Radio România Internațional

Tag: employment

Working in Romania

The head of the Immigration Office of Ialomiţa County, in the south of Romania, chief commissioner Rareş-Gabriel Bulimej, was detained by the prosecutors of the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) for taking bribe on an ongoing basis. In this case, a police officer from the Directorate for Immigration of the Municipality of Bucharest was also charged, for committing the crime of influence peddling. The DNA prosecutors reported that, in the period 2022 – 2023, Bulimej would have accepted from the Bucharest policeman the promise of receiving sums of money in exchange for the urgent scheduling of several applications for submitting work or employment permits for foreign citizens from non-European countries and, implicitly, for speeding up their resolution and for the preferential release of notices, in the name and on behalf of several commercial companies. Bulimej allegedly accepted the sum of 43,400 Euros as bribe in order to expedite the resolution of 63 employment applications for citizens from Asian countries. The chief commissioner is now proposed for preventive arrest for 30 days.

Most companies in Arad, which hire and have published the vacant positions, offer net salaries between 3,700 lei (740 Euros) and 6,200 lei (1,245 Euros), the National Employment Agency reports. According to the online job mediation application on the page mediere.anofm.ro, in Arad county, located in western Romania, 123 companies had 976 vacancies. Currently, the largest employer is a rolling stock manufacturer, which has hundreds of jobs available. The welders employed here, for whom there are 110 vacancies, are paid with net salaries between 4,000 lei (800 Euros) and 6,200 lei (1,245 Euros), depending on their experience. The same company also offers 80 locksmith positions, paid with salaries between 3,700 (740 Euros) and 5,500 lei (1,105 Euros), as well as 50 positions for unskilled workers in the assembly of parts, paid with net salaries between 3,700 (740 E) and 5,000 lei (1,000 Euros). Among those who can obtain high net salaries are the cooks – 5,000 lei (1,000 euros), carpenters – between 4,000 (800 E) and 6,000 lei (1,205 Euros), turners – between 3,700 (740 E) – 5,700 lei (1,145 euros) or workers in construction – 5,000 lei (1,000 euros). The car industry in the county, which at the beginning of the year made layoffs, now offers several hundred jobs, but most companies do not specify salaries. Those who provide this information show that the net income can be between 4,000 (800) and 5,000 lei (1,000 euros). At the same time, drivers can earn monthly net salaries of 3,300 lei (660 euros), textile factory workers and those who work in sanitation – 3,800 lei (760 euros). The lowest salaries published by employers in Arad start from 2,500 lei (500 euros) net value, for rodent extermination, pest control and disinfection operators. The unemployment rate in the county is 1.6%.

IT is the field in which the salary expectations of employees in Romania have increased the most in the last year, to 10,000 lei (2,000 euros) monthly, on average, according to a study published by the online recruitment platform eJobs. The average salary in this sector is currently 7,000 lei (1,400 euros), net value per month. According to eJobs, from the beginning of the year until now, almost 20,000 new jobs have been put on the market for the IT sector, down by about 15% compared to the same period last year. The highest salaries for specialists who do not also hold managerial positions are for IT architect – 15,000 lei (3,000 euros), but with average expectations of 20,000 lei (4,000 euros), software developer – 8,300 lei (1,670 euros) (with expectations that go up to 11,000 lei – 2,200 euros), data engineer – 8,500 lei (1,700 euros) (and expectations of 11,000 lei – 2,200 euros) or full stack developer – 8,000 lei (1,600 euros) vs. expectations of 10,000 lei (2,000 euros) per month. Currently, 24,000 jobs are available on eJobs.ro, of which 2,000 are in the IT field. (LS)

10 October 2024
April 21, 2024 UPDATE

VISIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis will be on an official visit to South Korea on April 22 through 24^th, at the invitation of his counterpart, Yoon Suk Yeol. South Korea is the first Asia-Pacific country with which Romania upgraded its diplomatic relations to a Strategic Partnership level, in 2008. During the Romanian president’s visit to Seoul, this Partnership will be consolidated under a document setting the cooperation directions for the next 10 years. Agreements will be signed in fields such as defence, nuclear energy, investments and foreign trade, emergency cooperation and disaster management, culture, mass-media, youth and sports.

ROBOTICS The AICitizens robotics team of the ‘Alexandru Ioan Cuza’ College in Focşani (eastern Romania) is the winner of the ‘First Tech Challenge’ World Championship held in Houston, USA between April 17^th and 20^th. The Romanian team reached the finals in an alliance with two other teams, The Clueless, from San Diego, California and Texpand, from Cape Town, South Africa, with AICitizens as the captain team. Taking part in the ‘First Tech Challenge’ world robotics championships were over 200 of the world’s top robotics teams.

AID After months of postponements, the US House of Representatives Saturday night endorsed a USD 61 bln aid package for Ukraine. This is part of a bigger, USD 95 bln amount that also comprises security aid for Israel and Taiwan. The bill needs to be passed by the Senate as well, but the Democratic majority in the Senate is in favour of the aid. President Joe Biden has already called on the Senate to rush the vote. The aid comes at an extremely difficult time for Kyiv, which desperately needs weapons and ammunitions to withstand Russia’s growing offensive. The vote was welcomed by Western countries and Ukrainian leaders, but Moscow said the aid would only result in more Ukrainians getting killed because of the regime in Kyiv.

