait investir dans
l’infrastructure de protection des frontières bulgaro-turque et roumano-serbe.
Et puis, il faudrait que ça soit la Roumanie et la Bulgarie qui gèrent les
demandeurs d’asile, notamment ceux afghans et syriens. A Sofia, le premier ministre
Nikolai Denkov a qualifié toutes ces prétentions comme étant inacceptables,
tandis que les autorités roumaines saluent le progrès, mais restent réservées.
Le dossier de l’adhésion de ces deux pays à Schengen n’a pas figuré à l’agenda
du Conseil européen organisé en cette fin de semaine. N’empêche, la position de
Vienne a permis la reprise des discussions en marge de la réunion de Bruxelles
à laquelle la Roumanie a été représentée par son président, Klaus Iohannis.
Celui-ci a affirmé que les négociations demeurent compliquées et qu’un Conseil
ministériel consacré à ce dossier pourrait être organisé avant la fin de l’année.
La Roumanie mérite une adhésion complète à la zone de libre circulation et non
pas un compromis humiliant, a martelé l’USR, en opposition.

Une décision majeure au sommet de l’UE

Réunis en sommet, les 27 chefs d’Etat et de gouvernement
se sont mis d’accord pour ouvrir les négociations d’adhésion à l’UE avec l’Ukraine
et la République de Moldova. Les dirigeants sont parvenus à surmonter
l’opposition de la Hongrie qui menaçait d’utiliser son veto. Le chef de l’Etat
roumain a qualifié la décision d’historique ; elle succède aux progrès
remarquables enregistrés par les deux pays. « On vous soutient, soyez
braves, continuez vos réformes et nous avanceront sur la même voie » a
déclaré le leader de Bucarest. En revanche, les mêmes dirigeants européens ont
échoué dans leur tentative de convaincre Budapest d’accepter une nouvelle aide
financière de 50 milliards d’euros versée à partir de 2024, à Kiev, pour une période de
quatre ans.

Par ailleurs, la reconstruction de l’Ukraine et le rôle
stratégique de la Roumanie dans ce processus ont dominé une conférence
internationale déroulée à Sinaia. Les pourparlers ont visé le rôle du Danube,
la liberté de navigation, la sécurité énergétique et alimentaire et l’infrastructure
critique. Encore une fois, les autorités roumaines ont condamné fermement, les
attaques russes contre l’infrastructure civile en Ukraine et au long du Danube
après la chute d’un drone cette semaine, près de la localité roumaine de
Grindu, à la frontière ukrainienne.

Les performances
des élèves roumains

Mardi, 138 élèves roumains ayant décroché, au total, 164
médailles, aux 28 compétitions régionales et olympiques déroulées cette année,
se sont vus récompensés par le gouvernement dans le cadre d’une festivité
déroulée mardi au Théâtre national de Bucarest. Présent à l’événement, le premier ministre
Marcel Ciolacu a rappelé que les performances de l’Education nationale
représentent des éléments obligatoires pour le développement du pays.

17 December 2023
December 16, 2023 UPDATE

BUDGET The 2024 state budget and social security budget bills will be reviewed by Parliament’s specialist committees as of Monday. On Tuesday the draft laws will be discussed in a joint plenary
meeting, with a final vote expected on Wednesday. The budget is based on a 3.4%
economic growth rate, with investments amounting to 7% of GDP and the largest
appropriations in history for public education. PM Marcel Ciolacu dismissed
claims that the figures are over-optimistic, and voiced his confidence that budget
revenues would be raised from 27% to 30% of GDP. Under the bill, as of June 1
whole-economy minimum wages will be around EUR 745. Ciolacu also said he was
counting on better EU fund absorption, on improved tax collection and on
curbing tax evasion.

