Radio România Internațional

Tag: IMF report

August 28, 2021 UPDATE

COVID-19 – 1,015 new cases of
COVID-19 infection were reported on Saturday out of some 43,000 tests, the
Group for Strategic Communication reports. 19 related fatalities have also been
reported, while 243 people are in intensive care. Romania is ready for the
fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Prime Minister Florin
Cîţu said on Saturday. The Prime Minister claims anesthesia and intensive care
units have maintained their capacity of receiving COVID patients, and
vaccination patients can still vaccinate up to a 100 thousand people every day.
The Prime Minister also referred to the importance of vaccination and testing
for all health workers, as well as the personnel in education, law enforcement
and the army.

MOLDOVA – Romania
supports the modernization of the Army of the Republic of Moldova, Romania’s
Defense Minister, Nicolae Ciucă said during a meeting with his Moldovan
counterpart, Anatolie Nosaty. The two officials tackled topics pertaining to
bilateral military cooperation. Minister Nosaty said Romania is a trusted and
strategic partner of the Republic of Moldova, expressing gratitude for the
constant assistance coming from Bucharest in the field of defense. He also
referred to the training of Moldovan Army personnel in relevant Romanian
institutions, the expertise offered in drafting strategic documents as part of
the Initiative for Consolidating Defense Capabilities, as well as assistance
aimed at combating the COVID-19 pandemic. General Ciucă on Friday attended, alongside
President Klaus Iohannis, the military parade marking 30 years since the
proclamation of independence of neighboring Moldova. Created on a part of
Romania’s eastern territories, annexed by the Soviet Union through an ultimatum
in 1940, the Republic of Moldova won its independence after the abortive coup
in Moscow against the then Soviet leader, Mikhail Gorbachev. Adopted on August
27, 1991 by Parliament in Chisinau, the declaration of independence was
recognized by Romania on the same day. The Republic of Moldova got
international recognition on March 2, 1992 upon its accession to the United
Nations Organization.

AFGHANISTAN – The
crisis task force set up by Romanian authorities managed to evacuate 5 Afghan
nationals from Kabul, who were admitted on Kabul airport and subsequently
evacuated with support from Romania’s international partners, the Foreign
Ministry in Bucharest has announced. The Afghan citizens – an exchange student
studying in Romania and two journalists together with their families, are now
safe outside Afghan territory. The task force has issued and submitted
documents to the five Afghan citizens, conforming they are under the protection
of the Romanian state. The Ministry says Romania will continue to take steps to
evacuate Afghan nationals who worked together with Romanian troops and
international organizations, students in Romania, vulnerable categories such as
journalists, human rights activists, magistrates and members of their families.
All 49 Romanian citizens who wanted to leave Afghanistan have been evacuated.
At the same time, the task force maintains contact with the nine Romanian
citizens who are still in Afghanistan and who have notified Romanian
authorities they do not wish to be evacuated.

IMF – The most important economic policy
Romania needs to adopt right now is a swift implementation of the anti-COVID-19
vaccination campaign, and that requires a significant amount of financial
resources, a recent report of the IMF shows. The report also states that
support measures dealing with the economic fallout of COVID-19 should be
redirected to the most affected sectors, whereas fiscal policy should focus on
a fair distribution of the fiscal burden and the improvement of tax collection.
The IMF also recommends the reform of state-owned companies. Romania should
also capitalize on the historic opportunity provided by the Recovery and
Resilience Plan, as well as EU structural funds. For 2021, Fund experts expects
a strong economic recovery in Romania, with a GDP growth of 7%. The main
challenge remains the risk of negative and unpredictable changes in the
evolution of the pandemic.

FARMERS – Young farmers
starting a business in the field of agriculture can apply for non-reimbursable
funds of up to 70,000 Euro starting Friday. The total budget stands at 100
million Euro, of which 30 million is reserved for farmers in mountainous
regions. The funds will be disbursed for a maximum period of three years, in
two installments: 75% upon signing the funding contract, and 25% depending on
the correct implementation of the business plan, until December 31, 2025. The authorities will be providing financial assistance to small farms as well, and all
applications can be submitted until November 26.

