Radio România Internațional

Tag: budget

La construction budgétaire 2024

Le projet de budget de l’Etat roumain pour l’année
prochaine sera approuvé cette semaine par le gouvernement avant d’être débattu
la semaine prochaine au Parlement qui devrait le voter d’ici Noël, ainsi qu’en
ont convenu les partis de la coalition au pouvoir. Les responsables de la
coalition ont beaucoup débattu dans les derniers jours sur l’allocation des
fonds publics. Lundi les données concrètes contenues dans le projet de budget
ont été rendues publiques.

Le Parti National Libéral et le Parti Social Démocrate
soutiennent que la lutte contre l’évasion fiscale et la numérisation de l’ANAF,
l’Agence nationale de l’administration fiscale, vont permettre de financer
l’augmentation des salaires des fonctionnaires, notamment des enseignants ainsi
que la majoration des retraites. Des économistes se sont montrés sceptiques
suite à ces déclarations, déclarant qu’avec ce budget le déficit sera supérieur
à celui qui a été annoncé et que les bénéfices issus de la numérisation de
l’ANAF et de la lutte contre l’évasion fiscale ne se ressentiront pas avant
2025 au plus tôt. Le budget proposé par le gouvernement pour 2024 contient des montants
record alloués à la Santé, à l’Education, aux Transports et aux
investissements. Le ministère de la
Santé devrait se voir allouer 3.4 milliards d’euros (17 milliards de lei) et la
Caisse nationale d’assurance de santé 12.6 milliard d’euros (63 milliards de
lei). Le ministère des Transport devrait recevoir 6 milliards d’euros (30
milliards de lei), le ministère de l’Education 11.4 milliard d’euros (57 milliards
de lei), un budget en forte augmentation et le ministère du développement 2.6
milliards d’euros (13 milliards de lei). Le premier ministre a également
annoncé une hausse générale des salaires dans la fonction publique. Marcel
Ciolacu : Il y aura une majoration des salaires dans
toute la fonction publique de 5%, avec une augmentation moins importante pour
les dignitaires. Le budget pour les investissements s’élève à 7.3%. C’est le
plus important budget accordé aux investissements dans l’histoire de la
Roumanie. Nous avons aussi un budget historique dédié à l’Education, 4.1% du
budget global soit une hausse de 60%. Le budget de la Santé augmente de 26 % et
celui du ministère des Transports de 30%. Le déficit sera en dessous de 5%.

Toutes ces hausses vont avoir lieu sans augmentation d’impôts
ont assuré les responsables de la coalition au gouvernement. Ils estiment que
les revenus de l’Etat seront supérieurs à ceux de l’année passée de plusieurs
milliards de lei. Le responsable du Parti National Libéral, Nicolae Ciuca dresse
une liste des mesures devant permettre de financer le budget : La numérisation de l’ANAF, la mise en place
des sceaux douaniers électroniques, la déclaration des marchandises entrant
dans le pays, l’alourdissement des sanctions contre les personnes pratiquant
l’évasion fiscale. Pour le mois de novembre, si on compare les dépenses en
biens et services avec le mois de novembre 2022, nous avons réussi à réduire
les dépenses d’environ 3 milliards de lei (600 millions d’euros). Il est donc
possible de gérer d’une manière plus efficace les dépenses.

Pour conclure, la coalition gouvernementale assure que le
budget proposé pour 2024 est réaliste. Et selon le premier ministre, Marcel
Ciolacu, l’an prochain la Roumanie devrait enregistrer la deuxième croissance
économique la plus forte d’Europe, de l’ordre de 3.4%.

12 December 2023
11.12.2023 (mise à jour)

Budget – Le premier ministre roumain, Marcel Ciolacu, a présenté aujourd’hui les premiers chiffres relatifs au budget d’Etat pour l’année prochaine. Il a annoncé que le projet devrait passer cette semaine par le Gouvernement et qu’il serait voté par le Parlement avant Noël. Aux dires de Marcel Ciolacu, l’accent sera posé sur les investissements, qui se verront allouer 7,3% du PIB, soit l’enveloppe la plus importante jamais accordée par l’exécutif roumain à ce secteur. Selon lui, l’éducation se verra allouer aussi un budget historique de 4,1%, soit une enveloppe de 60% supérieure. Des budgets majorés de 26% et respectivement 30% seront également accordés à la Santé et aux Transports. Les revenus des salariés de l’Etat devraient augmenter de 5% à l’exception des dignitaires et les négociations avec les enseignants sur les majorations de salaires se poursuivront. Le gouvernement propose une majoration de 13% en janvier et une autre de 7% en août. Ce qui plus est, M Ciolacu a assuré que le budget prévoyait aussi des fonds pour la majoration des pensions de retraite. L’ex-premier ministre, Nicolae Ciuca, leader des libéraux, membre de la coalition gouvernementale aux côtés des sociaux-démocrates de Marcel Ciolacu, a déclaré avoir demandé au ministre des Finances d’assurer le financement des projets déroulés par le biais du programme Anghel Saligny. Selon M Ciucă il s’agirait de travaux démarrés ou qui devraient démarrer et qui en l’absence des allocations budgétaires risquent d’être bloquées. Le projet du budget d’Etat pour l’année 2024 a été soumis aujourd’hui au débat public et pourrait être approuvé ce jeudi.

CAE – La cheffe
de la diplomatie roumaine, Luminita Odobescu, a participé ce lundi à la réunion
du Conseil Justice et Affaire Extérieures de l’UE, aux côtés de ses homologues
de l’espace communautaire. Les participants au Sommet ont évoqué l’aide à
l’Ukraine et la stratégie à long terme alors que la Hongrie bloque toutes les
démarches chaque fois que son vote est nécessaire pour une décision dans cette
direction. L’administration de Budapest se comporte ainsi après que l’Exécutif
de Bruxelles a floqué les fonds européens pour ne pas avoir délivré les
réformes promises et pour n’avoir pas réduit les dérapages au sujet de l’Etat
de droit. Selon Luminiţa Odobescu, l’Union ne se permet pas de montrer des
signes de fatigue, surtout s’il s’agit de sécurité européenne. « Il est extrêmement important que
l’Union Européenne maintienne le soutien politique et pratique à
l’Ukraine », a-t-elle déclaré et a souligné que la Roumanie souhaite
que les Etats membres adoptent le paquet de soutien pluriannuel pour l’Ukraine
et qu’ils augmentent la pression sur la Russie par l’adoption d’un 12e
paquet de sanctions. Un autre objectif de la réunion de Bruxelles est le
collectif budgétaire multi-annuel de l’UE pour contenir une aide financière de
quelque 50 milliards d’euros à l’Ukraine durant les 4 prochaines années.

