Radio România Internațional

Tag: Caciu

  • April 12, 2023 UPDATE

    April 12, 2023 UPDATE

    Ordinance – The public expenditure reform bill should be ready next week, the Romanian Finance Minister Adrian Câciu announced. Until then, the Government members will present solutions to reduce expenses in their areas of responsibility. The Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă asked them not to plan salary cuts or give up investments. He also said that he wanted to improve the collection of taxes, not to increase taxes. All in all, the cuts should amount to 20 billion lei – approximately 4 billion Euros – by the end of the year. On Wednesday, the Romanian government approved an emergency decree that provides for simplification and digitalization measures for the management of European funds for the 2021-2027 Cohesion Policy. Also on Wednesday, the program through which the Romanian state financially supports the refugees from Ukraine was modified: from now on they will receive an amount of money per person, for four consecutive months. After this period, they will be able to benefit from unemployment or enter the employment program, but before that, they must register with the employment offices. Those who host the refugees will no longer receive money for accommodation and food, as was the case until now.



    Aid – The Romanian government will grant a first installment of the financial aid intended to compensate for the losses caused by the conflict in Ukraine to cattle breeders and the dairy market. More than 21 million Euros will be granted starting on May 15, with a second tranche, worth 22 million Euros, to be disbursed in the second semester. Following Tuesday evening’s consultations between the government team led by the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă and the representatives of dairy processors and big store chains, a price reduction for milk was agreed upon for the next six months. Also to support the consumption of milk produced in Romania, the Government wants to expand the “Hot Lunch in Schools” Program starting next year. Thus, pupils will receive milk every day at school, not just three times a week, as happens at present.



    Visit – The European Commission has identified 15 companies, from 11 countries, where the production capacity in the defense industry could be increased, and Romania is one of these countries, said the European Commissioner for Internal Market, Thierry Breton. On Wednesday, he visited two factories in Romanias defense industry. Breton previously met in Bucharest with the Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă, and, following talks, he stated that Romania would be able to play an even more important role in the defense industry, in the context of the war in neighboring Ukraine. Breton highlighted the fact that Romania increased the budget allocated to defense from 2% to 2.5% of the GDP, giving Romania as an example to follow. The discussions with Nicolae Ciucă also focused on cyber security, the European commissioner saying that the field should be competitive.



    Gymnastics — Romania’s mens team ranked 11th, on Tuesday, at the European Championships in Artistic Gymnastics in Antalya (Turkey), thus qualifying for the World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. The Romanian athletes needed to be ranked among the first 13 teams to obtain qualification for the World Cup, a competition that will decide the teams that will participate in the 2024 Olympics. Italy won the gold medals, the silver went to Turkey, and Great Britain got the bronze.



    Motion — In Bucharest, Save Romania Union – USR and ‘Forţa Dreptei’ – Force of the Right party (both opposition) tabled a simple motion to the Chamber of Deputies against the Agriculture Minister, Petre Daea. The signatories claim that he is the weakest agriculture minister in the last 30 years, registering failure after failure and endangering both Romanias economy and development, as well as the countrys food security. They accuse him of willingly destroying Romanian agriculture. This is what people can see in the markets where the prices are the highest in the last 30 years, said the leader of the USR deputies, Ionuţ Moşteanu, who announced the initiative. The motion will be voted on next Wednesday.



    NATO – The Romanian Defense Minister Angel Tîlvăr and the Chief of the General Staff General Daniel Petrescu, met on Wednesday with the Chair of the NATO Military Committee, Admiral Robert Bauer. He is visiting Romania from April 11 to 14. According to a press release from the Romanian Defense Ministry, talks will focus on the security situation in the Black Sea region, the dynamics of the implementation of allied measures to deter and defend the Euro-Atlantic area, NATO operations and missions, as well as major training events this year. (LS)

  • March 8, 2023 UPDATE

    March 8, 2023 UPDATE

    Visit – President Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday had meetings with the local authorities of Kyoto. In this context, he said Romania and Japan are closer than ever, and voiced his hope that Kyoto and a city in Romania will soon become twin cities. “It is important that we rely on each other to safeguard the fundamental values that define us-the will for peace and security, freedom, democracy and human rights, and a rule-based international order, the Romanian president said. In turn, the Japanese officials praised Romania as an important partner for Japan, sharing fundamental values like freedom, democracy and the rule of law. The talks were the last stage in the Romanian presidents visit to Japan. The main goal of the Asian tour was to elevate the bilateral relation to a strategic partnership level. A document in this respect, the outcome of 5 years of negotiations and consultations, was signed on Tuesday in Tokyo, during a meeting with the Japanese PM, Fumio Kishida. The Romanian president was also received by Emperor Naruhito. On Thursday and Friday Klaus Iohannis will be on a state visit to Singapore, where he is scheduled to have talks with president Halimah Yacob and the PM Lee Hsien Loong.