FESTIVAL – A new edition
of the George Enescu International Festival started on Saturday in Bucharest,
with the famous Romanian Rhapsody no. 2 performed in the opening concert. This
year the Festival has reached its 25th edition, marking 140 years
since the birth of the great Romanian composer. Over 3,500 artists will take
part over August 28 – September 26 in the festival. Concerts will be held in
Bucharest, Sibiu, Timişoara, Iaşi and Constanţa, and will be divided in four
sections: Great World Orchestras, Concerts and Recitals, Music of the 21st
Century and Enescu and his Contemporaries. Russian conductor Vladimir Jurowski,
this year’s artistic director, says the event will bring together the most
important musicians from all over the world, helping promote the values of
united Europe. Radio Romania is co-producer of the Festival. (VP)

28 August 2021
January 23, 2018 UPDATE

SCHENGEN – Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis on Tuesday stated, at the annual meeting with the heads of the diplomatic missions accredited to Bucharest, that Romania’s joining the Schengen area is essential. He has also stated that the logistics needed for Romania’s holding the presidency of the EU Council in 2019 must be properly prepared. The head of state has given assurances that Romania will keep taking part in the debates on strengthening the economic and monetary union and has added that unless it joins the Schengen area, Romania will not enjoy all the benefits ensured by its EU integration. The president has also stated that Romania’s foreign policy pillars are the strategic partnership with the US and its membership to the EU and NATO. Klaus Iohannis has also stated that Bucharest firmly pleads for strengthening trans-Atlantic ties.

OPPOSITION – The National Liberal Party, the main opposition party in Romania, on Tuesday presented the so-called “black book of the ruling coalition”. The president of the party Ludovic Orban has stated that 2017 was a lost year for Romania and the country is heading in the wrong direction from a democratic, economic and social point of view. According to the analysis made by the Liberals, out of the 724 measures that the government formed by the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats committed to implementing, only 33 were implemented, and as regards major fields such as education, health and the economy, less than 5% of the promised measures were taken. Also, budget expenditure exceeded revenues and the money was not used for development, it was mainly spent on personnel expenditure. The National Liberal Party also claims that when the coalition started ruling, the inflation rate was 0.2%, to then reach 3.3% in 2017. Previously, Orban had announced that the Liberals would establish the way in which they were going to act in Parliament, to prevent the validation of the new governmental team, headed by the Social Democrat MEP Viorica Dancila.

JUSTICE LAWS – The Constitutional Court on Tuesday delayed a decision on the challenges lodged by the High Court of Cassation and Justice and the National Liberal Party and Save Romania Union in opposition for January 30. The Court did announce that the law referring to the setup of a special Prosecutor’s Office responsible for investigating judges and prosecutors is constitutional. Magistrates believe that this breaks the principle of equality before the law, as they would become the only professional category in Romania to have a special office for their own prosecution. In turn, the Liberals say that the changes brought to the justice laws break several constitutional principles, including the senators’ and deputies’ right to have legislative initiatives. On Saturday, dozens of thousands of people protested again against the ruling coalition in Romania, whom they blame for trying to subordinate magistrates and to put an end to the fight against corruption. The changes in the justice laws have also been criticized by president Klaus Iohannis, the media and some of Romania’s western partners.

IMF – In an update on its bi-annual “World Economic Outlook”, the International Monetary Fund estimates that world economy will increase its growth rate to 4% in 2018 and 2019. Also, the report reads that last year, economic activity in Europe and Asia was surprisingly better than estimated, so the fund has revised upwards its estimates for the Eurozone, in particular for Germany, Italy and the Netherlands. According to the IMF, the US economy would register an economic growth rate of 2.7% in 2018, but that would slow down to 2.5% in 2019. The Chinese economy would register a rate of 6.6% this year, and 6.4% in 2019. As regards Romania, in its “World Economic Outlook”, published in October 2017, the IMF revised the growth rate estimated for Romania in 2018, from 3.4% to 4.4%.