EMPLOYMENT In Romania, the employment rate in the 15 to 64 age bracket was 63% last year, the National Statistics Institute announced. According to recently released data, the employment rate was higher among men (some 72%) than women (54%). The highest employment rate was reported last year among higher education graduates (nearly 90%), as opposed to 37% among people with little formal education. According to statistics, employees still account for 86% of the employed population, whereas self-employed and unpaid family workers only made up 13% of the total employed population. Also, around 83% of job holders were employed in the private sector.

BREXIT The British PM Rishi Sunak rejected a European Commission proposal concerning a post-Brexit agreement enabling British youth to live, study and work in the EU and European youth in UK for up to 4 years, France Presse reports. The scheme was intended for young people aged 18 to 30, who would have benefited from visa exemptions and fair tuition fees. London said however it was unwilling to reopen talks concerning the freedom of movement and the strict regulation of the terms of stay in UK.

MIDDLE EAST Iran’s supreme leader Ali Khamenei Sunday thanked the country’s armed forces for the operation against Israel, urging them to “ceaselessly pursue military innovation and learn the enemy’s tactics”, Reuters reports, quoting the Iranian official news agency. Tehran attacked Israel for the first time on April 13, sending over 300 missiles and drones in retaliation for Israel’s suspected strike on its embassy compound in Damascus on April 1. Subsequently, blasts were reported over the Iranian town of Isfahan on Friday morning, in what sources say was an Israeli attack. Tehran played down the incident and said it did not plan to retaliate, which may prevent the current war in Gaza to spill over throughout the region. (AMP)

21 April 2024
Working in Romania

Two men were detained by the security forces and are being
investigated for blackmail and abduction of foreign citizens, the
Bucharest Police has announced. The two suspects, aged 24 and 37,
were caught as they were transporting in their car two foreign
citizens, both of whom were victims of blackmail and kidnapping. The
police established that they had been held in an apartment in Brasov
county, central Romania. Searches of the apartment and the car led to
the discovery of the passports of the two foreign citizens and a bag
with a substance believed to have psychoactive effects, a gun,
several phones and money. Inquiries also showed that a third foreign
national kidnapped on 13th February managed to escape by
climbing over the balcony. Hearings were conducted with all those
involved.

The employment market in Călăraşi county, in southern Romania, has
a shortage of higher education graduates, according to the county
employment agency. A quarter of the jobs available in this county
last year requested a university degree. Over 3,000 unemployed people
found a job in Calarasi in 2023 with the help of the Agency, its
director Tudora Nicolae says. She explained that some 7,800 jobs were
available at the end of last year. She also said that in her opinion
employment would be boosted in the county if the big universities
would also open branches here. At present, Calarasi is only home to
one branch of the University of Agronomical Sciences and Veterinary
Medicine of Bucharest.

Applications for extension of permit to stay in
Romania in 2023 grew to 940 from 724 in the previous year, said the
General Immigration Inspectorate in Buzau, in south-eastern Romania.
809 of these were for work purposes, 97 to keep the family together,
32 for other purposes and 2 for commercial activities. The
immigration police in Buzu also said in a statement that they last
year found 30 persons who did not have a residence permit, fewer than
in 2022, when they uncovered 73 such cases.

A factory making last-generation cardboard
packaging to replace the polystyrene used at present to protect goods
during transport will open this year in the north-western Romanian
town of Şimleu Silvaniei. The several million euro worth investment
belongs to the French group Rossmann, a world leader in this field,
and will lead to the creation of 200 jobs. The town’s mayor
Cristian Lazăr said Rossmann will make corrugated cardboard
packaging, given that from 2025 polystyrene will be banned for use
during the transport of goods. He said the factory will run in three
shifts and that the owners expect a lot of work post 2025. Rossmann
has three other factories in Romania, in Suceava county, in the
north-east, and in the capital Bucharest.

22 February 2024
Working in Romania

The number of foreign workers who can be brought to Romania in 2024 increases from 100,000 to 140,000, according to a draft decision put up for public debate by the Labor Ministry. The General Inspectorate for Immigration shows that, until October 9, more than 80,000 new employment permits were issued for workers from other states. In 2022, their number was almost 109,000, and in 2021 around 50,000. The institution specifies that, on September 30, the number of foreigners with a residence permit for the purpose of employment, secondment or dependent activities, located on the territory of Romania, exceeded 72,000. According to the data provided by the National Employment Agency, between January and August 2023, the total number of vacant jobs in Romania was approximately 506,000.

The main fields of activity in which, in the mentioned period, a significant number of available jobs were registered were: construction of residential and non-residential buildings over 64,000, restaurants over 28,500, postal and courier activities almost 27,000, contracting staff, on temporary bases, about 26,000, protection and guard over 17,500, road freight transport over 17,000, labor placement, about 13,000, food, beverage and tobacco retail, almost 12,000, automotive industry, almost 9,000, confectionery and bakery, over 8,500.

In 2022, the number of new employment contracts registered by Romanian employers for citizens of countries outside the European Union was over 96,000, and in 2021, around 54,000. The Labor Ministry shows that if the number of applications for the issuance of employment permits is greater than the quota of foreign workers newly admitted to the labor market in Romania, the Romanian Government can increase the quota of foreign workers based on a supporting memorandum. In 2019, the number of foreign workers newly admitted to the labor market in Romania was increased to 30,000, from 20,000 as had been established in the previous year. In the years dominated by the restrictive measures imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this number did not change.

