GOVERNMENT The government
prepares to pass a set of fiscal measures in the coming days, designed to bring
more money into the state budget and to keep the deficit close to this year’s
target of 4.4% of GDP. As of this autumn, employees in agriculture,
constructions and IT may have to contribute 10% of their incomes to the public
healthcare fund. The government also intends to keep only 2 VAT rates, 9% for
foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals and hospitality services, and 19% for all other
sectors. Governmental sources say the ruling coalition are also discussing a
reorganization of the public sector, by scrapping 200,000 posts which are
currently vacant. At the same time, the Cabinet is working on measures to support
citizens cope with the rising inflation. The government is considering an
increase in minimum wages in 2 stages: to roughly 670 euro in September and to
750 euro as of January next year. But the plan is opposed by private
entrepreneurs, who say they cannot afford to raise minimum wages for employees.
According to a recent poll, should this measure be introduced, more than half
of the private entrepreneurs in the country said they would raise prices for
their products and services or downsize their staff.
FIRE A Romanian fire fighter unit specialising in
wildfires is leaving for France today, as part of a redeployment programme
organised by the Directorate General for European Civil Protection and
Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO). As many as 40 Romanian fire fighters
with fire engines, water tanks and other equipment will be stationed in
Marseilles, on the Mediterranean Coast.
TRIBUTE The Bucharest National
Opera orchestra performs tonight for the first time at the Musikverein hall in
Vienna, in a tribute concert to the Romanian composer Ciprian Porumbescu. The
year 2023 was declared the year of Ciprian Porumbescu, to mark 170 years since
the birth and 140 years since the death of the famous composer. The concert
will consist exclusively of works by Ciprian Porumbescu: New Moon, the first
Romanian operetta, the Ballad, the Romanian Rhapsody. The soloists, choir
and orchestra of the National Opera House in Bucharest are conducted by Daniel
Jinga, with special guests including maestro Gheorghe Zamfir and the soloist
Maria Coman.
UKRAINE A Ukrainian drone
attack on Moscow hit 2 office buildings last night, the mayor of Russia’s
capital city Sergei Sobyanin said, according to France Presse. According to the
Russian defence ministry, a drone was shot down and 2 others were neutralized but
crashed into a building compound. This was the latest in a string of attacks
that Moscow blames on Kyiv, while also claiming the US and their NATO allies
have provided assistance to Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Ukrainian authorities say
at least 2 were killed and 1 wounded in a Russian missile attack on the city of
Zaporizhzhia.
SPORTS Romania finished 4th
at the European Youth Summer Olympic Festival in Maribor (Slovenia), with 9
gold, 6 silver and 5 bronze medals. This is the best performance for Romania in
this competition, after the ones in 1995 (Bath) and 2003 (Paris), when it came
out 3rd. On Saturday, the last day of the event, Romania won 2 gold medals,
thanks to Alin Şavlovschi, in the men’s 2,000 m hurdles race and Bianca Maria
Tiţa, Ştefania Balint, Maria Denisa Capotă and Alexandra Ştefania Uţă, who won
the women’s relay race with a new competition record (2’06”13). Romania’s
women’s handball team won the silver after losing the final to France, 32-27. Three other
medals were won in the tennis competition, by Giulia Safina Popa in the women’s
singles, Giulia Popa and Alexia Tatu in women’s doubles and Yannick Theodor
Nicolas Alexandrescou/Alejandro Mateo Berge Vega Nourescu in the men’s doubles.
In the gymnastics competition, Alexia Gabriela Vânoagă won the silver in the
beam final. Romania participated in the Festival with a team of 92 athletes. (AMP)