FLU – A 40-year old woman has died in Botosani, north-eastern Romania, of complications triggered by the flu. This is the third death caused by flu viruses this year in Romania, after a 69 year old woman in Bucharest and a 15-year old boy in Salaj, north-western Romania. The Health Minister Florian Bodog has called on family doctors to continue the anti-flu vaccination campaign this month too, especially of people who are at risk. According to the National Centre for Disease Surveillance and Control, the total number of cases of acute respiratory infections has reached 75,000. Specialists say that, as compared to the same period last season, the total number of ill people is smaller by some 25%.

PACE — Senator Titus Corlatean, the head of Romania’s Parliamentary delegation in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, was elected vice-president of the Assembly in 2018 for the second time in a row. The election was made on the sidelines of a PACE session in Strasbourg. Titus Corlatean was also designated PACE rapporteur for the emergency debate “The Peacemaking Process in the Middle East: the contribution of the Council of Europe”. Scheduled for Thursday, the debate will also occasion a report presented by Corlatean, who will also submit a resolution on this topic to the Assembly for approval.

TENNIS – The pair made up of the Romanian tennis players Irina Begu and Monica Niculescu has qualified for the semifinals of the Australian Open, the first Grand Slam of the year, after a 3 set victory against the US couple Jennifer Brady/Vania King. Next, Begu and Niculescu will take on the Russians Ekaterina Makarova/Elena Vesnina, who won the title in Melbourne back in 2014. On Wednesday, Romania’s only representatives in the singles, Simona Halep, takes on Karolina Pliskova of the Czech Republic. Halep is the world’s number one player and also first-seed at the Australian Open. (Translated by M. Ignatescu & V. Palcu)

23 January 2018
April 19, 2017

Extradition — The Romanian Justice Ministry has prepared the extradition procedure from Serbia of the former MP Sebastian Ghiţă, who was arrested before Easter. The justice minister, Tudorel Toader, explained that the extradition procedure would be initiated as soon as he received all the necessary documents from the Romanian courts that ruled on the arrest of the former MP. Searched by the Interpol, Sebastian Ghiţă has two arrest warrants issued on his name and he is being investigated in Romania in 5 corruption cases.

IMF report — The IMF estimates improved economic growth at global level, from 3.5% in 2017 as compared to 3.1% in 2016, while in 2018 the economic growth rate is estimated to reach 3.6%. Economic growth will be registered both in developed countries as well as in the developing and underdeveloped countries and consolidation will occur especially in the manufacturing industry and trade. For Romania, the IMF has revised upwards, from 3.8% to 4.2%, its estimates regarding the evolution of the Romanian economy in 2017, while for 2018 the IMF’s estimates for Romania’s economic growth rate stand at 3- 4%. According to the IMF report, in 2017 Romania will register the second biggest economic growth rate in Europe, being outrun only by Iceland (5.7%).

Snap elections London — UK Prime Minister Theresa May on Wednesday will call on the House of Commons to vote on her plan to hold a snap general election on June 8. She motivated her decision quoting Parliament’s lack of support for the government’s plan, as the UK prepares to negotiate its exit from the EU. To hold early elections the PM needs the votes of two thirds of the MPs. Jeremy Corbyn, the leader of the main opposition party, the Labour Party, said that he supported the initiative, which means, according to analysts, that the plan will be voted. Theresa May took over her office in July after David Cameron’s resignation, following Britons’ decision through the June 23 referendum to leave the EU.

Alert drill — In Romania continues the largest-scale alert and warning drill of the past years, which takes places across the whole of Romania’s territory until Friday. According to a pre-established schedule, sirens will be heard between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. Firefighters will test all the 7,000 sirens across Romania, that were placed mainly in those areas with high technological or radioactive risk. The drill is meant to test the authorities’ speed of reaction and whether people hear the sirens in all coverage areas. Moreover, the drill tests people’s ability to react in case of flooding, technological accidents or armed conflicts.

Turkey referendum — The Turkish authorities have refused the EU’s request to launch a transparent investigation into allegations of irregularities during Sunday’s referendum giving the president sweeping powers. The monitors of the OSCE and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe said that the vote “took place on an unlevel playing field” and it did not observe the standards of the Council of Europe. The main opposition party in Turkey called for the cancellation of the referendum result because many voting ballots without official stamps were counted. The Turkish President, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, won the referendum expanding his powers by a narrow margin, which could allow him to stay in power for another 12 years. His plans after the victory focus on concentrating power in the hands of the president, on scrapping the position of prime minister, electing the high-ranking magistrates and dissolving Parliament.