Schengen – Le
ministre roumain de l’Intérieur, Catalin Predoiu, participe au Forum Salzbourg,
qui se tient ces lundi et mardi en Slovénie. Ce sera la première occasion pour
la partie roumaine et autrichienne de se rencontrer, après les signes de
flexibilité donnés par Vienne en ce qui concerne l’élargissement de l’espace
Schengen. Aujourd’hui, le ministre autrichien de l’intérieur, Gerhard Karner, a
déclaré avoir présenté à la Commission européenne des conditions claires pour
que celui que celle-ci puisse implémenter avant que le gouvernement de Vienne
soit d’accord avec l’accès de la Roumanie et de la Bulgarie à l’Espace Schengen
par la suppression des frontières aériennes. M Karner a affirmé qu’il fallait
faire des progrès dans le domaine de la protection des frontières extérieures
de l’UE et que le nombre d’agents de la police aux frontières devrait tripler.
La Commission devrait allouer des fonds pour l’infrastructure de protection des
frontières bulgaro-turque et roumano-serbe. Ce qui plus est, il a appelé au
raffermissement des contrôles aux frontières terrestres, ainsi que la prise en
charge par la Roumanie et par la Bulgarie des demandeurs d’asile notamment
afghans et syriens. Certaines demandes de l’Autriche d’accepter la Roumanie
dans Schengen uniquement pour les frontières aériennes ne sont pas exagérées, a
déclaré le premier ministre roumain, Marcel Ciolacu. Il affirme que l’accent
devrait être posé sur le renforcement des frontières par le biais d’un système
intégré reposant sur la numérisation et il a monté qu’à présent un seul
poste-frontière utilise quatre systèmes numériques différents. Le chef du
gouvernement de Bucarest a ajouté qu’il existe un programme de 1,2 milliards
d’euros de la part de la Commission européenne pour la frontière avec l’Ukraine
et pour un poste-frontière pilote avec la Serbie.

Commerce – Le
déficit commercial de la Roumanie a baissé de près de 19 % durant les 10 premiers mois de cette
année pour se chiffrer à quelque 23 milliards d’euros, fait savoir l’Institut
national de la statistique de Bucarest. Les exportations se sont élevées à 79
milliards d’euros, en hausse de 2,4% par rapport à la période similaire de
l’année dernière. Les importations ont dépassé les 100 milliards d’euros,
également en hausse de 3,2%. Les investissements nets réalisés dans l’économie
nationale ont augmenté de plus de 14% durant les 10 premier mois de cette année
par rapport à la période similaire de l’année dernière pour dépasser les 24
milliards d’euros. Selon l’Institut national de la statistique, la plupart des
investissements ont visé la construction de bâtiments nouveaux, soit près de 15
milliards d’euros. Quelque 7 milliards d’euros ont été acheminées vers les
outillages et vers les moyens de transports.

CFR – Le système
des chemins de fer de Roumanie est un des plus inefficaces de l’Union
européenne, selon les chiffres présentés par l’Agence européenne en charge des
chemins de fer. La Roumanie détient quelque 10 600 kilomètres de chemins de
fer, un peu plus par rapport à des Etats similaires du point de vue de la
superficie, tels la Pologne et l’Italie, qui en détiennent le double. Quelque 38% des chemins de fer roumains sont
électrifiés, alors que la moyenne européenne est de 50% alors que dans des
Etats tels la Belgique le taux touche les 90%. La Roumanie ne détient aucun
kilomètre de chemin de fer de grande vitesse, situation rencontrée aussi dans
11 autres Etats membres. Pour ce qui est de l’arrivée à temps des trains locaux
et régionaux, la Roumanie est en dernière place, avec des retards de 30% et au
chapitre trains de fret autochtones et détient un autre record négatif :
la vitesse la plus réduite de toute l’Union européenne, soit moins de 20 km à
l’heure. Lorsqu’il s’agit du personnel des chemins de fer, la Roumanie est en
cinquième position, avec plus de 23 000 personnes – soit plus que la moyenne
européenne. Dans la catégorie des
accidents notables, la Roumanie est en 4e position, avec 115 cas
durant les 12 dernières années et au chapitre incidents mortels, elle est en 3e
position, avec 82 cas. Pour ce qui est des locomotives, la Roumanie utilise le
plus grand nombre d’unités polluants de l’UE, soit 1.263, alors que le nombre
des locomotives électriques est de seulement 904.

11 December 2023
The Romanian Prime Minister’s meeting with the Romanians in the USA

The Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu started his official visit to the USA at the Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, where he commemorated the victims of the genocide of the Second World War. Later, he met with representatives of the Romanian community from the Washington – Virginia – Maryland area. Romania needs to develop partnerships with companies from developed democratic countries, the prime minister told the Romanians in the area, especially in an exceptional security context, stating that Romania has the longest border with Ukraine.

Marcel Ciolacu: Without our great achievements after the Revolution, namely membership to the EU, NATO and the strategic partnership with the US, today we would not have been talking about a consolidated democracy in Romania, about stability and we would not have slept peacefully in Romania if this partnership had not existed.

Romanians can only be kept in the country by developing public services and infrastructure, he added, and Romania is on the right track. There are major investments in infrastructure, and next year, although it is an electoral year, reforms will be made in the budget system.

Marcel Ciolacu: If we don’t do this, starting next year Romania risks losing important sums from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan – PNRR as well as European funds. From my point of view, it is Romania’s last train to catch. If we lose the projects and reforms from the PNRR and the accession to the OECD in the next period, Romania will no longer catch such a favorable train.

Marcel Ciolacu stated that he hoped that the USA would become the most important direct investor in Romania in all fields and the most important non-EU commercial partner of Romania. In this way, he said, the diaspora will find the way to communicate better with the home country. During the discussions with the representatives of the Romanian community, Marcel Ciolacu also referred to the efforts to include Romania in the Visa Waiver program. He said that the visa waiver will become a reality as of 2025. The US Ambassador to Romania, Kathleen Kavalec, attending the reception in Washington D.C., confirmed that there is progress regarding the inclusion of Romania in the program, which would allow Romanians to enter the US without a visa for up to 90 days.

According to US laws, the citizens of a country can benefit from Visa Waiver if the visa rejection rate is below 3%. This rate for Romania in 2020-2021 was 17%. The visa waiver would mean that thousands of Romanians will no longer wait weeks or even months for visa processing, will no longer risk having it rejected and will no longer pay the 185-dollar- fee. Currently, the only EU countries that are not part of the Visa Waiver program are Romania, Bulgaria and Cyprus. (LS)

4 December 2023
27.11.2023 (mise à jour)

Budget – Le
gouvernement de Bucarest poursuit cette semaine les efforts pour élaborer la
nouvelle construction budgétaire pour 2024. Les principaux défis à relever sont
représentés par la majoration des pensions de retraite et les projets
d’investissements. Le premier ministre Marcel Ciolacu a assuré que la nouvelle
loi des retraites est parfaitement soutenable et qu’elle permettra la hausse
des pensions à deux reprises, une fois de 13,8% à partir du 1 janvier et une
deuxième fois, à partir du 1 septembre, suite à une réévaluation. Le cabinet de
Bucarest se fait une priorité de la poursuite des investissements, a fait
savoir le ministre des Finances, Marcel Bolos. A ses dires, ce sera le
ministère de l’Education qui se verra augmenter considérablement son enveloppe,
notamment pour mettre en place les projets prévus par le Plan national de
relance et de résilience. La nouvelle
construction budgétaire devrait pouvoir couvrir la hausse salariale promise par
le gouvernement au personnel de l’Education, à condition que celui-ci mette fin
à la grève ayant bloqué le système en juin dernier. En attendant que la nouvelle grille unique des
salaires soit mise en place à partir de 2025, le gouvernement s’engage à
augmenter les salaires dans l’Education, ne serait-ce que partiellement.

