Radio România Internațional

Tag: entrepreneurs

  • What are entrepreneurs waiting from the future government

    What are entrepreneurs waiting from the future government

    Entrepreneurs, who convened on Monday for a specialized online event, have emphasized the risk of a potential economic recession that might hit Romania in the second part of 2025 and have called on the new Executive to take measures to avoid it.

    They recalled that 2024 was an extremely challenging year, when, besides the difficult economic and geopolitical background, the business environment had to face a significant fiscal-budgetary instability. “Romania is in an extremely fragile context, being the only EU country combining big twin deficits: we have an estimated budget deficit of 7.9% and a current account deficit standing at 8.4%, which is very much likely to grow by the end of 2024. According to statistic data, the current account deficit grows by at least 1.5 in December, mainly in the context of the 2024 election year,” says Cristina Chiriac, the president of the National Confederation for Women Entrepreneurship (CONAF).

    Romania will also have elections in the first semester of 2025.

    Cristina Chiriac: “I believe that if we want to avoid going into the economic recession zone, we must adjust the budget deficit and the current account deficit, without resorting to difficult measures. I mean, we must cut public spending, mainly in the non-productive areas; we must increase the effectiveness of tax collection and avoid fiscal overcharging in the business environment.”

    Business people said that under the present circumstances, when budgets must be adjusted almost every three months according to fiscal or legislative amendments, entrepreneurial companies cannot work with multiannual budgets, draw up business plans and make future forecasts.

    The need for predictability has also been underlined by Feliciu Paraschiv, vice-president of the National Association of Small and Medium-size Entrepreneurs in Romania.

    Feliciu Paraschiv: “We are having a series of big issues with the budget deficit and the persistent inflation as they come together, you know. And, at a better look we see that we are also having uncertain taxation, where the legislative amendments are more than ever.”

    Entrepreneurs have also mentioned the need for keeping inflation under control, and avoiding the implementation of other similar measures such as the e-Factura, (e-Invoice) or e-Transport, which have hindered the activity of companies. They have also urged the Romanian politicians to rely more on business expertise and endorse the measures focusing on the good functioning of the economy only after talks with all the parties interested.

    (bill)

  • Summertime protests

    Summertime protests

    Accountants, economists and entrepreneurs on Monday took to the streets of Bucharest to draw attention to what they call ‘fiscal terror’, and measures endorsed without public talks but with a major impact upon the entire society.

    The event called “A Chaos-free Fiscal Administration” was attended by people from all over Romania who braved the extremely hot temperatures to voice their discontent. Protesters took to Victoriei Square in downtown Bucharest, close to the government building, and their delegation held talks with the authorities. They showed their disapproval towards the authorities’ latest decisions on digitizing the fiscal administration. They denounced the lack of transparency and the fact that the introduction of several mechanisms such as the e-invoice, e-VAT or e-transport, would rather increase bureaucracy as there is a larger number of forms to fill in and a lot of redundant information. Furthermore, the accountants complained that the technical instruments made available by the Finance Ministry do not function properly.

    The protesters also called for legislative predictability with a clear schedule for fiscal amendments, made public at least six months before implementation.

    In turn, authorities say the new measures are meant to combat tax evasion. At the same time, Finance Minister, Marcel Bolos, pledged to step up talks with those directly affected.

    A government’s decision allowing the police to suspend licenses of drivers who have refused to take an anti-doping test before getting the results of medical investigations has triggered discontent among drivers in Romania.

    According to the organizers, ”Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and Interior Minister, Cătălin Predoiu, are jeopardizing the lives and careers of thousands of innocent drivers who run the risk of getting criminal files and losing their jobs because of false positive tests’.

    Following protests, this government ordinance aimed at changing the Traffic Code in Romania, would be amended in the first session of the Executive. The Prime Minister has called on the Interior Minister to come up with new measures so that drivers should not be sanctioned on the basis of false positive drug tests on one hand and on the other hand the new measures should not compromise the fight against the use of banned substances.

    The field drug-test kits used by the Romanian police are error-prone and known to have produced false-positive errors in many situations. Forensic experts have explained that a series of food or medical substances can influence the aforementioned tests. One suchlike substance is codeine, which is normally used in the treatment of coughing.

    So, the Romanian authorities are in need of new, more effective drug-test kits, able to confirm a test in a couple of days. At present a test needs a couple of months to confirm and so need drivers to get back their suspended licenses.

    (bill)