Visit — The First Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, will pay an official visit to Romania on Thursday. The European official will meet with Romanian high-ranking officials, leaders of parliamentary parties as well as with the partners in the Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification from the judiciary. At the end of his visit, Frans Timmermans will also talk with civil society representatives on such issues as the White Paper on the future of Europe, the anniversary of 60 years since the signing of the Rome treaties and of 10 years since Romania joined the EU. (translation by L.Simion)

19 April 2017
September 2, 2016 UPDATE

IMF REPORT — The Romanian National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) is wasting its resources on unproductive audits, which lead to very poor results, reads a recent IMF report. According to the “Technical assistance report – Improving Compliance Risk Management of Large Taxpayers”, about 46% of annual audit resources are used on VAT refund issues as compared to only 5% in advanced administrations. There are also shortcomings in taxpayer services and collection enforcement. The Large Taxpayer Office (LTO) lacks an integrated compliance approach to guide operational activities toward major tax risks and its ability to implement modern risk-based methods continues to be impeded by its organizational structure, the report says. Also, according to the IMF, the LTO Risk Management Unit needs appropriately skilled staff and good analytic facilities to identify and mitigate risks.

VISIT — Romanian PM Dacian Ciolos met on Friday in Bucharest the vice-president of the European Commission, Jyrki Katainen, paying an official visit to Romania. The two officials discussed about the EU’s future after Brexit and about European funds. PM Ciolos emphasised the fact that Romania remained strongly attached to the European project. On Thursday, the two officials took part in a dialogue with Romanian citizens. The discussions revolved around current topics on the EU and Romanian agenda, especially the Investment Plan for Europe, also known as the Juncker plan, which provides at least 315 billion Euro in private and public investment over three years.

MOURNING — Friday was a national day of mourning in Romania in memory of the victims of the earthquake in Italy and in solidarity with the Italian people. All public institutions flew their flags at half-mast, while national radio and television stations, as well as institutions of culture, ran special programs. Eleven Romanians were killed in the quake in Italy. The last of the Romanians declared missing has been recently found alive. Five injured Romanians are still being treated in a hospital in Italy.

MEETING — Romanian Foreign Minister Lazar Comanescu travelled to Bratislava on Friday to attend the informal meeting of the EU foreign ministers. Talks revolve around the recent situation in Turkey, the situation in Ukraine, with a focus on implementing the Minsk Accords, as well as the EU global foreign and security policy. These informal meetings are held twice a year by the country holding the EU rotating presidency, currently Slovakia. On Thursday, the foreign minister was in Potsdam, Germany, attending the informal meeting of foreign ministers from OSCE countries. He said that one of Romanias major priorities is to solve the conflict in Transdniester while safeguarding the sovereignty and integrity of the Republic of Moldova.

INVESTIGATION — The Romanian Senate on Friday received the official request by anti-corruption prosecutors to start an investigation of senator Gabriel Oprea, former deputy prime minister and minister of the interior, who is accused of manslaughter in the case of police officer Bogdan Gigina. The officer lost his life in a motorcycle accident while being part of the escort for the then minister. Part of the investigation was establishing if Oprea had the right to an official escort, since at the time he was attending a personal errand. According to the prosecutors, Oprea was responsible for the motorcade travelling at high speed, in violation of standing procedures. This in turn is seen as leading directly to the accident that killed the escorting police officer.

FOOTBALL – Romania’s national football squad on Saturday leaves for Cluj, in central Romania, to take on Montenegro in their first match of the World Cup 2018 preliminaries. Romania is part of a group that also includes Poland, Denmark, Armenia and Kazakhstan. The game against Montenegro also represents the debut match of a selection with Cristoph Daum at the helm. The German coach is the first foreign national to lead the Romanian national team, replacing Anghel Iordanescu. We recall that Romania’s national selection, coached by Iordanescu, ended up at the bottom of group A in the European championship in France, with a single point. Our footballers obtained a one-all draw against Switzerland, and lost to France and Albania.

(Translated by Elena Enache)

2 September 2016