EU President Klaus Iohannis says the EU winter summit, which came to an
end in Brussels on Friday, will be remembered for the historic decision to
initiate accession negotiations with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. The
Romanian official encouraged the government of Moldova to step up the reforms
required for EU integration. As for Ukraine, the president of the European
Commission,Ursula von der Leyen, says
the decision was a promise kept and an investment in stability and security. EU
leaders also discussed the Israel-Hamas war, and condemned the continuing
hostilities with growing numbers of victims among Palestinian civilians in Gaza
and the West Bank. They argued that peace will only be achieved through a
two-state solution. A revision of the 2021-2027 Multi-Annual Financial
Framework, support for Ukraine, security and defence, migration and the future
EU Strategic Agenda were also discussed at the European Council meeting on
Thursday and Friday in Brussels.

COMMEMORATION In Timişoara (west) events were organised to mark 34 years
since the start of the 1989 Revolution which eventually led to the fall of
dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu’s communist regime. The rally in support of the
Reformed pastor László Tőkés, who was under political police (Securitate)
surveillance, turned into an uprising against the communist dictatorship. In
this context, the Revolution Memorial was opened to the public in Timişoara on
Saturday. The organisers prepared a complex programme, providing information on
the events of 1989. The commemoration also includes exhibitions, concerts, a
special meeting of the Local Council, and a commemorative march. In this
context, the Senate Speaker Nicolae Ciucă said in a message that the sacrifice
and courage of Timişoara’s heroes were the foundation of today’s free and
democratic Romania.

UNEMPLOYMENT Around 63% of the Romanians aged 15 to 64 had a job in
July-September, according to the National Statistics Institute. The
unemployment rate was 5%, but among youth aged 15 to 24 the rate reaches 22%. The
economic analyst Constantin Rudniţchi says the INS data is not very different
from previous reports and that the Romanian labour market is below its
potential. As for unemployment, he believes the overall trend is to look for
and to create jobs. Rudniţchi believes the most urgent issue to be the one
million Romanians who are outside the social and employment system, i.e. who
are neither in school nor employed.

AGREEMENT Romania, Turkey and Bulgaria intend to sign an agreement on
January 11, 2024, concerning a joint plan to remove mines floating in the Black
Sea as a result of the war in Ukraine, the Turkish defence minister Yasar Guler
said, according to Reuters. Officials from the 3 NATO member states met with
the authorities of Georgia, Poland and Ukraine in April 2022 to discuss the
issue, and also discussed the plan in a NATO meeting in Brussels in October and
in Ankara, last month. Yasar Guler explained that the initiative will only
include Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria for the time being, and the signing
ceremony will take place in Istanbul.

FAIR A special Christmas fair was opened at the Săvârşin Castle of
Romania’s late King Michael I. The organiser, Her Majesty Margareta, Custodian of
the Crown of Romania, said the event was intended to promote and preserve the
authenticity of Christmas traditions. It is something spiritual, and we often
forget that Christmas has grown a little too commercial. So we are glad to have
valuable people here, she said. On the estate in Arad County, western Romania,
a Royal Automobile Museum, a souvenir shop, the auto repair shop of King
Michael I and a Tea House are also opened to the public. During the event, carol
performances and handicraft exhibitions are also organised for the visitors. (AMP)

16 December 2023
16.12.2023 (mise à jour)

Budget – Les projets du budget d’Etat et de la sécu pour 2024 seront débattus par le Parlement de Bucarest, suite à l’analyse des deux lois par les commissions spécialisées. Mardi, les deux chambres commenceront les débats dans le cadre d’une réunion commune. Le vote final est prévu pour mercredi. Le budget repose sur une croissance économique de 3,4%, prévoit des investissements de 7% du PIB et l’éducation recevra l’enveloppe la plus importante de son histoire. Le premier ministre Marcel Ciolacu a rejette les critiques exprimées dans l’espace public selon lesquelles les chiffres sur lesquels reposent les finances publiques l’année prochaine seraient beaucoup trop optimistes. Il est convaincu que les recettes augmenteraient de 27 % à 30% du PIB. Le budget de l’année prochaine alloue les fonds nécessaires pour pouvoir assurer un repas chaud dans un millier d’écoles roumaines, soit le double par rapport au nombre actuel. La prime à la casse pour l’achat d’un véhicule électrique nouveau sera d’un peu plus de 5 000 euros alors que pour une moto électrique ou pour une voiture hybride plug-in la prime sera de plus de 2 600 euros. Selon ce projet, le salaire minimum sera de quelque 800 euros, dont 50 euros seront exemptés d’impôt. M Ciolacu table en 2024 sur une absorption efficace des fonds européens, sur une meilleure collecte des taxes et impôts, ainsi que sur la réduction de l’évasion fiscale.

