Radio România Internațional

Tag: pensions

November 20, 2023

Tour – The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, is paying a state visit to the Republic of Cape Verde today, where he is meeting with his counterpart Jose Maria Neves, the Prime Minister Jose Ulisses Correia e Silva and other officials. Last Tuesday the Romanian president started a tour in Africa that included Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar (autonomous territory belonging to Tanzania). The last stage of the tour is the official visit to Senegal.

Visit – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Luminiţa Odobescu, is visiting Paris today, where she is having talks with the head of the French diplomacy, Catherine Colonna. High on the agenda of talks are the bilateral cooperation in the field of Foreign Affairs and Defense, the current international crises, especially the situation in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent in Paris, the French FM, Catherine Colonna, will emphasize, again, Frances long-term commitment as the framework nation of the NATO Multinational Command in Romania to strengthen the defense on the Eastern Flank of the Alliance. The meeting between the two ministers represents a further opportunity to reaffirm the common decision for a lasting support given to Ukraine in all fields, hailing the efforts made by Romania for the functioning of the corridors for the export of Ukrainian cereals. The discussions also focus on the prospects of expanding the EU with the countries of the Western Balkans, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.

Exhibition – The exhibition “Dacia – the last frontier of the Roman world” opens in Rome today. It can be visited until the end of April. Hundreds of archaeological objects from the territory of Romania, dating back over a thousand years, are on display. The artefacts come from 47 museums in Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Italy, which provide a strong testimony of the Roman civilization. According to Ambassador Gabriela Dancău, the exhibition brings together archeology and technology, allowing access to a universe where the ancestors of the Getae-Dacians evolved. The opening of the exhibition, located in the National Museum Terme di Diocleziano in Rome, is being attended by the ministers of culture from Romania, the Republic of Moldova and Italy – Raluca Turcan, Sergiu Prodan, and Gennaro Sangiuliano, respectively.

Cernavoda – Unit 1 of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant has been resynchronized to the national energy system, and today it will operate at nominal power, the Energy Ministry informs. The unit was automatically disconnected from the national electricity distribution network on Saturday night due to winds that blew at over 100 kilometers per hour. In Constanţa county, in the south-east of Romania, the storm over the weekend felled 240 trees, tore off 50 roofs and damaged 60 cars. At the same time, approximately 40,000 consumers from 80 localities in the Dobrogea region were left without electricity. The energy supplier reported that, in the meantime, power has been restored for almost 93% of those affected.

Pensions – In Romania, the draft public pension system law passed the Senate and reaches, today, the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body. The government has calculated that it needs 5 billion Euros to increase pensioners incomes and it is still not clear where this money will come from. According to the draft law, two increases are scheduled for in 2024: as of January 1,a rise by 13.8% for all the approximately five million pensioners, and in September, a new increase, based on a new calculation formula, which takes into account the seniority, the contribution or the value of the correction index, targeting, this time approximately three million pensioners. Last week, in the Senate, the MPs of the ruling coalition, PSD and PNL, voted in favor of the draft pension law, which, they said, brings balance to the system. The opposition parties Save Romania Union – USR and the Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR abstained from voting. During the debates, the opposition senators criticized those in power for the lack of data regarding the resources and the budgetary impact regarding this draft law.

Budget — The drafting of the budget bill for 2024 by the Government is going to be finalized this week. The PSD-PNL coalition has already agreed that, along with funding investments, priority will be attached to education and healthcare, but it seems that even these ministries will not receive as much money as they would like, given the constraints related to the budget deficit. And, meanwhile, there are more and more requests for money at the end of this year from the town halls as well as from the Transport Ministry. The main resource for supporting the future budget will be the fight against tax evasion. The social democratic PM Marcel Ciolacu said that, by eliminating tax evasion, the necessary funds can be obtained for pension increases, education and healthcare.

Football – Qualified, mathematically, for the Euro 2024 from Germany, the Romanian national football team meets Switzerland, on Tuesday evening, in the last match of the Qualifying Group I. Undefeated, Romania occupies the first position, with 19 points, and can be the winner of the group if it does not lose the match with Switzerland, the team qualified for the 2024 European Championship. The Romanian footballers qualified after a 2-1 victory against Israel on Saturday. It will be the 6thparticipation of the national team in a final continental tournament, after those in 1984, 1996, 2000, 2008 and 2016.

Handball – The finalist of Romania’s Women’s Handball Cup, CSM Târgu Jiu (south) qualified, for the first time, in the groups of the EHF European League competition, after defeating the Swedish team Onnereds HK, with the score of 26-23, on Sunday, at home, in the second leg of the third preliminary round. HC Dunărea Brăila (south-east) also qualified on Sunday after defeating the German team BV Borussia 09 Dortmund, with the score of 27-22, at home. Another Romanian team that will play in the EHF European League groups is CS Gloria 2018 Bistriţa-Năsăud (north). In the Champions League groups, Romania is represented by the Bucharest teams CSM and Rapid. (LS)

20 November 2023
November 16, 2023

VISIT President Klaus Iohannis today concludes his 3-day visit to
Kenya, in an African tour that is taking him next to Tanzania. In Nairobi, the
Romanian official will visit an all-girls school to inaugurate a donation by
Romania under its development assistance programme. In fact, consolidating
Romania’s profile as a provider of education and training to African countries
is one of the goals of the African tour undertaken by president Iohannis. On
Wednesday, in Kenya, Mr. Iohannis had talks with his Kenyan counterpart William
Ruto, on which occasion four agreements were signed in the fields of environmental
protection and climate change, scientific cooperation, food safety and
diplomatic training. The tour, which also includes the Republic of Cabo Verde and
Senegal, is the first political and diplomatic initiative at this level in the
past 30 years, and aims to re-launch Romania’s relations with the countries on
the African continent.