More than 65,000 jobs are currently available in Romania, the National Employment Agency informs. Most jobs, over 4,600, are for security guards, followed by those for goods handlers, over 4,200, and for commercial workers, around 3,000. 2,800 jobs are for unskilled workers in the assembly of parts and manual packaging domain, about 2,700 for unskilled workers in the demolition of buildings, masonry, mosaic, tiles and parquet fitting and installation, almost 1,900 for couriers, about 1,500 for unskilled workers for breaking and cutting construction materials, over 1,300 for unskilled workers in the clothing industry and over 1,000 for cooks and cleaning staff.

Of the 65,000 job vacancies, almost 3,000 are intended for people with higher education, such as engineers in various fields of activity, programmers, advisors, experts, inspectors, referents, economists and accountants. Also, almost 12,000 jobs are available for people with high school or post-high school education, such as commercial workers, customer service agents, data entry, validation and processing operators, cashiers, and drivers for the road goods transportation. Another almost 12,000 jobs are intended for those with professional studies, such as goods handlers, welders, locksmiths, textiles, knitwear and synthetic materials manufacturers. (LS)

30 November 2023
Working in Romania

27% of
the Romanian managers are concerned with the labour shortage reported in the
first half of the year, according to a Confidex survey conducted by Impetum
Group. This is 16% more than the level reported at the end of lui 2022. The
labour shortage seems to become one of the main concerns for the business
environment, overtaking other worrying issues such as the inflation rate and
price rises, which were a concern for almost half of the managers interviewed
at the end of last year, the polling company said. One solution to this
problem, according to some managers, is to integrate public sector employees in
the private system and to import human resources from other countries. But the
latter has proved complicated, given that Romania is not an attractive country
for immigrant workers, so employee retention is a challenge in itself, the
survey authors also pointed out. The Confidex survey aims to provide a clear
image of the perceptions of business people in Romania, with more than 2,500
entrepreneurs and company executives taking part in the 8 editions of the poll
so far.

The
biggest problem facing construction companies in Romania at present has to do
with the workforce, an IBC Focus report reads. Over 75% of the constructions
entrepreneurs say they still struggle with labour shortages, and only 11% of
the respondents say they have enough employees and well trained people in their
teams. Nearly 58% of the participants in the poll said they were interested in increasing
their personnel numbers in the coming year. Also, one in 3 constructions
companies in Romania currently uses foreign workers, as opposed to 1 in 4
companies last year. The authors of the poll argue that the number of companies
adjusting to the labour market and defining procedures for employing foreign
workers is growing, and some 20% of the construction companies in Romania are
looking at the option of hiring foreign nationals.

Another survey, conducted by Deloitte, indicates
that 41% of the companies operating in Romania which say they cannot find
enough staff are facing a shortage of skills required for the current business
systems, which is why companies increasingly resort to so-called workforce
eco-systems, which involve the identification and management of new types of
human resources, such as consultants, freelancers, contractors or outsourcing, in
addition to traditional workforce consisting of full time or part time
employees. The Deloitte report also indicates that, for companies in Romania,
the benefits of a workforce eco-system comprising several different types of
human resources and managed through customized strategies and processes include
improved financial performance for 41% of the respondents and better personnel
retention for 29% of the respondents. Taking part in the latest edition of the Global
Human Capital Trends report, conducted by Deloitte on a yearly basis, were
around 10,000 respondents from 105 countries, including Romania.

More than 4,000 foreign nationals were found
staying in Romania illegally in the first 9 months of this year, the General
Immigration Inspectorate announced. In January – September, the police
conducted nearly 13,000 checks and inspections aimed at preventing and fighting
the illegal stay and unregistered employment of foreign nationals in Romania. Local
employment inspectorate employees also took part in these actions. Some 9,000
fines were issued for the violation of the legal and employment status of
foreigners, and around 3,200 people were issued return decisions. Another 1,000
were escorted out of the country, and 960 others were taken into custody until
their repatriation. (AMP)

2 November 2023
Working in Romania

Police
workers with the General Immigration Inspectorate, jointly with regional
employment inspectorates, are implementing a campaign between October 16 and
20, aimed at updating foreigners who study in Romania on the terms for a
possible employment in the country as well as on their rights and obligations
as employees here. The campaign takes place in universities across the country.
According to the General Immigration Inspectorate, as many as 17,615 foreign
nationals are studying in Romania, most of them from the R. Moldova, Morocco
and Israel, enrolled mostly in Bucharest, Iaşi, Cluj and Timiş.

Romania
has the highest employment rate in the EU in agriculture, forestry and
fisheries, according to data made public by the EU statistics office, Eurostat.
The largest employers in this respect are in the counties of Vaslui, 61.7%, and
Neamţ, 51.4%. Eight out of the 10 regions in the EU with the highest
employment rates in these sectors are in Romania. Iaşi County, also in the
north-east of the country, had the highest number of employees in 2020 – 146,200,
followed by 4 other regions in Romania, with over 100,000 employees each. Only
2 other regions in the EU were included in the top 10 employers in agriculture,
forestry and fisheries, namely Sandomiersko-jędrzejowski in Poland and Almería in
Spain.

Europe
is struggling with an acute workforce shortage, and the solution is to improve
youth skills, said the executive director of the European Labour Authority,
Cosmin Boiangiu at the European Business Forum held in Timişoara, western
Romania. Boiangiu emphasized that there are imbalances between countries in
terms of employment rates, and that workers from third countries are being
brought into Europe in order to offset this shortage. There is high demand for
workforce in sectors such as health care, IT, constructions and transports. Manpower
is much needed and we are seeing this in Romania as well, to a growing extent,
the ELA chief said. He also added that EU authorities are interested in
implementing a number of strategies concerning labour mobility and flexibility,
and one of the solutions is for employment to be based on skills, rather than
on the work experience or the education level.