Sommet – Le président roumain, Klaus Iohannis affirme que le sommet d’hiver de l’UE, qui s’est conclu vendredi dernier à Bruxelles, sera marqué pour toujours par la décision historique de démarrer les négociations d’adhésion avec l’Ukraine et la République de Moldova. Le chef de l’Etat a encouragé le gouvernement de Chisinau d’accélérer davantage les réformes visant l’intégration à l’Union. Pour ce qui est de l’Ukraine, la présidente de la Commission européenne Ursula von der Leyen a dit que cette invitation a été une promesse respectée et un investissement dans la stabilité et la sécurité. Les leaders européens ont également parlé de la guerre entre Israël et Hamas. Ils ont condamné la continuation des hostilités des deux côtés et la multiplication des victimes parmi les civils palestiniens tant à Gaza qu’en Cisjordanie. Ils affirment que la paix ne serait atteinte avant qu’une solution des deux Etats Israël et Palestine ne soit atteinte. La révision du cadre financier pluriannuel 2021 – 2027, le soutien à l’Ukraine, la sécurité et la défense, la migration, ainsi que le futur agenda stratégique de l’UE ont été d’autres thèmes évoqués au Conseil européen de jeudi et vendredi à Bruxelles.

Mines – La Roumanie, la Turquie et la Bulgarie vont signer le 11 janvier 2024 un accord relatif à un plan commun visant à éliminer les mines qui flottent en mer Noire suite à la guerre en Ukraine, a déclaré le ministre turc de la Défense, Yasar Guler, cité par Reuters. Les représentants des trois Etats membres de l’OTAN ont rencontré des responsables de Géorgie, Pologne et Ukraine en avril 2022 pour parler de l’élimination des mines en dérive après l’invasion russe en Ukraine. Les ministres de la défense de Bucarest, Ankara et Sofia ont évoqué ce plan aussi dans le cadre d’une réunion de l’OTAN à Bruxelles en octobre et à Ankara, le mois dernier. Yasar Guler a expliqué que l’initiative inclura pour le moment uniquement la Turquie, la Roumanie et la Bulgarie et que la cérémonie de signature se déroulerait à Istanbul. Le responsable turc a expliqué que les navires de déminage effectueront des patrouilles constantes jusqu’aux frontières maritimes de la Roumanie. La Turquie entretient de bonnes relations tant avec l’Ukraine qu’avec la Russie et collabore aussi avec l’ONU, l’Ukraine et la Russie pour relancer l’initiative sur le transport des graines en mer Noire, accord auquel la Russie a renoncé en début d’année.

Révolution
– C’est à Timişoara (dans l’ouest de la Roumanie) qu’ont commencé ce samedi les
manifestations marquant les 34 ans depuis le début de la Révolution
anticommuniste roumaine de décembre 1989 qui a mené à la chute du régime du
dictateur Nicolae Ceauşescu. L’action de soutien du pasteur réformé Laszlo
Tokes, qui était à l’époque surveillé par la Securitate, la police politique du
régime communiste s’est transformée en une véritable révolte contre la
dictature communiste. Ce samedi c’est une journée « portes ouvertes »
au musée de l’Association « Le mémorial de la Révolution ». Les
organisateurs ont mis au point un programme complexe qui offre aux visiteurs des
informations sur l’année 1989. Des expositions, des concerts, une réunion
festive du Conseil local, une marche à la mémoire des héros martyrs sont
également organisés ces jours-ci à Timisoara. Dans ce contexte, le président du
Sénat, Nicolae Ciucă, a transmis a affirmé que le sacrifice et le courage des
héros de Timişoara ont été fondements sur lesquels a été bâtie la Roumanie
libre et démocratique d’aujourd’hui.