PROTEST Around 2,000 people gathered this morning in
front of the government’s headquarters in Bucharest, in a national protest
against the public pension system and the recent law on tax-related measures. The
rally organised by the Meridian National Trade Union Confederation, brought
together representatives of various public sector staff, from local police to
civil servants or forestry and agriculture workers around the country. The main
source of discontent is the bill on public pensions, passed by the Cabinet on November
9, which according to trade unionists writes off some retirement rights currently
enjoyed by several personnel categories. On Wednesday employees of Romanian
public pensions agencies, healthcare agencies and employment agencies temporarily
suspended work and took to the streets. Healthcare Ministry staff and
pharmacists are also disgruntled and demand solutions from the government.

ECONOMY
Romania will conclude the year with a 2.2% economic growth rate, as against 4.6%
in 2022, the European Commission’s autumn forecast indicates. Growth estimates
have been lowered for the entire European bloc. In Romania, the causes include an
inflation rate above the EU average, low foreign demand and limited financing
options. The GDP growth rate is expected to reach 3.1% in 2024 and 3.4% in 2025,
which the 2023 public deficit is put at 6.3% of GDP, instead of the 5.7%
estimated by the Romanian government. Romania is already subject to an
excessive deficit procedure and it must narrow the gap between public spending
and revenues, so as not to lose EU funding.

CONFERENCE European and Asian media professionals are taking part in
the Media and Culture Days conference, organised by Radio Romania at the Carol
I Central University Library in Bucharest. The conference focuses on the key
role played by public mass media in promoting high-quality cultural content and
in supporting diversity and inclusion, with special emphasis on local and
regional communities. At the reception held on Wednesday night at Elisabeta
Palace, H.R.H. Prince Radu emphasised the historical ties between the Royal
Family and Radio Romania, two institutions in which Romanians still have
considerable confidence.

ISRAEL The UN Security Council has adopted a
resolution calling for humanitarian pauses in Gaza, AFP reports. The
resolution, drawn up by Malta and endorsed with 12 members voting in favour,
none against and three abstentions (Russia, United Kingdom, United States) also
calls for urgent and extended humanitarian corridors in Gaza for a
sufficient number of days to allow aid for the civilians there, as well as for
the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas and
other groups, especially children. Both Israel and the Palestinian side
criticised the resolution. The observer for Palestine, Riyad Mansour, said the
UN should have called for ceasefire instead of only pauses, while the Israeli
Ambassador Gilad Erdan condemned the resolution as meaningless. On site, Israeli
fighter jets hit the home of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Gaza, the Israeli
army announced today. Haniyeh’s house was used as terrorist infrastructure and
often served as a meeting point for Hamas’ senior leaders to direct terror
attacks against Israeli civilians and IDF (Israel Defence Forces)
soldiers, the Israeli military said. (AMP)

16 November 2023
November 15, 2023 UPDATE

ECONOMY Romania will
see its economic growth slowing down because of the high inflation, according
to the European Commission’s autumn economic forecast. Romania’s GDP growth has
been adjusted to 2.2%, as against 4.6% last year, because of an inflation rate
above the EU average, of the low foreign demand and limited financing options. The
inflation rate is expected to drop in the next 2 years, restoring the overall economic
balance. In spite of the moderate economic growth at year end, the labour
market remains stable. However, significant increases in salaries and pensions
and the slight increase in governmental spending support a general rise in
private consumption, although retail and services are on a downward trend and
the industrial output is decreasing. On the other hand, tighter monetary policy
and financing conditions have led to a significant slow-down in private sector
loans, with a negative impact on investments. Romania’s real GDP growth rate is
expected to reach 3.1% in 2024 and 3.4% in 2025, while the public deficit is
predicted to stand at 6.3% of GDP this year, 5.3% in 2024 and 5.1% in 2025, as
a result of the fiscal consolidation measures to be implemented as of January.

PENSIONS The new pensions law drafted by the government will next
Monday be discussed in the Chamber of Deputies, which is the decision-making
body for this piece of legislation, having already been passed by the Senate on
Tuesday. The parliamentary majority formed by the Social Democrats and the
Liberals says the law eliminates the inequalities in the system, while the
opposition condemns the lack of funding sources to sustain the considerable
pensions increases planned for next year. The new pensions law favours current
pensioners and penalises those who are still working, the head of the National
Trade Union Bloc Dumitru Costin said on Wednesday, after analysing the document.
Costin also warns that the financial impact will be huge, and the extent to
which it can be covered is unknown.

PRESIDENT The
president of Romania Klaus Iohannis Tuesday began his African tour with an
official visit to Kenya. The tour, which also includes Tanzania, the Republic
of Cabo Verde and Senegal, is the first political and diplomatic initiative at
this level in the past 30 years, and aims to re-launch Romania’s relations with
the countries on the African continent. At a joint press conference on Tuesday,
president Iohannis emphasised the need for Romania to have its own medium and
long term strategy for Africa based on concrete collaboration at government
level, while Kenya’s president William Ruto spoke about the effects of the war
in Ukraine for the African continent. Four agreements were signed in the fields
of environmental protection and climate change, scientific cooperation, food
safety and diplomatic training. On Wednesday, president Iohannis had a meeting
with Kenya’s secretary for tourism and wildlife, Alfred Nganga Mutua, as part
of a visit to the Nairobi National Park.