The
number of foreign employees in Cluj County rose by 3,000 in the first 9 months
of this year, the General Immigration Inspectorate announced. According to the
institution, between January 1 and September 30, Cluj immigration police issued
over 3,400 stay permits, 640 of them for Sri Lanka nationals, 544 for Nepal
citizens, 363 for Indian nationals, 242 for Bangladesh citizens, and the others
for citizens from other countries. 806 registration certificates and 96
permanent residence cards were also issued to EU citizens. During the same
period, 2,851 documents were issued for permanent and posted workers. As for
illegal residents, during this period 541 inspections were conducted, with the
police identifying 44 foreigners staying here illegally. (AMP)

19 October 2023
Seeking employment abroad, the perks and the pitfalls

According to statistical data provided by the Romanian
Foreign Affairs Ministry, over 5.7 million Romanians are abroad, according to
the most recent census. All of them have the required legal papers for their
stay outside the country. Unofficially, however, there also is a great number of
Romanians who works in Western Europe, among whom a great number of them is undeclared. So with no legal documents! With a demographic situation in a
continuous crisis, Romania adds up to the number of countries hit by economic difficulties.
The pandemic brought many of Romanians back to their country of origin, yet the dire
economic situation sent those people back to the countries they came from. With or without
legal documents in order, a growing number of Romanians yet again embarked upon
the path of self-exile, because here, the salaries do not align with the
inflation rate, which is visible in the quality of life here and in the lack
of perspective, longer-term.

So what can a Romanian do abroad? Most of the countries
on the lookout for workforce from us are somehow, traditional: Germany, The
Netherlands, Great Britain, Italy, Spain, but also Norway, Sweden and Finland. The
e-jobs portal has pointed to a downward trend in Romanians’ intention to leave,
as compared to the number of applications.

With details on that, here is the
e-jobs Head of Communications, Ana Calugaru:

Since
early January and until now, the number of application for a job abroad has diminished.
For this period of time, we had almost 34,000 applications for jobs abroad. That means 1. 4% of the total number of
applications. The countries that received the greatest number of applications
have been Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, France, The Republic of Ireland, Cyprus
or Great Britain. Spain and Italy have fallen out of favor pretty much as
compared to 6,7,8 years ago, when they used to be very popular.

Most of the candidates look for jobs for which no qualification is
required, which shortens the time for the job search, at once widening the
range of job opportunities.

Here is the e-jobs Head of Communications, Ana Calugaru, once
again:

Speaking about the
areas where most of the vacancies have been posted. To that end, since the beginning
of the year and until now, employers from abroad have posted 55,000 job
vacancies for candidates from Romania. Most of the vacancies come from Germany, the Netherlands, France, Italy, England,
Spain, Belgium and Denmark. The domains for which the Romanians are extremely sought-after
are transports, logistics, navy, aeronautics, production, constructions,
tourism, services, food industry, retail and healthcare.

Regarding the wages, the Romanians could go and
work abroad even for a thousand euros. In agriculture, the net wages per hour
range from 8.50 to 10 euros, meaning that, at the end of the month, the net
income amounts to as much as 1,000 euros or thereabouts.

For example, in Spain, for a job in administration,
the gross income per month accounts for 1,900 euros, while in agriculture and administration,
it stands at almost 1,700 euros. Also in Spain, in arts and culture, the
monthly income is 1,900 euros, in the constructions sector, 2,400 Euros, in
mining and metallurgy, 2,300 Euros, while in the healthcare system, the monthly
gross income accounts for 2,000 euros. A fruit picker gets 1,100 euros, the
lowest salary.

In the Low Countries, a monthly salary in
agriculture stands at 2,850 euros. For a job in arts and culture, the salary
per month stands at roughly 3,170 euros. For a truck driver, the salary per month
ranges from 2,070 to 4,450 euros. For a physician, the salary ranges from 3, 000
to 7, 100 euro.

In Germany, extremely sought-after is the care home
staff. The demand is high for this job, given the demographic decline. Germany lures
the Romanians with experience in the field with an annual income ranging from 32,
500 to 39, 000 Euros, plus perks, such as rent subsidies for the first month,
free-of-charge language courses, furnished apartments and 30-day vacations per
year.

In Italy, a Romanian with no qualification can earn
roughly 1,250 euros per month, in the constructions sector, for instance.

In Denmark, no qualification is
needed for a job on a farm. The salary accounts for 1,600 euros. For a job in
constructions sector or in a slaughter house, the monthly wages range from 2, 100
de euro to 2, 500 euro.

Here is the e-jobs Head of
Communications, Ana Calugaru, once again, this time speaking about the other
perks Western Europe employers offer to the Romanians who intend to work in
their companies:

What
other perks do they offer? Healthcare insurance, one or two-month accommodation
subsidies offered until employees can find their own accommodation. For some
positions, companies can also offer a relocation premium.

Statistically speaking, the happiest are the Romanians working in
Spain. Spain offers a fine job-daily life balance which is very attractive for them.
For this very reason, a growing number of Romanians opt for leaving Germany to work in Spain. At any rate, according to the specialists’ advice, those who may wish to
do that should sleep on it, in case they intend to work abroad.