Corruption – Le président roumain, Klaus Iohannis a transmis au ministre de la Justice la demande de démarrer les poursuites pénales à l’encontre de deux ex-ministres de la Santé de l’Union Sauvez la Roumanie, Vlad Voiculescu et Ioana Mihăilă, et a informé le Parquet général au sujet de la formulation de ces demandes. Les deux ex-responsables sont poursuivis pour abus de fonction au sujet de l’achat des vaccins durant la pandémie, aux côtés de l’ex-premier ministre libéral Florin Cîţu. Ce dernier, accompagné de ses avocats s’est rendu lundi à la commission juridique pour consulter son dossier. M Cîţu, à présent sénateur libéral, affirme qu’il demandera à ses collègues du parti de voter pour la levée de son immunité parlementaire. Le Sénat décidera mercredi s’il accepte la demande de la DNA de démarrer les poursuites pénales dans le cas de Florin Cîţu, accusé de complicité d’abus de fonction.

Emballages – Le premier centre régional de décompte et de tri des emballages du système de garantie-retour a été inauguré à Bontida, dans le nord-ouest de la Roumanie, alors que le système devrait devenir opérationnel le 30 novembre. Au total, le pays bénéficiera de 17 tels centres qui s’ouvriront progressivement et qui jouent un rôle crucial pour le bon fonctionnement du mécanisme. Le ministre de l’Environnement, Mircea Fechet, a expliqué qu’environ sept milliards de bouteilles en plastique PET, bouteilles en verre et cannettes en aluminium arriveront là où elles doivent arriver – à savoir dans les usines de recyclage. Nous allons transformer la Roumanie, ensemble, d’un pays du stockage des emballages en un pays du recyclage, promet le dignitaire roumain.

Diplomatie – La ministre roumaine des Affaires Etrangères, Luminiţa Odobescu, a rencontré ce lundi à Bucarest le représentant spécial de l’UE pour le dialogue Belgrade-Priština, Miroslav Lajcak. La réunion se déroule en marge de la participation au séminaire sur l’élargissement de l’UE organisé par les groupes de réflexion European Council on Foreign Relations et GlobalFocus Center. La responsable roumaine a souligné l’importance de la poursuite du dialogue entre Belgrade et Pristina, facilité par l’UE, notamment dans le contexte de sécurité actuel et des vulnérabilités amplifiées par l’agression de la Fédération de Russie contre l’Ukraine. La ministre Odobescu a présenté les conclusions résultant des récentes visites qu’elle a entreprises dans la région, dans le cadre desquelles elle a réitéré le soutien ferme de la Roumanie au parcours européen des Etats des Balkans de l’Ouest, reposant sur les principes des propres mérites.

Gaudeamus – Presque 100.000 personnes ont visité la Foire du livre Gaudeamus, patronnée par Radio Roumanie et qui s’est déroulée cinq jours durant, au Palais des Expositions Romexpo de Bucarest. Le livre le plus convoité a été Plus que passé’, un ouvrage de mémoire de la poétesse Ana Blandiana, paru chez les Editions Humanitas. Suite au vote du public, les trois éditions les plus recherchées en Roumanie sont Humanitas, Litera et Polirom. Le prix de la meilleure traduction d’une langue étrangère en roumain est revenu cette année à Alexandra Coliban pour sa traduction d’anglais du roman Crossroads de Jonathan Franzen. Le prix de la meilleure traduction du roumain en une langue étrangère a été remis au poète Serban Foarta pour la traduction en allemand de ses propres poèmes réunis dans le volume bilingue Schlimmericks. Arrivée à sa trentième édition, la Foire du livre Gaudeamus a réunis cette année 500 événements littéraires et éditoriaux. Le président d’honneur de l’édition 2023 a été le critique littéraire Ioan Bogdan Lefter.

Météo – Temps morose mardi en Roumanie, malgré une légère hausse des températures à travers le pays. Des chutes de neige sont attendues sur le relief, alors que les pluies seront au rendez-vous sur le reste du territoire. Les maxima iront de 2 à 12 degrés. Les maxima iront jusqu’à 7 degrés sous la pluie à Bucarest.

27 November 2023
November 27, 2023 UPDATE

WEATHER Severe weather caused
fresh problems in Romania, where heavy snowfalls and snowstorms affected 177 localities in 22 counties, according to the National Inspectorate for Emergencies. More than 660 vehicles were snowed under and over 540 trees were
brought down by the wind. The most affected region was the east of the country,
where roads were closed, railway traffic was disrupted and electricity and
water supply discontinued. The Mihail Kogălniceanu International Airport
(south-east) was closed, and so were the Black Sea ports on the Romanian coast.
Schools were also closed down in 5 counties in the south-east.

BUDGET The government will continue this week to work
on the state budget for 2024. The main challenges are related to pension
increases and large-scale investments. PM Marcel Ciolacu says the new pension
law is sustainable and that next year’s budget will be able to increase
pensions twice, on January 1st by 13.8 percent and then until September 1st.
Carrying on large investment projects is the priority of the government for 2024
as well, the finance minister Marcel Boloş said. According to him, the budget
of the education ministry will be increased significantly next year, especially
in order to fund the investment projects included in the National Recovery and Resilience
Plan. This budget must also cover the salary increase that the government
promised in order to end an all-out strike in June.

RECYCLING The first regional sorting centre for packaging was opened
in Bonţida, north-western Romania, as part of the Packaging Guarantee and
Return System to become operational as of November 30. A total of 17 such
centres will be opened across the country in the forthcoming period. The
environment minister Mircea Fechet explained that around 7 bln glass and
plastic bottles as well as aluminium cans will reach recycling facilities, and
promised that Romania will switch from storing to recycling.

INVESTIGATION President Klaus Iohannis submitted prosecution
requests concerning 2 former health ministers, Vlad Voiculescu and Ioana
Mihăilă (USR party), to the justice ministry. The two are probed into for abuse
of office with respect to the procurement of vaccines during the COVID-19
pandemic, in a case in which the former PM Florin Cîţu is also facing charges
of complicity to abuse of office. The latter, accompanied by his lawyers, appeared
before the Senate’s judicial committee to review the case file against him. Cîţu,
currently a senator with the National Liberal Party, said he would request
Senate to suspend his parliamentary immunity. A decision in this respect will
be made on Wednesday.