REPATRIATION The
foreign ministry in Bucharest said another 17 Romanian nationals and family
members left the Gaza Strip via the Rafah checkpoint and are on Egyptian territory, waiting to be
repatriated. The foreign ministry noted the evacuation was the result of
complex efforts from an inter-institutional crisis cell, the Romanian embassy
in Cairo and Romania’s Representation in Ramallah. 220 Romanian citizens and
family members who have been evacuated from Gaza have arrived in Romania.

AGEING Romania is one of the top 10 countries in the world in terms
of population ageing rate, which is likely to put tremendous pressure on the
country’s entire economic system, particularly on its healthcare and pension systems.
The statement was made on Wednesday at the opening of a specialised congress in
Bucharest. Sociological research indicates that 55% of the elderly people in
Romania feel lonely, more than 30% of them only interact with 3-4 people every
month, and 3 in 10 elderly people have no one to rely on in if necessary.

MILITARY
The Romanian Army Wednesday tested the operation of the Patriot surface-to-air missile
system acquired by the Romanian Air Forces in 2020. The test was part of the PATRIOT
SPARK 23 tactical exercise held these days at the Capu Midia shooting range in
the south-east of the country. The Patriot system purchased by Romania is a
state-of-the-art one, able to identify, track and neutralise any type of air
threat. Attending the event were the PM Marcel Ciolacu, the Senate Speaker and
former PM Nicolae Ciucă, and the defence minister Angel Tîlvăr. The Romanian
Air Forces have so far acquired 3 other Patriot systems, which will be
operational by the end of next year. Another 3 systems will be delivered to
Romania under a USD 4 bln agreement. (AMP)

15 November 2023
La majoration des pensions de retraite, aprouvée par le Sénat

Les quelque
5 millions de retraités de Roumanie comptent parmi les citoyens les plus
pauvres de l’UE, avec une pension de retraite qui approche à peine les 400
euros par mois (selon les chiffres de l’Institut national de la statistique).
En même temps, 2024 sera une véritable super-année électorale en Roumanie, car
tous les types d’élections y seront organisés : euro-parlementaire,
locale, législative et présidentielle. Ce n’est donc pas un hasard, dit la
presse, si l’actuel gouvernement de la coalition formée du PSD et du PNL a
décidé de marier justice sociale et calculs politiques et d’offrir aux
retraités des majorations substantielles de leurs revenus, juste avant de les
appeler aux urnes.

Bénéficiant
d’une majorité nette au sein du Sénat, les sociaux-démocrates et les libéraux
ont adopté mardi, en procédure accélérée et sans turbulences, la nouvelle loi
des pensions de retraite, proposée par le Gouvernement. Aux termes de ce nouvel
acte normatif, les retraités verront leurs revenus augmenter à deux reprises
l’année prochaine : l’une de 13,8 % au 1er janvier, afin de
couvrir l’inflation, l’autre au 1er septembre, d’après une nouvelle
formule de calcul.

Elliminer les inégalités de genre

La ministre du Travail, Simona Bucura-Oprescu (PSD), affirme que la
nouvelle loi permettra d’éliminer les iniquités existant actuellement entre les
pensions des hommes et des femmes et aussi entre les personnes qui ont fait le
même travail mais sont parties à la retraite à des périodes différentes. A son
tour, le sénateur social-démocrate Lucian Romaşcanu se félicite pour cette correction, précisant qu’il n’est
pas juste « d’avoir la même période de cotisation, pour le même poste et toucher
des pensions de retraite différentes ». Du côté des libéraux, le sénateur Daniel Fenechiu admet que la nouvelle loi est
perfectible, mais qu’elle est néanmoins un pas en avant. Ancien partenaire de
la coalition gouvernementale, actuellement dans l’opposition, l’Union
démocrate-magyare de Roumanie (UDMR) a voté en faveur de cet acte normatif,
saluant l’idée de recalculer les pensions de retraite.

Toujours dans
l’opposition, l’Union sauvez la Roumanie (USR) et l’Alliance pour l’Union des
Roumains (AUR) se sont abstenues du vote et ont critiqué le pouvoir pour ne pas
avoir identifié une source de financement soutenable pour les majorations
prévues. Selon le sénateur Claudiu Târziu de l’AUR, son groupe « n’a pas
voté contre la loi, puisqu’une augmentation vaut mieux que rien ».

D’ailleurs, les libéraux eux-mêmes parlaient d’un impact budgétaire de 3 % du
PIB pour la majoration des pensions de retraite, soit un niveau beaucoup plus
élevé que celui estimé initialement. Le ministre libéral des Finances,
Marcel Bolos, ajoute, lui, que la majoration des pensions de retraite est une
priorité mais aussi une responsabilité pour le gouvernement, qui doit assurer
la stabilité financière du pays.