4 October 2023
Working in Romania

The Ukrainian citizens who want to get jobs in Romania
do not need an employment permit for 12 months, which can be extended
subsequently. They are only required to get registered with the local
employment agencies, and they have the same employment rights as the Romanian
citizens, the National Employment Agency announced.

Through its local offices, the institution provides
the Ukrainian nationals registered in its records a number of free of charge
services. These include professional guidance and information on the Romanian
labour market, on the latest developments in terms of professions, advice for
job seekers and assistance during the job induction process.

The National Employment Agency (ANOFM) connects
employers with job seekers and offers the latter free of charge professional
training schemes in order to improve and diversify their skills and facilitate
their mobility and integration in the labour market. The Agency also assesses
and certifies the professional skills gained in formal and informal contexts
for those who are not certified in specific areas.

Not least, the institution provides EURES assistance
to the Ukrainian nationals who arrive in Romania, so that they may find jobs in
the EU and the European Economic Area. These services include the provision of
information on the EU labour market; information on working and living
standards in the EU and EEA member countries, information on the EURES European
and national portal, on vacancies across the EU, on mobility schemes and
similar assistance and financial support programmes.

According to the Agency, by September 18 as many as 19,349
Ukrainian nationals had registered with local employment offices in order to
benefit from these services. The largest numbers of Ukrainian refugees are
reported in Bucharest (4,722), Constanța (4,604), Ilfov, near the capital city
(1,561), Brașov (1,259), Maramureș (1,135), Suceava (733), Cluj (628), Galați
(604), Iași (584) and Sibiu (538). Thanks to the Agency’s work, 1,815 Ukrainian
citizens have been employed in the past few months, and 518 employers have
expressed their willingness to hire Ukrainian nationals, announcing 5,223 vacancies
for them as well.

Most jobs available for Ukrainian nationals are for
unskilled workers in various industries such as textiles or constructions, or
in the hospitality sector. The professions of the Ukrainian citizens who came
to Romania range from unskilled workers in the steel industry, constructions,
the automotive industry and hospitality, to musicians, teachers, translators,
architects, IT and administrative staff. (AMP)

26 September 2023
October 28, 2022

POPULATION Between July 2021 and July 2022, Romania lost over
100,000 residents, according to data released today by the National Statistics
Institute. From over 22
million people with permanent residence in Romania, the number dropped to 21.9
million. The urban and female population make up a majority, accounting for 56.2%, and 51.2% of the total,
respectively. The average age was 42.1 years
old, 0.1 years more than on July 1, 2021. Population ageing is also
significant, as the proportion of old people has increased and the share of
youth aged up to 14 has decreased slightly. The NSI data refers to individuals
with Romanian citizenship and permanent residence in Romania, and it may
include migrants as well. According to the Institute, in 2060 Romania may have between 16.3
million inhabitants, in an optimistic scenario, and 12.5 million, in a
pessimistic scenario.

SOCIAL The government of Romania will simplify procedures for the
migrants who work in Romania. A bill discussed in today’s Cabinet meeting
stipulates a reduction in the number of documents required when migrants seek
to change jobs. The government also intends to increase the number of
education units in which students can receive hot meals from 350 to 450. And,
under a separate emergency order, the government plans to create the legal
framework for pensions valid in all EU member states. Based on EU standards,
this kind of pension will primarily benefit citizens with employment contracts
in several EU countries and who want a customised pension product with
identical operation standards in all member states. The government is also
working on a bill allowing Romania to pull out of an international convention
on scientific information exchange, signed in Moscow in 1969.

SCHENGEN PM
Nicolae Ciucă was on an official working visit to Brussels, where he was
promised full support for Romania’s Schengen accession. Positive signals were
also received with respect to the lifting of the Cooperation and Verification
Mechanism. The Romanian PM discussed the topics with the president of the
European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, while the justice minister Cătălin
Predoiu, who accompanied him to Brussels, had talks with the EC vice-president
Vera Jourova and with the EU commissioner for justice, Didier Reynders.
Romania’s and Bulgaria’s Schengen accession may be included in the agenda of
the Justice and Home Affairs Council meeting of December 8-9, 2022.

PENSIONS
Pensions in the Romanian public system may be raised as of January 1, 2023,
with authorities planning the increase to be at least 10%. One of the
obstacles, namely the pension expenditure ceiling stipulated under the National
Recovery and Resilience Plan, would be replaced by an indicator related to
budget capacity and other financial discipline criteria, the PM Nicolae Ciucă
announced in Brussels. He had talks in this respect with the European
Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, with technical details to be defined
by experts.

UKRAINE The International Atomic Energy
Agency is set to visit 2 Ukrainian sites this week at Kyiv’s request, as the
Russian president Vladimir Putin accuses Ukraine of destroying evidence that it
was preparing a dirty bomb. Previously, Putin had requested an IAEA mission as
soon as possible. According to him, Ukraine is planning to use radioactive
weapons and to claim subsequently that Russia had launched a nuclear attack. Meanwhile, the Pentagon is sending Ukraine a new military and aid
package amounting to USD 275 mln, to help efforts to drive Russian forces away
from key areas in the south of the country. On the other hand, the US defence
secretary Lloyd
Austin Thursday warned Vladimir Putin that a nuclear attack would prompt a significant
response from the international community. The US official said Russia using
this type of weapons or even speaking about it was dangerous and irresponsible.
Meanwhile, clashes continue in Ukraine, with Russian forces launching over 30
drones in the past couple of days, and the Ukrainian Army destroying 23 of them,
according to Kyiv. Since February, Russia has launched 4,500 missile attacks
and over 8,000 air raids over Ukraine, president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. (AMP)

28 October 2022
August 11, 2022 UPDATE

Agriculture – In Romania, wheat crops are affected by the drought on an area of over 180,000 hectares, while the total affected area reached on Thursday almost 330,000 hectares in three quarters of the counties, according to data provided by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development . The line minister, Petre Daea, announced that this years wheat production is by 15% – 18% smaller than that recorded in 2021. According to the agriculture minister, there is enough wheat to cover Romanias internal needs, namely 2.5 – 3 million tons, and even to ensure a surplus for export.