    Government – The reforms under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan will be completed, the finance minister Adrian Câciu promised the Senate. Speaking at the Government Hour on Wednesday, he also said economic performance is good and the budget deficit will be narrowed. According to minister Câciu, Romania has a structural deficiency and permanent expenses that require higher financing. As for interest rates, they are becoming more stable as the inflation rate is also coming under control. The ministers presence in Parliament was requested by the opposition Save Romania Union, which asked minister Câciu to explain why Romanias budget deficit has reached record-high levels, and financing costs are among the highest in the EU. The USR Senator Anca Dragu warned that Romania has borrowed huge amounts, at very high interest rates, which Romanians will have to repay for the next 30 years. The Alliance for the Union of Romania Senator Claudiu Târziu said in his turn that in his opinion the finance ministrys forecasts are empty words, and citizens are still overburdened with taxes.



    Women – Women in public life, including journalists, human rights activists and women in politics, are particularly targeted by intimidation, hate speech and sexual harassment, reads a joint statement signed by over 20 embassies in Bucharest and the representative office of the European Commission in Romania. In their message on International Womens Day on March 8, the signatories say these practices require firm and immediate response, and the perpetrators must be held accountable. The text also reiterates commitment to ensuring gender equality and to fully respecting and safeguarding the rights of women as human rights. We call on all states to do the same: gender equality and equity should benefit not only girls and women, but society as a whole, men and boys included, the embassies and the representative office of the European Commission in Romania point out. The signatories include the embassies of Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Republic of Korea and the US.




    Danube – Ukraine will cease all types of dredging on the Danubes Chilia arm and Bystroe Canal, the Romanian transport ministry announced after the trilateral meeting in Ismail, Ukraine, attended by representatives of Romania, Ukraine and the European Commission. Also, on March 15, measurements will begin on Chilia and Bystroe. The EU officials agreed with Romanias requests and emphasized that the top priority is to improve the capacity of the other Danube arm, Sulina, given that over half of the cargo transport from Ukraine via so-called “solidarity corridors” takes place on the Danube. Ukraine has recently conducted dredging described as legal, maintenance operations, but Romania argues that dredging went significantly over the allowed depth of 3.5m, which would have a major impact on the Danube Delta ecosystem, currently a UNESCO world heritage site.



    Eurostat – Greece (1.4%), Malta (1.2%), Cyprus (1.1%) and Romania (1%) had the most significant economic growth rate in the fourth quarter of 2022, as compared to the previous three months – show data published on Wednesday by Eurostat. The economy of the euro zone stagnated, and the gross domestic product of the European Union contracted in the last three months of last year by 0.1% as compared to the previous quarter. Also on Wednesday, Eurostat announced that the number of employed persons increased by 0.3% both in the euro zone and in the EU during the analyzed period. Romania is among the countries where the number of employed people had an increase similar to the EU average, 0.3%.



    Brussels – The European Commission has approved a contribution of over 160 million Euros, from the Cohesion Fund, for better and larger sewerage networks in Iaşi County in eastern Romania. “The project will improve public health and the quality of life of the population, through clean drinking water and the proper collection and treatment of wastewater, leading to fewer pollutants in the soil, groundwater and rivers,” said Commissioner for Cohesion and Reforms, Elisa Ferreira. The project mentions hundreds of km of main pipes, distribution network for water supply and sewerage. Water treatment plants, storage tanks, pumping stations, and many more will also be built. The investment will contribute to Romanias compliance with the EU directives on drinking water and urban waste water, and all social groups in the region will benefit from it and jobs will be created, shows a press release from Brussels. (AMP, LS)

  • Le projet du budget d’Etat 2023

    Le projet du budget d’Etat 2023

    A Bucarest, le ministère des Finances vient de publier le projet du budget d’Etat 2023, un document conçu de sorte à transmettre un message de confiance, de réalisme de cohérence et de responsabilité, assurent les autorités. Les calculs des spécialistes financiers tablent sur une croissance économique de 2,8 % du PIB, sur un taux annuel d’inflation à la baisse, de 2,7 %. Les recettes budgétaires ont été estimées à près de 540 milliards de lei (environ 108 milliards d’euros), alors que les dépenses devraient se chiffrer à quelque 608 milliards de lei (121 milliards d’euros).