La loi passera sans nul doute

Une fois
approuvée par le Sénat, la nouvelle loi arrive à l’agenda de la Chambre des
députés, qui en est la chambre décisionnelle. Sans nul doute elle passera tout
aussi vite par les représentants de la coalition au pouvoir, qui sont
majoritaires aussi au sein de la Chambre des députes, estiment les
commentateurs politiques. Après, il ne reste plus qu’au chef de l’Etat, Klaus
Iohannis, de promulguer l’acte normatif, alors qu’il est en train d’effectuer
une tournée assez longe en Afrique. (trad. Valentina Beleavski)

15 November 2023
Pensions and social assistance, reviewed in Parliament

A new pensions law will be discussed and voted on this week in the 2 chambers of Romanias Parliament. The document was recently passed by the government, after heated talks between the Liberals and the Social Democrats concerning the impact of the new legislation on the budget in the years to come.

The bill provides for two pension increases, one on January 1 and the other one on September 1, next year.

The law is stable and sustainable, based on respect for lifetime contributions and for work, and the new rules for calculating pension benefits will lead to cancelling current inequities, the labour minister Simona Bucura-Oprescu says:

Simona Bucura-Oprescu: “The new calculation method will lead to major changes. First of all, there will no longer be inequities between Romanians who have done the same work, but retired at different moments. Secondly, we reduce the inequities between men and women. And thirdly, an important injustice that will be tackled is the one concerning the social minimum allowance.”

The government would like the bill rushed through Parliament by November 20, and taking effect on January 1, 2024. The labour and social solidarity minister, Simona Bucura-Oprescu:

Simona Bucura-Oprescu: “We want it finalised by November 20, so as to meet the deadline agreed on with the committee renegotiating the National Recovery and Resilience Plan; the renegotiation concerns, among other things, the 9.4% GDP impact parameter, which would have led to freezing Romanians pension benefits until 2070.”

AUR party in opposition argues that the new legislation benefits people with big pensions. Marius Lulea, AUR senior vice-president:

Marius Lulea: “Romania needs fair pensions, it needs to raise the benefits for the underprivileged categories, but the reform they are aiming at is not a reform that addresses inequities, but rather one that makes poor Romanians even poorer and the rich, the ones who already have privileges, even richer”.

Another legislative package, on the reform of the social assistance system, adopted last week by the Cabinet, has also reached Parliament. The new law will no longer allow the operation of a social assistance centre before on-site inspections, and reduces the duration of provisional permits from one year to 3 months for centres with accommodation facilities and to 6 months for those without accommodation. The new legislation also introduces unannounced inspections, and in case violations are found, the permit will be suspended a lot more quickly.

According to the labour ministry, fines are also increased up to 5 times, to EUR 20,000, in case of abuse. The new provisions come after serious irregularities were uncovered this year following inspections in senior centres in Ilfov County, near Bucharest. Subsequently, centres operating illegally and exploitation and abuse cases instead of specialised care were also identified in other parts of the country. (AMP)

13 November 2023
November 9, 2023 UPDATE

Gaza – Romania will continue the dialogue with the Israeli and Egyptian authorities for the evacuation of the other Romanian citizens and their family members in the Gaza Strip, depending on the developments on the ground and the agreement of the parties involved, the Romanian Foreign Ministry announced. A consular team will remain available in the area of the Rafah border-crossing to Egypt to provide further assistance. The border was reopened on Thursday, when the evacuation procedures continued for foreign citizens who received permission from the Israeli and Egyptian authorities to transit this point, to Egypt, including 51 Romanian citizens and their family members. In the past few days, several groups of Romanian citizens and their family members were evacuated from the Gaza Strip and transported to Romania by a TAROM aircraft from Cairo. In another development, the White House shows that Israel on Thursday announced a four-hour daily break in fighting in the northern Gaza Strip to allow civilians to withdraw – a first since the beginning of the war. Previously, the NATO allies said they support the humanitarian pauses in the war between Israel and Hamas, to allow the access of aid to the Gaza Strip. According to the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, international law must be respected and civilians must be protected in this conflict.

NATO — Germany will deploy four Eurofighter planes to Romania to support NATOs air policing mission starting at the end of November. The decision comes a few weeks after the Russian attacks on Ukrainian ports on the Danube. The attacks, carried out right next to the Romanian border, as well as the remains of drones found in Romania, have increased the security risks for the military alliance whose members have a mutual defense commitment. In September, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described the Russian strikes near the border as “destabilizing,” even though there were no indications that Russia intended to strike a NATO member. The German air forces have previously supported NATO’s air policing mission in Romania, in the context in which the alliance strengthened its military presence along the eastern flank, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in February 2022.

Schengen — One of the major objectives of Hungary’s EU presidency in the second half of 2024 will be to promote Romania’s integration into Schengen, unless progress is made on the matter before, the Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó said. According to a press release issued by the Hungarian Foreign Ministry, he emphasized that the Hungarian government attaches strategic importance to the cooperation between the two countries. “The most important base and resource of this strategic cooperation is the Hungarian community that lives in Romania, said Szijjarto. He added that Romania becoming a member of the Schengen area is a clear national interest of Hungary. Romania, the Hungarian foreign minister said, “is Hungary’s second-largest export market and its Schengen membership will obviously make our economic and trade relations much stronger.” Hungary will take over the rotating presidency of the European Council in the second half of 2024.

EU – The European Commission recommended the start of EU accession negotiations with Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet state with a majority Romanian-speaking population) and Bosnia-Herzegovina. The Commissions favorable opinion must be approved by the 27 members at the December 14-15 EU summit. Until then, the states in question will have to carry out some key measures. From Bucharest, the NATO deputy general secretary, the Romanian Mircea Geoană, welcomed the EC announcement. The official expressed certainty that Ukraine will become a member of the North Atlantic Alliance and showed that there is no fatigue regarding the efforts of the allied countries to support Kyiv in facing the Russian aggression.