Fire – Romania will provide emergency external humanitarian aid to France to extinguish the devastating forest fires there, and a ground intervention module is going to be sent. 7 firefighting officers and 70 non-commissioned officers as well as 17 pieces of equipment have been mobilized. The aid will be granted based on the request for international assistance made by the French government, through the European Civil Protection Mechanism. The module will be transported by two C17 planes, which will pick up the components from Bucharest and Timisoara. The two aircraft are from the Papa Air Base in Hungary, a NATO structure that provides strategic air transport capabilities. They will be used with the support of the Romanian Defense Ministry, using the flight resources intended for it. Similar aid by Romania was granted to Greece.

Refugees – The number of Ukrainian citizens with employment contracts in Romania has reached almost 6,500, said the labor minister, Marius Budăi. More than 4,000 contracts were registered after the start of the war. Most are in the manufacturing industry, and also in constructions, hotels, restaurants and trade. More than a quarter of Ukrainians, over 1,200, opted for jobs in Bucharest. On the other hand, the Border Police announced that, on Wednesday, about 13,500 Ukrainian citizens crossed the border into Romania. Starting from February 10 (pre-conflict period), until August 9, almost 1.9 million refugees entered the country, but most of them only transited Romania to other European countries.

Covid – Almost 6,500 new cases of SARS-CoV-2 infections have been registered in the last 24 hours in Romania, over 800 less than the previous day, the Romanian Health Ministry announced on Thursday. About a fifth of the new cases are in re-infected patients. About 300 people are in intensive care. In the last 24 hours, 29 Covid patients have died.

Inflation – The annual inflation rate in Romania dropped to 14.96% in July this year, from 15.1% in June – the National Institute of Statistics announced on Thursday. Natural gas, oil, potatoes and fuel are at the top of the price hikes in July, followed by energy, plane tickets, flour and corn flour. Telephony services are the only ones that got slightly cheaper, the rest of the products and services registering price increases. According to the data presented, on Tuesday, by the Central Bank governor, Mugur Isărescu, the National Bank of Romania increased the inflation forecast for the end of this year to 13.9% and estimates an inflation rate of 7.5% for the end of next year. (LS)

11 August 2022
July 25, 2022 UPDATE

DROUGHT Drought has affected
106,389 hectares of land in Romania, according to figures published by the
agriculture ministry. The southern counties of Teleorman, Olt and Dolj have run
out of water for irrigation because of the significant drop in the Danube’s
river flow, agriculture minister Petre Daea announced on social media. Waters
have retreated so much that they no longer reach the pumping stations feeding
the irrigation system, with part of the Danube’s bed now looking like sandy
beach. In the areas where irrigation was used, the state of the crops is good.
Daea said the authorities are speeding up investment works to rehabilitate the
national irrigation network and to bring Danube water closer to pumping
stations. The minister recently said there is no reason yet to declare a state
of disaster over the drought.

TALKS
The Romanian state secretary for strategic affairs, Iulian Fota, Monday had
talks in Bucharest with the US deputy under-secretary for national security Kelli
Ann Burriesci, who is on a regional tour in Europe. The US official was later
received by the Romanian foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu. Talks focused on Romania’s
participation in the Visa Waiver Program
and on means to strengthen bilateral cooperation to this end. Bogdan Aurescu reiterated
that including Romania in the Visa Waiver
program is a top political goal for Bucharest and a topic of particular
interest to the Romanian public. He also
highlighted the importance of the successful implementation of a joint
awareness raising campaign and voiced Romania’s willingness to work together
with the US to help reduce the visa rejection rate.

COVID-19 In Romania,
the number of coronavirus infections is on the rise. Nearly 5,000 new cases
were reported on Monday for the last 24 hours, most of these in Bucharest,
Cluj, Ilfov, Constanta and Brasov counties. Around 3,400 COVID-19 patients are hospitalised,
204 of them in intensive care. Most of the patients in critical condition are
unvaccinated. Five COVID-related deaths have also been reported.

CORRUPTION Lucian
Duţă, the former chief of Romania’s National Health Insurance Agency (CNAS), Monday
received a final 6-year prison sentence. He was charged by the National
Anti-Corruption Directorate for receiving EUR 6.3 million in bribe in exchange
for awarding a public service contract to 2 software companies. The Bucharest Court
of Appeals upheld the ruling pronounced by the court of first instance in
November 2020, and the court’s decision to seize the EUR 6.3 million from Lucian
Duţă.

ENERGY More than
3,500 MW of renewable energy will be installed in Romania in the coming period,
both solar, using photovoltaic panels, and wind-generated, according to data
provided by a consultancy firm in the field. Almost 700 such projects have been
submitted on the platform made available by the energy ministry to receive
funding under the recovery and resilience plan. The secretary general of the
employers’ association in the field of renewable energy Mihai Verşescu said
investment is needed in this sector, but that business people are reluctant because
of frequent legislative changes. He emphasised that while funding sources are
available, legislation is needed to ensure predictability.