GAUDEAMUS In Bucharest, almost 100,000 people visited the 30th
edition of the Gaudeamus Radio Romania Book Fair, which ended on Sunday evening
with the awarding of trophies. The most coveted book of the Gaudeamus Fair was
designated More than the past, by Ana Blandiana, from the Humanitas
Publishing House. Also by public vote, Humanitas, Litera and Polirom were
designated the best publishing houses of this year’s fair. The prize for
translation from Romanian into a foreign language was won by Şerban Foarţă for
the volume of bilingual Romanian-German poems Schlimmericks, and
the prize for translation from a foreign language into Romanian was awarded to
Alexandra Coliban for the translation from English of the novel
Crossroads by Jonathan Franzen. The Book Fair hosted over 500
publishing events over five days. The honorary president of the edition was the
writer and literary critic Ion Bogdan Lefter.

27 November 2023
November 22, 2023 UPDATE

VISIT The president of Romania
Klaus Iohannis Wednesday visited the UNESCO Heritage-listed Island
of Gorée in Senegal, and had talks with the officials of the House of Slaves,
now a museum. Mr. Iohannis said that Romania
will support the efforts of Senegal’s Association for the Protection of Children
with Mental Disabilities to ensure a better life for these children. On
Thursday the Romanian official is to be received by his counterpart Macky Sall.
Thursday’s agenda also includes participation in the opening of the United Nations
House in Senegal, the opening of a traditional mask exhibition and a meeting
with Senegalese experts who have studied in Romania. Senegal concludes the
Romanian president’s 10-day tour in Africa, which also included Kenya, Tanzania
and Cabo Verde.

MILITARY Eurofighter aircraft
from Germany arrived in Romania on Wednesday, at the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base
in the south-east of the country, in an enhanced air policing mission (Air
Policing South), the German Embassy in Bucharest announced. In the previous
weeks, large-scale preparations were conducted for the deployment of the German
contingent of 150 troops. Four Eurofighter jets will be operational as of
November 27, strengthening the air defence of NATO’s south-eastern flank.

GAUDEAMUS The
Gaudeamus Radio Romania International Book Fair opened its doors in Bucharest
on Wednesday. It is one of the most eagerly awaited cultural events of the fall,
reaching its 30th edition. Until Sunday, more than 500 releases and editorial
events will take place at the fair. The longest-running book fair in the
country gathers this year almost 200 participants, mainly publishing houses,
but also educational, cultural and press institutions.

ISRAEL The European Union, the US and Russia
welcomed the deal for the release of 50 hostages held in Gaza, over a four-day
ceasefire. The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said
the Commission would use the truce to send as much humanitarian aid as possible
to the Palestinian population in Gaza. In turn, the EU foreign policy chief,
Josep Borrell, spoke about the European bloc’s willingness to get involved in finding
a long-term solution to the conflict through the creation of a Palestinian
state. The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas and the Israeli government have
agreed on a 4-day ceasefire in Gaza and the release of 50 Israeli women and
children in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners. The deal was brokered by Qatar.
Hamas took around 240 hostages, including children and old people, during its
attack on Israel in which another 1,200 people were killed according to Israeli
sources. In turn, Hamas reported at least 13,300 Palestinians were killed in
subsequent air strikes and the invasion of Gaza by the Israeli forces.

BUDGET The 2024 EU budget was endorsed by the European Parliament convened
in Strasbourg on Wednesday. The chief negotiator was the Romanian MEP Siegfried
Mureşan. The EU budget currently stands at EUR 189 bln. According to Siegfried
Mureşan, there are enough resources now to finance the European Union’s
traditional priorities, such as the cohesion policy and the common agricultural
policy. In these areas, Romania receives most of its non-reimbursable
allocations. (AMP)

22 November 2023
November 21, 2023

VISIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis today starts an official visit to Senegal, the last stage of his African tour. The agenda includes, among other things, a visit to the Senegalese association for the protection of children with mental disabilities, based in Dakar, a visit to the UNESCO Heritage-listed island of Gorée on Wednesday, and official talks with Senegals president Macky Sall on Thursday. President Iohannis African tour also included visits to Kenya, Tanzania and Cabo Verde.

BUDGET The leaders of the Social Democratic Party and of the National Liberal Party in Romanias ruling coalition are holding talks today on the 2024 state budget law, which should be endorsed by December 10. According to government sources, the PM Marcel Ciolacu intends to adjust the method of earmarking ministry budgets, with appropriations granted based on programmes and projects. The participants will also discuss the replacement of the directors of agencies subordinated to the finance ministry, except for the Fiscal Administration Agency, and the reorganisation of these agencies in order to improve their operation. Also today, a meeting is scheduled between government officials, trade unions and employers associations. The head of the Romanian SME Association, Florin Jianu, says unions are expected to demand an increase of minimum wages as of January 1, 2024, but he says the business environment is unable to cope with a new increase after the one operated in October.

ISRAEL The Senate and Chamber of Deputies are holding a secret meeting today, focusing on recent developments and the situation in Israel. The joint meeting was suggested by the MP representing the Jewish community in Romania, Silviu Vexler. Journalists are denied access to the meeting, and audio and video recording or live posts are prohibited.

FAIR The Gaudeamus International Book Fair, organised by Radio Romania, begins in Bucharest on Wednesday. The event marks 95 years since the first broadcast of Radio Romania, 30 editions of the Gaudeamus Book Fair in Bucharest and over 140 national and local editions. Some 200 participants will organise more than 500 events as part of this years fair, which will come to an end on November 26. (AMP)

21 November 2023
La réforme des retraites adoptée par les députés

Après avoir reçu le vote du Sénat, le projet de loi de la
réforme des retraites a été adopté lundi, lors d’une procédure accélérée à la
Chambre des députés. A cette occasion, les parlementaires de la commission de
spécialité ont solutionné une prévision controversée qui aurait entraînée la
baisse de certaines retraites une fois mise en place la nouvelle manière de les
calculer.

Quelques nouveautés

En revanche, le nouveau projet permettra aux mineurs de continuer à
prendre leur retraite à 45 ans. Les mineurs ayant travaillé dans des mines
souterraines et les salariés ayant déroulé des activités de recherche et
d’exploitation des matières primes nucléaires bénéficieront des points de
retraite supplémentaires. De tels points seront également accordés pour des
périodes de cotisation de plus de 25 ans. Au terme de la nouvelle loi, l’âge de
départ à la retraite sera 65 ans aussi bien pour les femmes, que pour les
hommes.

Le pouvoir se félicite

La ministre du Travail, Simona Bucura – Oprescu a précisé que la nouvelle loi respectait les principes de l’équité et de la contribution.

Aux dires du premier ministre, Marcel Ciolacu, chef de file du PSD, la
nouvelle loi pour la retraite s’avère correcte, prédictible et soutenable et
conforme aux consignes de la Banque mondiale et de la Commission européenne.