Tourism –Bucharest will see, between November 9 and 12, the autumn edition of the Romanian Tourism Fair, considered the most important tourism event in the country that takes place in a physical format. Besides discounts for early booking, some agencies also promote Black Friday discounts. Those interested can find offers both in the country and abroad, complex tour on all continents, including to new or exotic destinations. This year there are two new destinations for the Romanian market: Gran Canaria, in the Spanish Canary Islands, and Faro, in Portugal.

Pensions — The Romanian government adopted, during Thursdays meeting, the new pension law, which provides for two increases in the coming year. The document also establishes the recalculation of all pensions according to new criteria, so that inequities in the system are eliminated. The executive wants the pension law to be adopted by the Parliament by November 20. According to PM Marcel Ciolacu, the new pension law will remove the threshold of 9.4% of the GDP, representing pension expenses. At the same time, the prime minister announced that next year there will be no tax increases, but requested a plan of measures to increase revenue collection to the state budget.

Tennis – The Romanian tennis player Gabriela Ruse will play against the Serbian Mia Ristic, on Friday, in Kraljevo, in the first singles match of the play-off of the Billie Jean King Cup competition between Romania and Serbia. In the second singles match, which will also take place on Friday, the Romanian Jaqueline Cristian will play against Aleksandra Krunic. On Saturday, Cristian will be up against Ristic, and then Ruse will play against Krunic. The doubles match will pit Katarina Kozarov/Natalija Stevanovic from Serbia against Irina Bara/Monica Niculescu from Romania. The winning team will qualify for the final tournament of the competition, and the losing team will play in Group I. Serbia leads Romania 2-1 in direct matches, after winning with the score 2-1 in 2007, in the first round of Group I, Europe/Africa zone, and with the score 2-1 in 2008, in the same phase. In 2014, in Bucharest, Romania won 4-1 and advanced to the Fed Cup World Group, the current Billie Jean King Cup. (LS)

9 November 2023
November 1, 2023 UPDATE

TAXATION Some of the new fiscal measures aimed
at reducing the budget deficit in Romania came into force on Wednesday. Under
the law for which the Government has assumed responsibility in Parliament, personnel
in the IT sector will pay an income tax for amounts exceeding EUR 2,000 per month. Local
public institutions and authorities cannot use public funds for the organisation
of community events, such as festivals, concerts, local competitions or other
themed celebrations. Other fiscal measures, such as the introduction of new
taxes for SMEs and the payment of health insurance contributions for the value
of meal vouchers, will take effect on January 1, 2024. The measures run counter
to many entrepreneurs’ interests. At a conference on this topic, organised by
the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Romania, the participants argued that in
order to contain the budget deficit, top priority measures should include combating
tax evasion, improving revenue collection and improving the work of the Tax
Office. The President of the Chamber, Mihai Daraban, said that the government
now has more options available before attacking the business community.

PENSIONS In Romania, a draft pensions law has been posted for public
review on the Labour Ministry’s website. The document was approved by the
ruling coalition, and the government is seeking to have it endorsed under an
emergency procedure by the end of this month. Under the new legislation, all
pension benefits will be adjusted to the annual inflation rate, and will be
re-calculated based on a new formula. No benefits will be lower than they are
at present, the PM Marcel Ciolacu promised after a meeting of the ruling
coalition. The minimum contribution period will be 15 years, and the maximum
period 35 years, with bonuses given for workplace stability. According to the
Prime Minister, pensions will be raised in 2 stages next year, on January 1 and
on September 1, respectively.

DONATION The first F16 fighter jets that the
Netherlands will donate to Ukraine will arrive at a training center set up in
Romania in two weeks, the Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced. He emphasised
that the current situation in the Middle East should not and will not be able
to distract the Netherlands from the fight of the Ukrainians against the
Russian aggression. Denmark, Norway and Belgium have also announced that they
will supply Ukraine with F16 aircraft.

FOOTBALL The match between the national
football teams of Israel and Romania, in the EURO 2024 Qualifying Group I, will
take place in Hungary, the Romanian football federation announced. The game
will be played on November 18, in Felcsut, approximately 50 kilometers from
Budapest. UEFA stated that the presence of spectators will be
allowed. Previously, the organisation had decided to suspend all matches scheduled
in Israel, because of the armed conflict there. After the match against Israel,
Romania is to meet Switzerland, on November 21, in Bucharest. After eight
games, Romania is undefeated and ranks first in the group, with 16 points.
Switzerland (15 points) and Israel (11 points) have played one match and two
matches less, respectively. The two top-ranking teams go to the final
tournament in Germany. Romania has not reached a European championship final
tournament since 2016, and a World Cup since 1998.