Chômage – Quelque 63% des Roumains âgés de 15 à 64 ans, avaient un emploi durant la période juillet-septembre, selon l’institut national de la statistique de Bucarest. Le taux de chômage s’est élevé à 5% mais cet indicateur parmi les jeunes âgés de 15 à 24 ans a atteint les 22 %. L’analyste économique Constantin Rudniţchi affirme que les chiffres de l’Institut national de la statistique n’indiquent aucun changement notable par rapport à l’analyse antérieure et que le marché de l’emploi de Roumanie se situait en dessous de son potentiel. M Rudniţchi affirme que le problème le plus grave est celui des quelque 1 million de Roumains se trouvant à l’extérieur du système social et d’emploi, c’est-à-dire qui ne travaillent et qui n’apprennent pas non plus.

Foire de Noël – Une Foire spéciale de Noël a ouvert ses portes au Château de Săvârşin du dernier roi de Roumanie, Michel Ier. L’organisateur, sa Majesté Margarita, gardienne de la Couronne de Roumanie a déclaré avoir voulu organiser cet événement afin de promouvoir et préserver l’authenticité des traditions de Noël. « Nous oublions souvent que Noël est devenu un peu trop commercial. C’est pourquoi nous nous réjouissons de pouvoir accueillir des gens valeureux », a-t-elle déclaré. Le domaine situé dans l’ouest de la Roumanie, dans le département d’Arad accueille aussi un musée royal de l’automobile, un magasin de souvenirs, l’atelier automobile du Roi Michel, mais aussi une maison de thé. Durant cette foire de Noël, les visiteurs peuvent suivre un très intéressant programme de cantiques et de chansons de Noël alors qu’ils découvrent les produits proposés par des artisans locaux.

16 December 2023
December 16, 2023

BUDGET The 2024 state budget and social security budget bills will be reviewed by Parliament’s specialist committees as of Monday. On Tuesday the draft laws will be discussed in a joint plenary
meeting, with a final vote expected on Wednesday. On Thursday night the
government passed the two bills, which rely on better spending of EU funds and
on improving tax collection by means of a more efficient operation of the
national tax agency and on curbing tax evasion. PM Marcel Ciolacu, the leader
of the Social Democratic Party, spoke about an increase of budget revenues from
27% to 30% of GDP. According to him, the 2024 budget earmarks the largest
funding in Romania’s history for education and investments. The Opposition, on
the other hand, says the budget is based on unrealistic figures and that
payment of public pensions will be a major problem next year.

EU President Klaus Iohannis says the EU winter summit, which came to an
end in Brussels on Friday, will be remembered for the historic decision to initiate
accession negotiations with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova. The Romanian
official encouraged the government of Moldova to step up the reforms required
for EU integration. As for Ukraine, the president of the European Commission,Ursula von der Leyen, says the
decision was a promise kept and an investment in stability and security. EU
leaders also discussed the Israel-Hamas war, and condemned the continuing
hostilities with growing numbers of victims among Palestinian civilians in Gaza
and the West Bank. They argued that peace will only be achieved through a
two-state solution. A revision of the 2021-2027 Multi-Annual Financial
Framework, support for Ukraine, securitaty and defence, migration and the
future EU Strategic Agenda were also discussed at the European Council meeting
on Thursday and Friday in Brussels.

COMMEMORATION Romania marks today 34 years since the start of the 1989 Revolution
in Timişoara (west) which eventually led to the fall of dictator Nicolae
Ceauşescu’s communist regime. In this context, the Revolution Memorial was
opened to the public in Timişoara on Saturday. The organisers prepared a
complex programme, providing information on the events of 1989, with a special
section for the visually impaired.