Marcel Ciolacu (PSD): « L’année prochaine, les pensions de retraite seront
majorées à deux reprises. La première hausse sera de 13,8% et elle sera mise en
place à partir du 1er janvier et la deuxième, suite à une
revalorisation de l’indice de cotisation »

L’opposition est mécontente

En revanche, l’opposition est mécontente de la manière
accélérée dans laquelle les débats se sont déroulés et du rejet de l’ensemble
des amendements avancés par l’Union Sauvez la Roumanie, l’Alliance pour l’Union des Roumans et l’Union Démocrate Magyare de Roumanie. Selon ces formations, le
gouvernement n’a aucune source financière réelle pour soutenir la hausse des
pensions de retraite stipulée par la nouvelle loi.

Antonio Andruşceac (AUR): « Comment pourrait-on croire que toutes ces choses
se concrétiseront, si vous n’avez jamais indiqué les sources
budgétaires ? »

En réplique, le chef du gouvernement a assuré que son
gouvernement finira par trouver les ressources financières censées permettre
les augmentations promises.

Marcel Ciolacu: « La Roumanie recense 4 millions 800 mille retraités parmi lesquels 80% touchent des pensions de quelque 600 euros et 60 % – de seulement 400 euros. L’Etat roumain doit assurer cette ressource financière.
Je suis persuadé que nous trouverons cette somme à partir du moment où le
budget sur 2024 sera voté. »

Pour et contre la nouvelle loi des pensions de retraite

La nouvelle loi
n’éliminera pas les iniquités, estime l’opposition. Tout au contraire, elle continuera à privilégier
les retraités les plus riches.

Cristian Seidler (USR) : « L’USR soutient la majoration des pensions de
retraite et la mise en place d’un système équitable, mais elle s’oppose à cette
réforme mensongère censée provoquer un chaos budgétaire ».

La députée non-affiliée Violeta Alexandru, ancienne
ministre libérale du Travail, a quant elle renchéri ces propos, en affirmant
que le projet de loi n’a fait qu’alimenter la confusion et la peur, alors qu’il
aurait dû être l’un des sujets les plus clairs examinés par la coalition au
pouvoir.

En réplique, le député social-démocrate, Marius Budai, lui-même ancien
ministre du Travail, a précisé que la nouvelle loi de la retraite respecte
parfaitement tous les principes qui l’ont inspirée, à savoir l’égalité, la
solidarité et le respect du travail.

21 November 2023
November 20, 2023

Tour – The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, is paying a state visit to the Republic of Cape Verde today, where he is meeting with his counterpart Jose Maria Neves, the Prime Minister Jose Ulisses Correia e Silva and other officials. Last Tuesday the Romanian president started a tour in Africa that included Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar (autonomous territory belonging to Tanzania). The last stage of the tour is the official visit to Senegal.

Visit – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Luminiţa Odobescu, is visiting Paris today, where she is having talks with the head of the French diplomacy, Catherine Colonna. High on the agenda of talks are the bilateral cooperation in the field of Foreign Affairs and Defense, the current international crises, especially the situation in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Paris, the French FM, Catherine Colonna, will emphasize, again, Frances long-term commitment as the framework nation of the NATO Multinational Command in Romania to strengthen the defense on the Eastern Flank of the Alliance. The meeting between the two ministers represents a further opportunity to reaffirm the common decision for a lasting support given to Ukraine in all fields, hailing the efforts made by Romania for the functioning of the corridors for the export of Ukrainian cereals. The discussions also focus on the prospects of expanding the EU with the countries of the Western Balkans, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.

Exhibition – The exhibition “Dacia – the last frontier of the Roman world” opens in Rome today. It can be visited until the end of April. Hundreds of archaeological objects from the territory of Romania, dating back over a thousand years, are on display. The artefacts come from 47 museums in Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Italy, which provide a strong testimony of the Roman civilization. According to Ambassador Gabriela Dancău, the exhibition brings together archeology and technology, allowing access to a universe where the ancestors of the Getae-Dacians evolved. The opening of the exhibition, located in the National Museum Terme di Diocleziano in Rome, is being attended by the ministers of culture from Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Italy – Raluca Turcan, Sergiu Prodan, and Gennaro Sangiuliano, respectively.

Cernavoda – Unit 1 of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant has been resynchronized to the national energy system, and today it will operate at nominal power, the Energy Ministry informs. The unit was automatically disconnected from the national electricity distribution network on Saturday night due to winds that blew at over 100 kilometers per hour. In Constanţa county, in the south-east of Romania, the storm over the weekend felled 240 trees, tore off 50 roofs and damaged 60 cars. At the same time, approximately 40,000 consumers from 80 localities in the Dobrogea region were left without electricity. The energy supplier reported that, in the meantime, power has been restored for almost 93% of those affected.

Pensions – In Romania, the draft public pension system law passed the Senate and reaches, today, the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body. The government has calculated that it needs 5 billion Euros to increase pensioners incomes and it is still not clear where this money will come from. According to the draft law, two increases are scheduled for in 2024: as of January 1,a rise by 13.8% for all the approximately five million pensioners, and in September, a new increase, based on a new calculation formula, which takes into account the seniority, the contribution or the value of the correction index, targeting, this time approximately three million pensioners. Last week, in the Senate, the MPs of the ruling coalition, PSD and PNL, voted in favor of the draft pension law, which, they said, brings balance to the system. The opposition parties Save Romania Union – USR and the Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR abstained from voting. During the debates, the opposition senators criticized those in power for the lack of data regarding the resources and the budgetary impact regarding this draft law.

Budget — The drafting of the budget bill for 2024 by the Government is going to be finalized this week. The PSD-PNL coalition has already agreed that, along with funding investments, priority will be attached to education and healthcare, but it seems that even these ministries will not receive as much money as they would like, given the constraints related to the budget deficit. And, meanwhile, there are more and more requests for money at the end of this year from the town halls as well as from the Transport Ministry. The main resource for supporting the future budget will be the fight against tax evasion. The social democratic PM Marcel Ciolacu said that, by eliminating tax evasion, the necessary funds can be obtained for pension increases, education and healthcare.

Football – Qualified, mathematically, for the Euro 2024 from Germany, the Romanian national football team meets Switzerland, on Tuesday evening, in the last match of the Qualifying Group I. Undefeated, Romania occupies the first position, with 19 points, and can be the winner of the group if it does not lose the match with Switzerland, the team qualified for the 2024 European Championship. The Romanian footballers qualified after a 2-1 victory against Israel on Saturday. It will be the 6thparticipation of the national team in a final continental tournament, after those in 1984, 1996, 2000, 2008 and 2016.