RADIO Radio Romania celebrated 95 years of uninterrupted broadcasting.
In recognition of the critical role that Radio Romania has in Romania’s
history, in December 2019 Parliament decided to establish November 1 as the
National Radio Day. Over three million people listen to Radio Romania every
day. Public institutions, NGOs, major personalities in Romania’s arts and
cultural scene have congratulated Radio Romania on the occasion. PM Marcel Ciolacu pointed
out that for 95 years, the public radio broadcaster has been a source of
information and education for generations of listeners, while the Senate
speaker Nicolae Ciucă said that Radio Romania has been promoting Romanian
traditions and values for nearly a century and deserves recognition for its
efforts in this respect. The president of the Romanian Academy Ioan-Aurel Pop
also congratulated the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, which, he said,
has been a witness to all the milestones in Romanian history. In Timişoara,
this year’s European Capital of Culture, the Gaudeamus Radio Romania Book Fair takes
place until November 5. On Friday, November 3, an anniversary concert of the
National Radio Orchestra is scheduled, and between November 22 and 26, a new
edition of the Gaudeamus Radio Romania Book Fair, the longest-running project
of its kind in the country, will be organised at the Romexpo exhibition centre
in Bucharest. (AMP)

1 November 2023
New draft of the special pensions law, endorsed

The
Social Democrats and the Liberals, holding a majority of seats in Romania’s
Chamber of Deputies, managed to pass a new draft of the special pensions law, after
adjusting it to meet the requirements of the Constitutional Court.

The
only provisions that were revised in the new draft concerned the pensions of
magistrates, to bring the text in line with the requirements issued by the
Constitutional Court judges, and compared to the draft endorsed by the Senate
the Deputies only introduced technical amendments.

The
Social Democratic Party and the National Liberal Party basically rejected all
the amendments tabled by the Opposition. USR, AUR and the Democratic Union of
Ethnic Hungarians in Romania (UDMR) criticised the bill, on grounds that it
actually preserves the high, even indecent level of pension benefits paid to
magistrates and other categories of public sector employees, and that it
continues to overlook the rule that pension benefits should depend on the
amount of contributions paid by a beneficiary to the public pension fund, as it
happens with regular pensioners.

Moreover,
Save Romania Union (USR) claims that non-permanent bonuses have been introduced
in calculations, to benefit party cronies, while UDMR mentions that its
proposal to introduce heavy taxes on all incomes in excess of the president’s salary
was dismissed.

The
Social Democrats reply that the bill complies with both the Constitutional
Court decisions and with the requirements coming from the European Union,
enabling Romania to access the EUR 2.8 bln earmarked for this chapter in the
National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

In
turn, the Liberals claim the Opposition’s amendments were against the decisions
issued by the Constitutional Court. While they admit that special pensions remain
in place, they emphasise that the new bill does take into account, to some
extent, the contributions paid during one’s working period and introduces a
taxation threshold, so that pension benefits are reduced.

Under
the new law endorsed by the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in
this respect, magistrates may retire at the age of 60, with pension benefits
accounting for 80% of the average monthly incomes, including bonuses, received
during the 4 years before retirement.

The
law also allows judges, prosecutors, assistant magistrates with the supreme
court and the Constitutional Court, as well as other judicial personnel, to
retire as of next year if they have at least 25-year length of service and are
aged at least 47 years and 4 months. The retirement age is then set to increase
by 4 months per year, until it reaches 60.

Also,
pension benefits cannot exceed the net income in the last month of work, and
the tax rate is to increase gradually up to 20%. (AMP)

17 October 2023
October 16, 2023 UPDATE

Pensions – In Bucharest, the draft law on special pensions, granted to magistrates and other public system employees, was adopted on Monday by the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in this case. The document had previously been approved by the Senate plenum, as the first chamber notified, with the changes requested by the Constitutional Court – CCR. Compared to the form that passed the Senate, no substantive amendments were introduced. Thus, the taxation thresholds of up to 20% for the non-contributory part were kept, as well as the annual increase, by four months, of the retirement age up to 60 years. The law provides, among other things, that magistrates will have a pension of 80% of the average gross monthly allowances and increments collected in the last four years of activity. The plenum of the Chamber of Deputies adopted only proposals related to the legislative technique and rejected all the amendments proposed by the opposition Save Romania Union – USR and the Alliance for the Union of Romanians – AUR. The USR leader, Cătălin Drula, said that this law actually maintains special pensions, and the Liberal Party deputy, Florin Roman, stated that the adoption of the oppositions amendments would have made the law unconstitutional. The Social Democratic Party – PSD claims that the law respects both the decisions of the CCR and the requests of the European Commission, while AUR considers the new form unacceptable, and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania – UDMR condemns the non-compliance with the contribution principle.

Meeting – The President of the European Council, Charles Michel, called an extraordinary online meeting of all heads of state or government in the European Union for Tuesday, in the context of the Middle East situation. In a statement published on Monday, Charles Michel once again condemned the actions of Hamas, which he considers terrorist, and demands the immediate release of the hostages. The head of the European Council said that Israel has the right to defend itself, within the limits of international law and respecting humanitarian principles. He believes that this conflict can create tensions including on the European continent and can amplify extremism in the European Union. The extraordinary council meeting, he added, will address the issue from the point of view of ensuring assistance to the affected civilians, the impact of civilian migration to the states in the area and avoiding the escalation of the conflict by involving all regional actors. Charles Michel believes that the solution is peace based on the existence of two states: Israel and Palestine.

Repatriation — The Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu stated that the Romanian authorities are in contact with almost every Romanian citizen in the Gaza Strip. He says that, at present, there are no reasons for concern about their lives, but everyone hopes that they will arrive in Romania as soon as possible. About 350 Romanians with dual citizenship are supposed to be in the Palestinian enclave, controlled by the terrorist organization Hamas and bombed intensively by the Israeli army.