    Par conséquent, le déficit budgétaire de 2023 a été estimé à 4,4 % du PIB par le ministère, mais il pourrait baisser à 2,95 % en 2024.Parmi les objectifs de l’année prochaine, l’Exécutif de Bucarest vise des un système des finances publiques solide, censé appuyer les personnes les plus vulnérables et les PME, mais aussi des réformes dans le domaine de l’emploi et des retraites.

    Le gouvernement se propose également de renforcer la gouvernance d’entreprise au sein des compagnies d’Etat, par la mise en place des meilleures pratiques existantes au niveau européen, afin d’améliorer la performance de ces compagnies. Le ministre des Finances, Adrian Câciu, précise encore : « Il n’y aura pas de nouvelles taxes, en revanche il y aura des investissements massifs, pas seulement de la part de l’Etat. Le budget de l’année prochaine est construit sur un taux d’investissements historique, j’oserais dire, et je veux le voir mis en place. Il s’agit de 112 milliards de lei, soit 7,2 % du PIB. Le plus important c’est d’investir dans le capital roumain et dans l’économie. Malgré le grand nombre de compagnies à capital roumain, le taux de leur valeur ajoutée au PIB n’est pas aussi important et il faut le soutenir et le faire croître. Ce n’est possible que par la reconversion économique, soit le passage de l’économie de consommation et de la dépendance aux exportations, à l’économie de production intérieure. »

    Disons aussi que dans le projet du budget 2023 figure aussi une majoration de 10 % du salaire brut des employés du secteur public et la croissance du point de retraite de 12,5 %, les deux à compter du 1er janvier prochain, ainsi que la compensation du travail supplémentaire uniquement par des journées de repos et le gel de l’indemnité pour la nourriture accordée à certaines catégories de salariés au niveau de la somme de 2022.S’y ajoute la croissance du SMIC brut à 3 000 (quelque 600 euros). Enfin les ministères de la Défense, du Développement, des Transports et de l’Education nationale auront des budgets beaucoup plus importants l’année prochaine, alors que d’autres ministères tels celui de l’Energie, celui de la Justice ou de la Santé, verront leurs fonds diminuer. (trad. Valentina Beleavski)

  • August 19, 2022 UPDATE

    August 19, 2022 UPDATE

    Budget – The government adopted the first budget rectification of 2022, a positive one, which takes into account an economic growth of 3.5%, the budget revenues for the first six months and the budget execution for this period. The Finance Minister, Adrian Caciu, claims that the budget deficit can be kept under control and that the target of 5.84% for the end of the year is achievable. The Fiscal Council, an independent body that analyzes the sustainability of fiscal and budgetary policies, warned that the rectification may lead to exceeding a deficit of 7% of the Gross Domestic Product, because the government allegedly overestimated the receipts and underestimated part of the expenses.



    Covid – 4,854 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been registered in Romania in 24 hours, 631 less than the previous day, the Health Ministry announced on Friday. According to the source, most new cases of COVID are in Bucharest and in the counties of Cluj and Timiş. 3,450 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized in specialized health units. 279 patients are treated in ICUs. In the last 24 hours, 21 deaths have been reported among patients with SARS-CoV-2.



    Table tennis – The Romanian-Austrian pair Bernadette Szocs/Sofia Polcanova won the gold medals in the womens doubles, on Thursday evening, at the European Table Tennis Championships in Munich (Germany), after defeating the Romanian pair Elizabeta Samara/ Andrea Dragoman. Samara and Dragoman won the silver medals, while Adina Diaconu and Maria Xiao (Spain) won the bronze. Romanias medal record at the European Championships in Munich is completed by the silver medal won in the mixed doubles by Bernadette Szocs and Ovidiu Ionescu.



    Marathon – 250 runners from ten countries have registered for the most difficult ultra-marathon in Romania, 2X2 Race, which will take place on Saturday, at Bâlea Lac, in the Făgăraş Mountains, at an altitude of over 2,000 meters, AGERPRES reports. The race is one of the most difficult mountain ultra-marathons in the world. The 2X2 Race takes place entirely at over 2,000 m, which makes it unique in Europe and one of the few in the world. This year, runners from Romania, Moldova, Hungary, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Great Britain, France, Israel and Russia have entered the competition. The competitors will run on some of the most technical routes in the Carpathians, reaching the second highest peak in Romania, Negoiu (2,535 m). Such competitions take place on rugged terrain, from dirt paths through forests and alpine plains, to ridges and cliffs.