Handball – The finalist of Romania’s Women’s Handball Cup, CSM Târgu Jiu (south) qualified, for the first time, in the groups of the EHF European League competition, after defeating the Swedish team Onnereds HK, with the score of 26-23, on Sunday, at home, in the second leg of the third preliminary round. HC Dunărea Brăila (south-east) also qualified on Sunday after defeating the German team BV Borussia 09 Dortmund, with the score of 27-22, at home. Another Romanian team that will play in the EHF European League groups is CS Gloria 2018 Bistriţa-Năsăud (north). In the Champions League groups, Romania is represented by the Bucharest teams CSM and Rapid. (LS)

20 November 2023
November 17, 2023

Budget — The PM Marcel Ciolacu said on Thursday that there will be no new taxes next year and that the Romanian government will manage to have money by fighting tax evasion. According to him, in October, revenue collection to the state budget reached the record level of 40 billion lei (about 8 billion Euros) and keeping the same pace and maintaining non-essential expenses under control, the prime minister added, by the end of the year, we will meet the deficit target agreed with the European Commission. The statement comes after, recently, the Liberal leader Nicolae Ciucă argued that Romania cannot afford an increase in taxes next year and that funding sources must be found to support the draft pension law.

Visit – President Klaus Iohannis continues his tour of Africa with a state visit to Tanzania. According to the agenda, today, he will meet his counterpart, Samia Suluhu Hassan, in the capital Dar es Salaam. The two presidents will have private and official talks, followed by joint press statements and an official lunch. On Saturday, Klaus Iohannis will be received by the president of the island of Zanzibar, Hussein Mwinyi. The two will have official talks, followed by an official lunch. On Sunday, a farewell ceremony will be held in Dar es Salaam. President Iohannis began his tour of Africa on Tuesday with a state visit to Kenya. He was received by his Kenyan counterpart, William Ruto. Later, he attended a meeting with the Executive Director of UNEP – United Nations Environment Program at the UN Headquarters in Nairobi. On Wednesday, president Iohannis met with Kenyas Minister of Nature Conservation, Alfred Nganga Mutua, and the Director General of the Kenya Wildlife Service, Erustus Kanga, during a visit to Nairobi National Park, and on Thursday he went to Uthiru Girls High School. The tour of President Klaus Iohannis in Africa will continue with the state visit to the Republic of Cape Verde, where he will have consultations with President Jose Maria Neves. According to the Presidential Administration, the official program will also include meetings with the President of the National Assembly, Austelino Tavares Correia, Prime Minister Jose Ulisses Correia e Silva and the Mayor of Praia, Francisco Avelino Carvalho. At the same time, Klaus Iohannis will have a meeting with people from Cape Verde who studied in Romania. The Romanian president will end his visits to Africa on November 23. The last trip of this tour is to the Republic of Senegal, where President Klaus Iohannis will have political consultations with his counterpart Macky Sall. The official program of the visit also includes, among other things, the participation of the two heads of state in the inauguration of the United Nations House in Senegal, which will house the 34 UN agencies present in this country. President Iohannis will also have a meeting with former Senegalese students in Romania.

Football – Romanias national football team is in Hungary, where they will play against Israel on Saturday evening, in a Qualifying Group I match of the 2024 European Championship to be hosted by Germany. Because of the war at home, the Israelis had to postpone their matches from October to November, and to play abroad the matches scheduled at home. The Romanian footballers finish the preliminaries on Tuesday, in Bucharest, with Switzerland. Undefeated in the first eight matches, Romania has 16 points and is ahead of Switzerland, the group leader, on goal difference. Next is Israel, with 11 points, and Kosovo, with 10 points. The two top-ranking teams in the group go to the final tournament. Romania has not reached a Euro since 2016, and a World Cup since 1998.

Gaza – Another 16 Romanian citizens and members of their families, evacuated from the Gaza Strip, arrived in Romania today on board a flight operated by the state-owned company TAROM. Initially, 17 Romanians and their families crossed into Egypt through the Rafah border point, being accompanied to Cairo by representatives of the Romanian Foreign Ministry. There, one of the evacuated Romanians decided to remain in Egypt. So far, 237 Romanian citizens evacuated from Gaza have been transported to Romania.

Montenegro – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Luminiţa Odobescu, on Thursday paid the first official visit by a foreign minister to Montenegro since the installation of the current pro-European government in that country. The program of the visit included political consultations with the FM Filip Ivanovic, receptions with the President Jakov Milatovic and the Prime Minister Milojko Spajic, as well as meetings with the Deputy Prime Minister for Security, Home Policy, European and Foreign Affairs Aleksa Becic and respectively with the Minister of European Affairs Maida Gorcevic. The agenda of talks included aspects related to the strengthening of bilateral dialogue, including by intensifying high-level contacts. Areas of common interest were addressed, such as economic cooperation and interconnectivity, cyber security, internal affairs and justice, civil protection, education and research. The Romanian Foreign Minister expressed her appreciation for the bilateral collaboration in the field of defense, as well as within NATO. Luminiţa Odobescu reconfirmed Romanias firm position for the continuation of the European integration process of the Western Balkan states, emphasizing Romanias consistent support for Montenegros European path.

Debate–The NATO Deputy Secretary General, the Romanian Mircea Geoană, is today visiting the cities of Iaşi and Bacău, in eastern Romania. In Iasi, he participates in the debate entitled “Economic security and innovation on the eastern flank of NATO and the EU”, organized by the citys Chamber of Commerce. In Bacău, Geoană will visit Aerostar, a company that will sign a collaboration contract with Derco Aerospace (part of the American Lockheed Martin group), for technology transfer for the repair of F-16 aircraft equipment belonging to the Romanian Army. (LS)

17 November 2023
November 3, 2023

STRIKE Romanian public health insurance personnel have suspended relations with the public indefinitely, because their salaries have not been increased for over 6 years. The protest disrupts services to patients and it might jeopardise the disbursement of expenses incurred by healthcare service providers, the head of the National Trade Union Bloc Dumitru Costin explained. He said the National Health Insurance Agencys budget can cover the requested pay raises, but that the measure must be endorsed in Parliament, where a bill in this respect has been pending for a long period and is currently stuck in the Chamber of Deputies. The health minister Alexandru Rafila said suspending the provision of healthcare services is unacceptable, and that he hoped for a dialogue between the management and the staff of the National Health Insurance Agency.

BUDGET The ruling coalition have started talks on next years public budget. The government has approved a memorandum drawn up by the finance ministry, which lists the significant public investment projects on which the budget will be based. The transportation ministry has the largest number of projects in the list, i.e. 108 projects in various implementation stages, which means this ministry will receive the largest appropriations in the 2024 budget.

HOSTAGES The Romanian foreign ministry announced that checks conducted by the Romanian authorities based on the information provided by Israel indicate that another person with dual (Romanian and Israeli) citizenship and living in Israel is a hostage in the Gaza Strip. The foreign ministry also announced that the Romanian Embassy in Tel Aviv and the Romanian Consulate in Haifa are in touch with the Israeli authorities. So far 4 people with Romanian and Israeli citizenship are known to be held hostage by the Hamas terrorists.

ISRAEL The US secretary of state Antony Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv on Friday morning to persuade Israel to ensure the protection of Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. This is Blinkens second trip to the Middle East since the Hamas Islamists attacked Israel on October 7. International mass media report that the US diplomacy chief will have meetings with the Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, and with members of his security cabinet. From Israel, Blinken is to travel next to neighbouring Jordan. Meanwhile, Israel announced that its forces have surrounded Gaza City, the largest urban centre in Gaza and previously controlled by Hamas.