ISRAEL Hundreds of people gathered in Tel Aviv on Friday night,
following an announcement that 3 Gaza hostages had been accidentally killed by
Israeli troops. The protesters demanded that the government immediately signed
a deal to free the remaining hostages. Over 100 people are still captive in
Gaza, after being kidnapped by Hamas in the October 7th attacks on Israel.
Meanwhile, humanitarian aid will reach Gaza via an Israeli checkpoint, for the
first time since the start of the war, after Israel authorised access through
the Kerem Shalom checkpoint. So far humanitarian aid could only go through the Rafah
checkpoint from Egypt. After more than 2 months of armed conflict and the siege
imposed by Israel since October 9th, living standards in Gaza Strip
are described by the UN and NGOs for Palestinian civilians as a nightmare. According
to the UN, some 1.9 million people, accounting for 85% of the region’s
population, have been relocated. (AMP)

16 December 2023
December 14, 2023

BUDGET Romania’s draft 2024 budget is to be endorsed by the
Cabinet in a meeting today. The document will subsequently be submitted for
review in Parliament. The budget is based on a 3.4% economic growth rate, a
budget deficit target of 5% of GDP and an estimated annual inflation rate of 6% of GDP. The
draft law also includes the already announced salary and pension increases, as
well as most of the measures in the Government’s new legislative package. The
ministries that will receive more money than in 2023 are the education,
development, environment and family ministries, while lower appropriations
would be received by the energy ministry and the ministry for investments and
EU projects.

SUMMIT The president of
Romania, Klaus Iohannis, takes part on Thursday and Friday in the European
Council meeting in Brussels, where important and complex topics will be
approached, according to the Romanian Presidency. These include the EU
enlargement, a revision of the 2021-2027 Multi-Annual Financial Framework,
support for Russia-invaded Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East, security and
defence, migration and the Union’s future Strategic Agenda. As far as the
Multi-Annual Financial Framework for 2021-2027 is concerned, president Iohannis will plead
for an approach that promotes financial balance between the already existing
commitments and the new priorities on the EU agenda, and does not involve a cut
in the funding of the Common Agricultural Policy and the Cohesion Policy, the
Presidency says. As for the situation in the Middle East, Mr. Iohannis will
insist on the need for increased involvement of the EU in the region, in view of protecting
civilians, de-escalating the conflict and resuming the two-state peace process.

UKRAINE The reconstruction of Ukraine and Romania’s strategic role
in this process is the topic of an international conference held in the
Romanian mountain resort of Sinaia. Taking part are Romanian and foreign
officials, independent experts, business people, academia and diplomats. The
head of the Romanian government, Marcel Ciolacu, and the Ukrainian prime
minister Denys Shmyhal, sent a video message to the participants, highlighting
the Romanian-Ukrainian partnership and Romania’s support for Ukraine.

FUNDING On Friday, December 15, Romania will submit its 3rd
payment request under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the PM Marcel
Ciolacu said at a meeting of the inter-ministry coordination committee for this
programme. The funding under the Plan amounts to EUR 2.7 bln and covers 74
targets and benchmarks for the second half of the year 2022.

ISRAEL The
Romanian foreign ministry this morning announced the death of another person
with Romanian and Israeli citizenship taken hostage in Gaza by the Islamist
group Hamas. Tal Haimi was kidnapped on October 7, and his death had
already been announced by the Israeli Embassy in Romania. According to a
Facebook post by the Israeli diplomatic office, Tal Haimi’s wife had come to
Bucharest in late October to request Romania’s assistance in the efforts to get
the Hamas hostages freed. On December 2, the foreign ministry said the Israeli
authorities announced the death of a person with dual, Romanian and Israeli
citizenship, captive in Gaza. Two other people with Romanian and Israeli
citizenship are currently held hostage by Hamas, and Romania’s foreign ministry
reiterates the need for all hostages to be released. The Romanian Embassy in
Tel Aviv stays in touch with the Israeli authorities, the foreign ministry also
said.

