LAW – The Chamber of
Deputies today adopted the draft law amending the Criminal and Criminal
Procedure Codes tabled by the Government, with 191 votes in favor, 66 against
and 12 abstentions. The law eliminates all the amendments previously adopted by
the Senate, including the introduction of a threshold for offenses that
constitute abuse of office, as requested by the Constitutional Court. The Senate had previously introduced a
€50,000 threshold, which the Justice Ministry subsequently reduced to €1,800.
The legal committee on Tuesday discarded this amendment as well as the
introduction of a threshold for offenses that constitute misconduct in office.
CAR INSURANCE – The government is
today resuming debates over the draft law on capping the mandatory car
insurance fees for six months at the level of February 28 this year. The
previous draft, setting the price at the level of March 2022, was withdrawn
after insurance companies voiced criticism. Already postponed twice in the last
eight weeks, the document is needed to stop the rampant increase of civil
liability car insurances, the government argues. The increase is also owing to
the latest price hikes reported for energy and raw materials, while car
insurers refuse to offer the possibility of paying insurances in installments.
REFUGEES – The Government is
today expected to modify the state-funded programme designed to help Ukrainian
refugees. Under the modified law, refugees will receive €400 per month for up
to four consecutive months to offset accommodation expenses on the territory of
Romania. The funds will reach refugees directly, not their hosts, as was the
case previously. Once the period of four month passes, refugees can access
unemployment and employment incentive schemes if they register with employment
agencies. Right now, natural persons in Romania hosting refugees receive €4
meal allowances per day and €10 for accommodation expenses. Starting February
10, nearly 4 million Ukrainians have crossed into Romania, most of them in
route to Western countries.
INFLATION – The National Bank
decided to maintain its monetary policy interest rate at 7% per year, also
preserving the reference interest rate for Central Bank loans at 8% per year,
as well as for Central bank deposits at 6% per year. The decision reflects the
latest macroeconomic evolution. The Bank estimates the annual inflation rate to
increase over the coming period. The inflation rate dropped from 16.37% in
December 2022 to 15.52% in February 2023, which largely corresponds to the
Bank’s forecast.
TITLE – The Turkish writer
Orhan Pamuk, the recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2006, was
awarded the Doctor Honoris Causa
title from the West University of Timișoara in a special ceremony. Orhan Pamuk
is one of the special guests who are visiting Timișoara, the European Capital
of Culture in 2023. Orhan Pamuk is one of the internationally acclaimed
contemporary Turkish writes. His works have been translated in over 40
languages in published in over 100 countries. His works focus primarily on the
relation between Oriental and Western cultures and the specificity of Turkish
mentality. His best-selling works are My
Name is Red, Istanbul and The Museum of Innocence. Another two
Nobel Prize recipients are expected to visit Timișoara this year – Jean-Marie
Lehn, the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1987, and Jean-Pierre Sauvage, the Nobel
Prize for Chemistry in 2016.
TRUMP – The former US
president Donald Trump has been officially indicted on Tuesday on 34 counts of
forgery of business records. In 2016, Trump made a series of payments to his
lawyer which he motivated as legal counseling fees. In fact, this was hush
money paid to a adult-film actress at a time when Trump was running for the
oval office. The Manhattan district attorney’s office claims the forgery of
records with a view to commit fraud and concealing other actions is a crime.
The Republicans’ potential candidate in next year’s election, Donald Trump says
he is innocent of all crimes and a victim of the new Democratic administration.
TENNIS – Romanian tennis
player Irina Begu has advanced to the second round of the WTA 500 tournament in
Charleston (South Carolina), totaling over $780 thousand in total prizes after
knocking out Dalma Galfi of Hungary 6-1, 7-5. In the next round Begu is today
playing the winner of the match pitting Sofia Kenin of the USA against Aliaksandra
Sasnovič of Belarus. Another Romanian player, Gabriela Lee, lost to Kayla Day
of the USA 6-2, 7-6 in the preliminaries. (VP)