BOOK FAIR The Gaudeamus Radio Romania Book Fair invites book lovers to Timişoara, a European Capital of Culture in 2023. The fair takes place until Sunday, and it brings together scores of publishers presenting their most recent releases, best-sellers, special offers and discounts. Todays most eagerly awaited event is the launch of a volume of dialogues between Robert Şerban and the contemporary Romanian poet Şerban Foarţă. Q&A sessions with writers, roundtables and book signing events are also scheduled. The Timisoara-based writer Patricia Lidia released a volume entitled “Adventures in Brancusis World,” an event that complements the exhibition devoted to the great Romanian-born sculptor opened these days at the National Art Museum in Timişoara. (AMP)

3 November 2023
Tax and budget-related measures

The budget deficit remains one of the weaknesses of the Romanian
public administration, and the government made up of the Social Democratic
Party and the National Liberal Party promises to remain strict in terms of
public spending. The Cabinet has taken responsibility for a set
of measures aimed at reducing waste by restricting procurement, reducing
executive positions and merging public institutions, scrapping some tax
facilities, fighting fraud and tax evasion.

Moreover, as of November 1, a new emergency order takes effect,
concerning year-end expenditure. The order introduces restrictions for public
institutions and local administration units, including with respect to the organisation
of festivals and competitions. Authorising officers may no longer contract
office supplies and other goods and services used in maintenance and repair works.

The finance minister Marcel Boloş says that in the past, in November
and December expenses with goods and services were two, three or even four
times higher than in other months, which is why the Cabinet decided that such
expenses must not exceed the average level of the first 10 months of the year.

The order also stipulates that payment of the salary rights for
which public sector employees have won lawsuits will be postponed to 2024. The
Social Democratic PM Marcel Ciolacu promises however that there are no reasons
to worry and that the government has enough funds to cover salaries and other
expenses, and pension benefits will be raised by 13.5% as of January 1, 2024 to
cover inflation.

The new measures were taken by the government after last week the
European Statistics Office (Eurostat) announced that Hungary (6.6%) and Romania
(6.3) are the countries with the highest budget deficit of the 27 EU member
states.

Also last week, during talks regarding the European Union budget,
the president of Romania Klaus Iohannis called for rethinking the way in
which budget deficits are determined. At the European Council meeting in
Brussels, the Romanian president said the new EU budget should meet current
challenges, such as the support for Russia-invaded Ukraine, the security crisis
in the Middle East and the drop in the competitiveness of the EU economy.

The request comes after, for 3 years in a row, Romania exceeded
the budget deficit agreed on in the Stability Pact, the EU instrument that compels
member states to keep their budget deficits within sustainable limits, so as
not to lead to macro-economic imbalances. Iohannis also asked for the budget
revision not to affect the agriculture and cohesion allocations, the two major
directions through which the EU is financing Romania’s development. (AMP)

31 October 2023
October 29, 2023

GOVERNMENT PM Marcel Ciolacu announced that
preparations have started for drafting the 2024 public budget. The government
will analyse the projects and programmes that went well, as well as the
investment applications for next year. On the other hand, the PM dismissed the
idea of other fiscal changes in addition to the ones for which his Cabinet has
taken responsibility before Parliament. The law on measures to ensure Romania’s
long-term financial sustainability, promulgated by president Klaus
Iohannis on Thursday, introduces
new taxes and tax raises and cuts off tax facilities.Some of the measures take effect
on November 1, while the others will be enforced as of January 1. Marcel
Ciolacu also estimated that the new pensions law will be endorsed in Parliament
by the end of next month and will take effect on January 1, 2024.

VISIT
The European Commission vice-president for Values and Transparency, Věra
Jourová, will be on an official visit to Romania on Monday, when she will have
meetings with president Klaus Iohannis, PM Marcel Ciolacu and other Cabinet
members. According to the European Commission, the EU official will discuss the
rule of law and reforms in the judiciary, Romania’s goals in the digital
decade, the digitisation projects included in the National Recovery and
Resilience Plan, as well as AI and fighting disinformation.

ISRAEL
Israel has moved to the second stage of the war against Hamas, namely the land
operation in Gaza Strip, the Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu announced. In a
televised address, he warned that this was going to be a long and difficult
war, aimed at freeing the hostages taken by the Palestinian terrorist group and
at destroying the military and leadership capabilities of Hamas. An Israeli
tactics expert described Israel’s current operation as modular, with
alternating attacks from 4 directions (water, air, land, and virtual). So far
the Israeli Army resorted to air strikes to hit Palestinian territory, after
the Hamas attacks of October 7 killed over 1,400 people in Israel. In turn, Hamas
says the Israeli retaliatory strikes killed over 8,000 people. According to an
Israeli army spokesman, the number of hostages held by Hamas was updated at 130.
The UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres, voiced his surprise at the escalation
of Israel’s military attack on the Gaza Strip after the UN General Assembly issued
a resolution calling for immediate humanitarian ceasefire. Guterres said that
in spite of this international consensus, the bombing has reached unprecedented
levels. Pro-Palestinian rallies were organised on Saturday in many cities in
the world.

PEACE
The president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, attending a meeting in Malta,
called for a global model based on his 10-point plan for peace with Russia, Reuters
reports. An official list of the participants in the meeting is not yet
available, but attending were officials for European, South-American, Arab,
African and Asian countries. The plan includes clauses concerning the
restoration of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, the pull-out of Russian troops,
protection of food and energy supplies, nuclear security and the release of all
prisoners. The co-chairs of the meeting, Ukraine and Malta, issued a joint
declaration that mentions the participants’ commitment to just and sustainable
peace, based on the UN Charter. The parties will take steps to arrange for a
possible peace summit at a later date.

DST On Saturday night, Romania switched to winter time, setting
clocks back one hour from 4 AM to 3 AM. Sunday is thus 25-hour long. Daylight
saving time, first suggested by the scientist Benjamin Franklin in 1784, is
currently used in 70 countries. The concept has come under debate in recent
years, with the EU asking member states to end seasonal clock changes and
choose either winter time or summer time, but a decision in this respect is yet
to be made. (AMP)

29 October 2023
27.10.2023 (mise à jour)

Réunion des leaders européens – L’Union européenne continuera à aider l’Ukraine avec des fonds substantiels. C’est une des décisions adoptées ce vendredi à Bruxelles, au cours du deuxième jour des travaux du Conseil européen d’automne. L’Ukraine demeure prioritaire pour l’UE et cela est visible par le fait que la majorité des fonds du collectif budgétaire pluriannuel sont dédiés à l’aide à Kiev, soit quelque 50 milliards d’euros. Le président du Conseil européen, Charles Michel, a déclaré qu’une autre priorité est la prévention du terrorisme et d’autres actions extrémistes dans l’espace communautaire sur le fond du conflit entre Israël et le Hamas, mais aussi sur le fond de la pression à laquelle est soumise l’Union à cause de la migration à la hausse. Une autre inquiétude de l’Union est la relation entre le Kosovo et la Serbie, une relation de plus en plus tendue. Un troisième sujet du Conseil a été la situation économique de l’Europe qui souhaite devenir leader non seulement pour ce qui est des technologies vertes, mais dans le domaine des technologies en général. La Roumanie a été représentée par le président Klaus Iohannis qui a réitéré le besoin de continuer à soutenir l’Ukraine autant que nécessaire. Il s’est prononcé en faveur d’une vision claire et unitaire au niveau communautaire sur la situation au Proche Orient et a souligné qu’il était important d’éviter une escalade du conflit. M Iohannis a souligné aussi la nécessité de réviser le budget de l’UE par une révision censée refléter les nouveaux défis.