EMPLOYMENT Five out
of ten Romanian employees changed their jobs in the last two years, according
to a poll published by an online recruitment platform. Many job applicants look
for less stressful jobs and more benefits. Four out of ten people who change
their jobs were driven by higher pay, 27% because they had lost their jobs a
result of a wave of redundancies, and 3% because their employers did not agree
to their working remotely. 35% of respondents said they are currently looking
and applying for new jobs and only 21% are completely satisfied with their
current jobs. In conclusion, Romanians seeking new employment want better pay,
the possibility to work from home, more additional benefits besides their wages
and the possibility to relocate abroad.

TENNIS The Romanian
tennis player Irina Begu won the WTA 250 tournament in Palermo, Italy, worth
200,000 US dollars in prize money. In Sunday’s final, she defeated Italy’s
Lucia Bronzetti in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2. This is Begu’s fifth WTA title,
having also won in Tashkent in 2012, Seoul in 2015, Florianopolis in 2016 and
Bucharest in 2017. Begu also played the finals in Budapest, Marbella, Moscow
and Cleveland. She is 31 years old and is ranked 45th in the world. Until now,
Irina Spârlea had been the only Romanian player to win the singles title in
Palermo, in 1994 and 1995. (CM, AMP)

25 July 2022
June 1, 2020 UPDATE

COVID-19 As of Monday, a new stage in relaxing the coronavirus containment measures began in Romania. Outdoor restaurants and bars, as well as beaches, reopened on Monday, and some outdoor sports competitions were resumed, but without public. Also on Monday travel restrictions were lifted, both for domestic and international road and railway traffic. Shopping centres, schools, kindergartens and playgrounds remain closed however, and flights to and from certain countries continue to be grounded. Self-isolation or quarantine for travellers coming into the country is still compulsory. Over 19,400 coronavirus infection cases have been reported in Romania since the start of the pandemic, 3 months ago. Around 13,400 of them have recovered, and 1,276 died. Among the Romanians living abroad, the number of cases passed 3,100, with the death toll standing at 106.

EMPLOYMENT As of June 1, Romanian employers who decide to hire people over 50 years of age, under open-ended full time contracts, will be reimbursed by the government 50% of the employees salary, up to roughly 500 euros. The government decided to grant the same facility to companies that hire youth aged 16 to 29. Meanwhile, furlough will be paid in those sectors where the COVID-19 containment measures are to remain in place. The government has also decided to pay the employees who have been on furlough and return to work 41.5% of the basic salary, via their employers.

CHILDREN The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis said in a Childrens Day message on Monday that, in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, children have made extraordinary efforts and adapted to online schooling, proving quite aware of the importance of education. He thanked children for being understanding and for protecting their families, especially their grandparents, who are the most vulnerable to this disease. President Iohannis called on all children to comply with safety and hygiene rules and be his allies in the fight against the virus, and assured them that this period will be overcome. Other public officials also posted messages on International Childrens Day.

STATISTICS The number of youth has dropped steadily in Romania over the past few years, the National Statistics Institute reports. Early this year, Romania had little over 4 million children, and 2019 was the first year when the number of newborns dropped under 200,000. Experts expect that by 2060 the number of preschoolers and children will be over 50% smaller than in 2015 in around half of Romanias counties.

PANDEMIC The number of novel coronavirus cases worldwide is nearly 6.3 million. Of these, 2.85 million patients have recovered, and some 375,000 died. The country with the largest number of cases is the US, followed by Brazil, with over 500,000 cases, accounting for over half of the total number of cases in Latin America. In Europe the situation is begining to settle, with Britain, the country with the largest number of deaths (over 38,000) starting to lift containment measures on Monday. Groups of up to 6 people are allowed to meet as of Monday, with social distancing measures still in place. Italy, which at some point was the European country the worst hit by COVID-19, continues to ease restrictions, and authorities are focusing now on restarting tourism, which is a major sector of the Italian economy.

PROTESTS Clashes between protesters and police were reported in cities across the US, sparked by the killing of an African American citizen upon arrest. According to the BBC, violence was reported in tens of cities, including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. In Washington, near the White House, police used tear gas against the protesters who set fire and threw rocks at the police forces.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

1 June 2020
June 1, 2020

COVID-19 As of today, a new stage in relaxing the coronavirus containment measures begins in Romania. Outdoor restaurants and bars, as well as beaches, reopen today, and some outdoor sports competitions are resumed, but without public. Also today travel restrictions are lifted, both for domestic and international road and railway traffic. Shopping centres, schools, kindergartens and playgrounds remain closed however, and flights to and from certain countries continue to be grounded. Self-isolation or quarantine for travellers coming into the country is still compulsory. Over 19,400 coronavirus infection cases have been reported in Romania since the start of the pandemic, 3 months ago. Around 13,400 of them have recovered, and 1,270 died. Among the Romanians living abroad, the number of cases passed 3,100, with the death toll standing at 106.

EMPLOYMENT As of June 1, Romanian employers who decide to hire people over 50 years of age, under open-ended full time contracts, will be reimbursed by the government 50% of the employees salary, up to roughly 500 euros. The government decided to grant the same facility to companies that hire youth aged 16 to 29. Meanwhile, furlough will be plaid in those sectors where the COVID-19 containment measures are to remain in place. The government has also decided to pay the employees who have been on furlough and return to work 41.5% of the basic salary, via their employers.