Israel – The Israeli army asked Palestinian civilians in the northern Gaza Strip again, on Monday, to move to the south of the territory. It is estimated that one million people have already left their homes in the northern area controlled by the terrorist movement Hamas. The situation of these people is very difficult, humanitarian agencies point out, and they are asking for the sending of strictly necessary aid to the Gaza Strip The Israeli army announced that the number of people abducted by Hamas and taken to the Gaza Strip is 199. The bombing continued on both sides. On the northern border of Israel, following the frequent fire exchanges with the Hezbollah organization, a measure was taken to evacuate 28 Israeli towns in the immediate vicinity of the border with Lebanon and a 2 km wide strip was established which was declared a closed military area.

Football – The Romanian national football team became the leader of the EURO 2024 Qualifying Group I after defeating Andorra, 4-0, on Sunday evening, in Bucharest. The Romanian footballers achieved their clearest victory of this qualifying campaign. In another match from Group I, Switzerland drew the match with Belarus 3-3 at home. We remind you that Israels matches have been postponed. Romania is to play its last games in the group in November, with Israel, away from home, and with Switzerland on home ground. Kosovo is also part of Group I. (LS)

16 October 2023
October 11, 2023

Visit — Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis is visiting Hungary today at the invitation of his Hungarian counterpart, Katalin Novák. It is the first official visit to Budapest by a Romanian president in the last 14 years. Romania’s Presidential Administration explained that the visit takes place in the context of increased dynamics of high-level contacts, after the official visit made by Katalin Novák to Bucharest, in September 2022, and the participation in the 8^th Summit of the Three Seas Initiative, hosted by the President of Romania in September 2023. The Strategic Partnership and its development prospects, as well as the concrete ways to deepen the bilateral dialogue, are on the agenda of talks. At the same time, the two presidents will analyze the current situation at the regional, European and global levels, through the lens of the war launched by Russia against Ukraine, with an emphasis on the consequences for security, energy, food and distribution chain. As regards the European agenda, they will discuss the priorities of the Presidency of the EU Council, which Hungary will hold in the second part of 2024.

Israel – The US has promised Israel all the support it needs to respond to Hamas actions. A first plane loaded with American ammunition has already landed in Israel, and the Secretary of State Antony Blinken is going today to meet with Israeli leaders to find out how they can be better supported, including in the perspective of a ground offensive in Gaza. Last night, the US President Joe Biden strongly condemned the attacks and reiterated that Israel has every right to defend itself against what he called “the absolute evil unleashed by Palestinian terrorists”. The death toll after Saturdays massive attack launched by the Palestinian group Hamas is increasing, the number of Israeli dead reaching 1,200. The Israeli army revealed to the international media the horrors perpetrated by the terrorists in a small Jewish settlement near the border, where entire families, including dozens of children, were killed, and their homes were looted and set on fire.

Parliament – The two chambers of Romania’s Parliament, gathered in a joint session, adopted today a Declaration regarding the terrorist attacks against Israel and the civilian population. According to the document, the parliamentarians express their full solidarity with the State of Israel, strongly condemn the attacks of the terrorist organization Hamas, the crimes and violence unleashed on the civilian population and express their deep regret for the victims of these attacks. On the other hand, the Romanian ambassador to Israel, Radu Ioanid, stated that the situation of the Romanians in Israel is under control. He pointed out that there are hundreds of repatriation requests per day, and the flights that transport them are operated by the national company TAROM, as well as by other private companies. Radu Ioanid also recalled that Romanian Foreign Ministry teams went to the airport in Tel Aviv to provide assistance to those who have problems.

Pilgrimage — As of Sunday more than 72,000 people have already passed in front of the shrine with the relics of Saint Parascheva, which was taken out in the yard of the Metropolitan Cathedral in Iaşi, the saint being considered the protector of the eastern region of Romania and of the needy. The Romanian Orthodox Church celebrates Saint Parascheva on October 14, which is why, every year, around this day, Iasi becomes the largest pilgrimage center in the country and equally in Central and Eastern Europe. Many people from the country and abroad come to pray at the relics of Saint Parascheva and of other relics of saints specially brought for the pilgrimage. This year, it was decided to bring to Iasi the relics of Saint Andrew of Crete.

Declaration – The presidents of Romania and Ukraine, Klaus Iohannis and Volodimir Zelenski, signed, on Tuesday, in Bucharest, a political declaration according to which they want to raise bilateral relations to the level of a strategic partnership. The Ukrainian leader, who paid his first visit to Romania since the beginning of the war, thanked for the help given to his country. Klaus Iohannis has assured him that Romania will continue to support Ukraine at all levels, including military.

IMF – In the latest report published on Tuesday the International Monetary Fund (IMF) estimates for Romania an economic growth rate of 2.2% this year, compared to 2.4% as previously estimated. Regarding the next year, the IMF anticipates a growth rate of 3.8%. The average annual inflation rate expected by the international financial institution for Romania is 10.7% in 2023 and 5.8% in 2024. An IMF mission in Bucharest recently announced that the deficit is to be 6% this year and 5% next year.