Décisions du gouvernement – Le Gouvernement de Bucarest a adopté ce vendredi une nouvelle ordonnance d’urgence qui prolonge de trois mois la limitation de la marge commerciale pour les aliments de base et augmente la liste des produits auxquels s’applique cette mesure. Le gouvernement a également approuvé un projet de réduction des dépenses des autorités publiques locales et centrales. Le ministre des finances, Marcel Bolos a annoncé qu’actuellement le déficit budgétaire est de 3,55% du PIB et que la cible pour la fin de l’année est de 4,4%. Il a expliqué que durant les années précédentes, les dépenses budgétaires pour des marchandises et des services durant les deux derniers mois de l’année étaient de 3 à 5 fois supérieures par rapport aux autres mois de l’année. C’est pourquoi, le gouvernement a décidé que cette année, ces dépenses ne devraient plus dépasser la moyenne des autres mois. Enfin, les dépenses budgétaires viseront surtout le financement des projets européens. Le décret d’urgence adopté aujourd’hui vise aussi le fond de réserve dont bénéficie le gouvernement, par le biais duquel les ministères se verront allouer de l’argent avant le collectif budgétaire.

Message – Le président roumain, Klaus Iohannis, a transmis un message de condoléances à son homologue américain, Joe Biden, suite à l’attaque armée de Lewinston, de l’Etat de Maine, dans le nord-est des Etats Unis. « La Roumanie est solidaire avec les citoyens américains et avec les familles des victimes, auxquelles nous transmettons notre compassion. » 18 personnes ont été tuées par balles et 13 blessées et le principal suspect – un militaire réserviste est toujours recherché par la police.

Moldavie – Le gouvernement de Chisinau a approuvé ce vendredi le Plan national d’action 2027 pour l’adhésion de la République de Moldova à l’Union européenne. Le document stratégique vise à aligner la législation aux normes communautaires. Le ministre moldave des Affaires étrangères et de l’intégration européenne, Nicu Popescu a déclaré que l’objectif est de préparer le pays pour l’adhésion à l’Union à l’horizon 2030.

Football – Le gouvernement de Bucarest analyse l’adoption d’une décision qui soutiendra la candidature de la Roumanie pour organiser la finale de la ligue Europa en 2026 ou 2027, a annoncé le premier ministre roumain, Marcel Ciolacu. « J’espère pouvoir répéter le moment 2012, lorsque l’Arène nationale a accueilli la finale de la même compétition », a-t-il dit au début de la réunion hebdomadaire de l’exécutif. Le projet prévoit d’assurer le cadre légal en vue d’organiser ce match, dont notamment l’engagement des institutions de l’Etat sur différents paliers. Un comité interministériel de coordination sera constitué avec pour objectif d’assurer les conditions nécessaires, obtenir le droit d’organisation, ainsi que préparer et dérouler effectivement dans la Capitale roumaine la finale de la Ligue Europa de l’UEFA. Les villes gagnantes seront annoncées en mai 2024.

Heure d’hiver – La Roumanie passe, dans la nuit de samedi à dimanche, à l’heure d’hiver. Par conséquent, les 4 h du matin deviendront 3h du matin. Par conséquent le samedi aura 25 heures et deviendra la journée la plus longue de cette année. Le système visant une heure différente d’été et d’hiver vise l’ajustement du temps officiel d’une heure, pour profiter ainsi de plus de lumière naturelle.

Météo – Températures légèrement à la baisse en Roumanie, mais toujours supérieures aux moyennes pluriannuelles. En fait il fait toujours trop chaud pour cette période de l’année avec des maximas allant de 16 à 26 degrés. Les maxima dépasseront largement les 20 degrés à Bucarest pour aller jusqu’à 26 degrés.

27 October 2023
New budget-related legislation promulgated

Subject to an excessive
deficit procedure for several years now, Romania has undertaken to bring this
indicator in line by next year. But the deficit figures are still worrying: in
the first 9 months of the year, the deficit deepened by some EUR 3 bln compared
to the corresponding period last year.

The government spent more than
it collected, and according to official data at the end of September the
deficit was 3.55% of GDP. At this rate, economic analysts say, it is rather
unlikely that Romania will be able to meet the deficit target of 4.4% of GDP or
at least the 5.5% discussed by the authorities in Bucharest with Brussels.

The financial analyst Adrian
Codirlașu, vice-president of CFA Romania, says this is because in the budget
law drafted early this year, the expenditure was underestimated and revenues
were overblown, which might push the budget deficit even over 6% of GDP by the
end of 2023. The stakes are particularly high given that, unless this problem
is addressed, Romania risks losing substantial funding under the National
Recovery and Resilience Plan.

A large-scale set of tax and
budget related measures has been drawn up by the government, which took
responsibility for it before Parliament to rush its endorsement. The measures
include tax raises, new taxes and the scrapping of tax facilities. Delayed for
a month after the Opposition challenged it at the Constitutional Court, the
bill eventually reached president Klaus Iohannis’ office, and it was signed
into law on Thursday.

Some of the provisions in the Law
on tax and budget related measures to ensure Romania’s long-term sustainability
will take effect within days, while the others will be enforced as of January
1, 2024. Meanwhile, PM Marcel Ciolacu is also expecting proposals concerning
the reorganisation of ministries and government agencies and corporations, as
the budget reform is also intended to help reduce expenditure.

But figures suggest that these
measures are not enough, and more is needed in order for the deficit to be
narrowed by the end of the year and for Romania not to lose tens of millions of
euro in EU funding, PM Marcel Ciolacu explained, particularly since expenditure
usually tends to increase at year end. This is why a new emergency order is
required in order to reduce expenses, decision-makers in Bucharest announced.

By capping public sector and
city hall spending, including the expenses incurred with organising festivals
and competitions, Romania would have some room to breathe, and the risk of
undesirable financial consequences would be alleviated. Also, PM Marcel Ciolacu
traveled to Brussels on Thursday to persuade the European Commission that the
measures taken by his Cabinet are enough to keep the budget deficit on a
positive trend. (AMP)

27 October 2023