ALERT Alert
messages were sent to the citizens in the counties of Galaţi and Tulcea, near Romania’s Ukrainian border, on Wednesday night. People
were warned against objects falling from the airspace, were urged not to panic
and take shelter if necessary. These were the first RO-ALERT messages sent to
the population in nearly 3 months, in the context of the war in Ukraine. This
year the defence ministry identified parts of 3 drones used by Russia in
strikes on Ukrainian Danube ports, which had fallen in Tulcea County. (AMP)

14 December 2023
December 12, 2023 UPDATE

MOLDOVA The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis had talks on Tuesday with
his Moldovan counterpart, Maia Sandu, during which he reiterated Romania’s
support for Moldova’s EU accession efforts. Romania, Iohannis emphasised, firmly
supports the opening of EU accession negotiations with the Republic of Moldova.
Wednesday through Friday president Iohannis takes part in the EU – Western Balkans
Summit and the European Council meeting in Brussels, in which context he will
plead for a decision with respect to the start of accession negotiations with
Ukraine and Moldova. Also on Tuesday, the Romanian PM Marcel Ciolacu had a telephone
conversation with the Moldovan PM Dorin
Recean, in which he reiterated Bucharest’s steady support for the neighbouring
country’s EU accession. The two prime ministers also discussed bilateral
cooperation projects, especially in the field of cross-border energy
interconnection and the financial assistance provided by Romania for Moldova’s
development.

SCHENGEN The Romanian interior
minister Cătălin Predoiu highlighted, in a statement following the Salzburg
Forum in Slovenia on Tuesday, the progress made in the talks concerning Romania’s
Schengen accession. He said he had talks regarding the technical options for a
decision to be made in December. As regards the fears concerning the transfer
of illegal migrants in Austria, Predoiu explained that those concerns exclusively
relate to the migrants originally registered in Romania. According to the
current Dublin regulation, once captured in Austria and proved to be illegal
migrants, these individuals are returned to the country from which they came, the
Romanian official added. In 2023, 120 people were in this situation, Predoiu
mentioned.

ECONOMY Romania’s budget deficit in 2024 will be
below 5% of GDP, lower than at the end of this year. According to the Romanian
government made up of the Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal
Party, next year substantial additional funding will be earmarked for public
education, healthcare, transports and investments. Under the draft 2024 state
budget, salaries in the public sector as well as pensions will be raised. The
government promises that all these increases will be operated without
concurrent tax raises. The leaders of the ruling coalition parties rely on a
planned set of measures to increase budget revenue collection and curb tax
evasion, as well as on the digitization of the national tax agency.

AGREEMENT
The Romanian foreign ministry took note of the publication of the Russian
Federation’s government decision to withdraw from the bilateral agreement of
2005 concerning the opening of a Romanian consulate general in Rostov-on-Don. According
to a news release issued on Tuesday, Romania has not been officially notified
yet on this decision. At present, apart from the embassy in Moscow, Romania
also operates a consular office in Rostov-on-Don and one in Sankt Petersburg. This
summer the Romanian foreign ministry requested Moscow to reduce the number of
diplomatic personnel at the Russian embassy in Bucharest by 40.

VISIT The PM of
Romania, Marcel Ciolacu, Tuesday received the foreign minister and deputy PM of
the Republic of Kazakhstan, Murat Nurtleu, in which context the head of the
Romanian government emphasised that the excellent dynamics of bilateral
relations ensure great potential to the bilateral cooperation towards the
interconnection between Europe and the Caspian Sea region. According to a news
release issued by the Romanian government, the Romanian PM hailed the upward
trend of the political dialogue and economic cooperation between the two
countries and mentioned that Kazakhstan is Romania’s largest economic partner
in Central Asia. As regards the cooperation in the energy sector, the two
parties agreed to encourage cooperation in order to enhance the security of
energy supplies for the EU member states as well as for the Republic of Moldova
and Ukraine, reads the news release. The two officials also discussed the
regional security situation in the context of Russia’s military aggression in
Ukraine.

TENNIS The
Romanian tennis player Simona Halep will be heard at the Court of Arbitration
for Sport in Lausanne on February 7-9, in proceedings initiated by Halep
against the International Tennis Integrity Agency (ITIA). In October, the twice
Grand Slam winner lodged an appeal with the CAS against her 4-year suspension
for doping. The Romanian athlete was penalised for two separate violations of
the Tennis Anti-Doping Programme, the first one concerning the identification
of a banned substance at the 2022 US Open, and the second one concerning
irregularities in her biological passport. (AMP)

12 December 2023