    Fires – This years fires affected 150,000 hectares in Romania, i.e. ten times more than the average for the period 2006 – 2021, the former head of the Environmental Guard Octavian Berceanu said on Friday. He drew attention, in a Facebook post, to the fact that the ash resulting from the fires risks affecting the inhabitants of the cities, given the lack of protective curtains and green belts of the localities. There have been 715 fires in Romania this year, in the context of a previous multi-year average of 49. The biggest number of fires this year (266 in one week) occurred at the end of March, when more than 61,000 hectares were affected. Romania, with 0.63% of the countrys area affected by fires, ranks second in Europe, after Portugal (0.95%), and Spain and Croatia (0.56%).



    France – The action that 77 Romanian firefighters carried out for a week in France has ended, the General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations (IGSU) announced on Friday. According to the cited source, the Romanian rescuers participated in firefighting missions in the southwest of France, in special meteorological conditions, the missions consisting in identifying and extinguishing hidden outbreaks, as well as in protecting nearby homes from possible other existing outbreaks. The aid that Romania granted to the French authorities was based on the request for international assistance made by the French government through the European Civil Protection Mechanism, General Inspectorate for Emergency Situations says. Some of the Romanian firefighters are returning to the country with an aircraft of the Defense Ministry, and the other rescuers, together with the intervention equipment will come back to Romania by land. (LS)

  • August 19, 2022

    August 19, 2022

    BUDGET The Romanian
    government has endorsed the first budget adjustment this year, a positive one,
    based on a 3.5% growth of the revenue budget in the first six months and the
    budget execution in this period. Finance Minister Adrian Caciu believes the
    budget deficit can be kept under control and the 5.84% target at the end of the
    year is doable. The Fiscal Council, an independent watchdog monitoring the
    sustainability of fiscal and budget policies, has cautioned though that the
    latest adjustment can lead to an exceeded 7% deficit of the GDP, as the
    government has overrated the revenues and underrated part of the expenses.








    MARATHON 250 runners from 10 countries
    are to participate in one of the most difficult ultra marathons in Romania, the
    2X2 Race due to kick off on Saturday at the Balea Lake in the Fagaras
    Mountains, at an altitude over 2,000 meters, AGERPRESS news agency reports. The
    race is unique in Europe as most of it takes place at this staggering altitude.
    The 2X2 Race this year brings together runners from Romania, the Republic of
    Moldova, Hungary, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Great Britain, France,
    Israel and Russia. They are to run up to the Negoiu, the second highest summit
    in Romania, at an altitude of 2535 meters.








    REFUGEES According to
    the General Border Police Inspectorate, roughly 292 thousand people, Romanian
    and foreign citizens, have been registered at Romania’s border checkpoints of
    late. Among them over 12,600 Ukrainian nationals, which bring the total number of
    Ukranian refugees who have entered Romania since the beginning of the conflict up
    to almost 2 million. Most of them have only transited Romania to other
    destinations.








    TENNIS On Thursday
    night, the Romanian-Austrian pair Bernadette Szocs/Sofia Polcanova walked away
    with gold from the women’s double finals of the European Table Tennis
    Championships in Munich, Germany after a win against the all-Romanian pair,
    Elizabeta Samara/Andreea Dragoman. Samara and Dragoman became silver medalists,
    while Adina Diaconu from Romania and Maria Xiao of Spain walked away with
    bronze. We recall that Bernadette Szocs and Ovidiu Ionescu won silver in the
    mixed doubles of the aforementioned competition.








    FOOTBALL Two draws
    and a defeat are the results obtained by the Romanian football sides in the
    first round of the Europa Conference League’s play-offs. The Romanian champions
    CFR Cluj ended in a goaless draw their away match against Slovenian side NK
    Maribor held on Thursday night. Universitatea Craiova drew their home game
    one-all against Israeli side Hapoel Beer-Sheva, FCSB, runner-up in the Romanian
    championship, lost 2-1 their home match against the Norwegians from Viking
    Stavanger. The return matches are due next week.






    (bill)

  • Support for pensioners

    Support for pensioners

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



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



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



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