CHILDREN The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis said in a Childrens Day message on Monday that, in the context of the coronavirus pandemic, children have made extraordinary efforts and adapted to online schooling, proving quite aware of the importance of education. He thanked children for being understanding and for protecting their families, especially their grandparents, who are the most vulnerable to this disease. President Iohannis called on all children to comply with safety and hygiene rules and be his allies in the fight against the virus, and assured them that this period will be overcome. Other public officials have also posted messages on International Childrens Day.

STATISTICS The number of youth has dropped steadily in Romania over the past few years, the National Statistics Institute reports. Early this year, Romania had little over 4 million children, and 2019 was the first year when the number of newborns dropped under 200,000. Experts expect that by 2060 the number of preschoolers and children will be over 50% smaller than in 2015 in around half of Romanias counties.

PANDEMIC The number of novel coronavirus cases worldwide is nearly 6.3 million. Of these, 2.85 million patients have recovered, and some 375,000 died. The country with the largest number of cases is the US, followed by Brazil, with over 500,000 cases, accounting for over half of the total number of cases in Latin America. In Europe the situation is begining to settle, with Britain, the country with the largest number of deaths (over 38,000) starting to lift containment measures today. Groups of up to 6 people are allowed to meet as of today, with social distancing measures still in place. Italy, which at some point was the European country the worst hit by COVID-19, continues to ease restrictions, and authorities are focusing now on restarting tourism, which is a major sector of the Italian economy.

PROTESTS Clashes between protesters and police were reported in cities across the US, sparked by the killing of an African American citizen upon arrest. According to the BBC, violence was reported in tens of cities, including New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. In Washington, near the White House, police used tear gas against the protesters who set fire and threw rocks at the police forces.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

1 June 2020
Support and recommendations from the European Commission

The EU Council has approved the rules for the implementation of a programme called SURE, through which Brussels supports the national governments active measures to boost employment. For Romania, the amount ranges between 3 and 5 billion euro, out of a total of 100 billion euro. Bucharest will have to come up with guarantees of up to 400 million euros, PM Ludovic Orban explained. On Wednesday, he announced several active measures to support the companies and employees affected by the economic situation triggered by the coronavirus pandemic.

Ludovic Orban: “Furlough will be replaced by a measure to support employees returning to work, with the state covering up to 41.5% of gross salaries for each employee resuming work within a company. We will also cover up to 30% of the gross salary for the companies who hire people looking for jobs, for at least 3 months.

More generous instruments to support employment for certain categories will also be developed. These categories include young graduates or people near the retirement age, whose employment is problematic. In the economic sectors where restrictions will remain in place after June 1, the state will continue to cover employees furlough.

According to PM Orban, this is the case with 600,000 Romanians currently on furlough, and nearly 700,000 who will be jobless in the near future. Around 350,000 people have been made redundant, and a comparable number of Romanians have returned to the country and are looking for jobs here.

The PM made these statements on the same day when the European Commission made public the country recommendations for Romania, based on its spring forecasts. According to the Commission, if Romania keeps its current policies, its budget deficit will be negative 9.2% of the GDP this year, negative 11.4% next year, and economic recession will hit.

Bucharest is urged to avoid introducing permanent measures that would jeopardise the sustainability of public finances. The Commission also advises Romania to extend social protection measures and access to essential services. In order to mitigate the impact of the crisis on employment, recommended measures include supporting jobseekers in strengthening their digital skills and providing equal access to education. Not least, the report recommends direct support in the economy, benefiting households as well as companies, especially small and medium enterprises and self-employed workers.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

21 May 2020
World Bank forecasts

The World Bank has announced an upward adjustment of its estimates regarding the growth of the Romanian economy, with the new figures standing at 4.2% for this year, 3.6% for 2020 and 3.2% for 2021. Experts expect a slow-down in the medium-term economic growth, particularly in the context of a rise of employment rates among higher education graduates at the expense of job seekers with lower education, which is predicted to feed into rising inequality.

The World Bank also says the government will have difficulties keeping the budget deficit below 3% of GDP. The newly passed Pension Law and the planned public sector salary increases will put pressure on the consolidated budget deficit and reduce the resources for investments. The institution recommends that the governments priorities should include reforms in public administration and state-owned companies, as well as policies addressing social and regional disparities.

The World Bank also suggests renewed efforts to reduce unemployment among youth and low-skilled workers, which will help reduce the constraints on demand and contribute to sustainable economic growth. “In the medium term, the focus of fiscal policy should be rebalanced, from increasing consumption to mobilizing investments, especially from European funds, to support sustainable convergence to the EU and social inclusion. Reforms in public administration and state-owned companies, enhancing the predictability of regulations, as well as appropriate policies for addressing social and spatial disparities should be on the governments priority agenda, the institution added.

Meanwhile, another World Bank report shows that nearly 40% of the Romanian emigrants are higher education graduates, and warns that this generally leads to problems in the field of skilled workforce and consequently to a slow-down of the economic growth in the countries of origin. According to the report, the share of immigrants in Europe has risen sharply over the past 4 decades, with 1 in 3 immigrants now going to Europe. Intra-regional migration is also high in Europe and Central Asia, with 80% of the people choosing to move to other countries in the same region. “Migration also raises concerns of ‘brain drain of skilled-labour from countries of origin, as people with more education tend to emigrate more often around the region, the report also shows.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

10 October 2019