Pensions – On Wednesday, the Romanian Senate gave a favorable vote for the modification of the law on special pensions, by putting it in agreement with the decision of the Constitutional Court of Romania. The bill will also be re-examined by the Chamber of Deputies, as a decision-making body. The Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu has recently stated that the amendments made to this law end the anomalies regarding the payment of pensions higher than the earnings during the period of activity, enjoyed by some professional categories. At the same time, the Speaker of the Senate, Nicolae Ciucă, stated that the law on special pensions had to be finalized in Parliament within two weeks, pointing that it will be a solution that must be assumed politically so that Romania can benefit from the money from payment request number 3 of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. In August, the Constitutional Court decided to send back to Parliament the law amending the special pensions, after declaring some articles unconstitutional. (LS)

11 October 2023
September 17, 2023 – UPDATE

UN President Klaus Iohannis will be leading Romania’s
delegation to the 78th session of the UN General Assembly between
September 18 and 22 in New York. In his address, Mr. Iohannis will present
Romania’s views on current global developments, highlighting Romania’s foreign
policy priorities and its contribution to reaching the goals on the UN
multilateral agenda. President Iohannis will also attend the Summit on
Sustainable Development Goals, and will be a guest of honour at the World
Leaders Forum organised by the prestigious Columbia University in New York, where
he will be discussing Romania’s outlook on the war in Ukraine and its impact on
Black Sea security.

PENSIONS A new
version of the special pension law, comprising the amendments requested by the
Constitutional Court, will be endorsed by the end of September, said the
interim Chamber of Deputies speaker, Alfred Simonis. He added the law covers
all categories of special pensions, but because the special benefits paid to
magistrates and other categories cannot be scrapped, as it happened in the case
of MPs, taxation will be introduced, which the Court has accepted. Also,
Simonis said, ceilings must be introduced for each particular profession, so as
to eliminate special pensions of EUR 8,000 or even EUR 14,000 a month. The
Constitutional Court last month sent back to Parliament the new draft pension
law, on grounds that pension benefits currently being paid cannot be readjusted
to different principles than the ones in the law under which they have been
granted.

CEREMONY A military and religious ceremony was held on
Sunday at the Heroes’ Cross on Caraiman Peak in central Romania, to celebrate
95 years since the monument was unveiled. Included in the Guinness Book of
Records, the 40m cross is the highest such monument placed on a mountain top in
the world. It was erected at an altitude of 2,291 m between 1926 and 1928, at
the initiative of and with support from Queen Marie and King Ferdinand of
Romania, as a tribute to WW1 heroes.

FLIGHTS The Romanian airline TAROM announces new flights to and from Chișinău,
in the neighbouring Republic of Moldova, as of September 24. TAROM will operate
additional flights over weekends, to reach a total of 21 weekly return flights,
with prices starting at EUR 85.

MOTORWAYS As of next week Romania will have 1,000 km of
motorway in use, with the opening of the Nuşfalău – Suplacu de Barcău segment
of the A3 Transilvania motoway. Next month the first 20 km of the Bucharest
ring motorway will also be opened, and next year the first 2 segments of the Ploieşti-Buzău
motorway are scheduled to be completed.

SCHENGEN Austria’s opposition to Romania’s Schengen
accession is not targeted against Bucharest, but against this freedom of
movement system, said the Austrian minister for the EU, Karoline Edtstadler. The
statement comes after Bucharest warned it would sue Vienna over its veto to
Romania’s accession. Karoline Edtstadler told the media she understood the
position of Romanian authorities, but added Austria cannot close its eyes to an
already flawed system. She explained the EU should ensure efficient protection of its external
borders before envisioning a Europe without internal
borders. In
an interview to Austrian mass media, Romania’s PM
Marcel Ciolacu said that in case of further opposition from Austria, Romania
will have to take the matter to court and demand compensation for the losses
incurred because of its failure to join the Schengen area.

NATO NATO’s secretary general
Jens Stoltenberg has warned in an interview published on Sunday, that we must
not expect a swift end to the war in Ukraine, as Kyiv carries on its
counteroffensive against Russian forces, AFP reports. The war began in February 2022, when
Russian troops invaded Ukraine. As for Ukraine’s efforts to join NATO, Jens Stoltenberg promised
that sooner or later, Ukraine will be a NATO member. In July’s NATO summit in
Vilnius, Alliance leaders agreed that Kyiv may join NATO once
certain conditions are fulfilled, with the US and Germany emphasising that
these conditions include reforms to protect democracy and the rule of law. In
mid-June the Ukrainian army launched a counteroffensive to push out the Russian
troops from the south and east of the country, but so far only a limited number
of localities have been freed.

TABLE TENNIS Romania’s women’s team was defeated by Germany,
3-0, on Sunday, in the European Table Tennis Championships final in Malmo (Sweden).
Elizabeta Samara lost to Xiaona Shan 3-0 (11-6, 11-8, 11-8), Bernadette Szocs was
defeated by Ying Han 3-1 (14-16, 11-8, 11-8, 12-10), and Nina Mittelham beat
Andreea Dragoman 3-2 (5-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-6, 12-10), after the Romanian player
lost two match points. Romania was already a European vice-champion, after
winning the silver in 2021, at home in Cluj-Napoca.

RUGBY Defending world champions, South
Africa Sunday defeated 76-0 Romania’s national rugby team in a World Cup Group
B match in Bordeaux (France). A week ago Romania lost to Ireland 82-8 (33-8). Romania’s rugby team is next to play against
Scotland on September 30 and against Tonga on October 8, in Lille. (AMP)

17 September 2023
September 17, 2023

FARMERS An alliance of Romanian farmers, unhappy
with the European Commission’s decision not to extend the ban on grain imports
from Ukraine, asks the Romanian government to suspend imports of several
Ukrainian agrifood products. The government, which has already promised
subsidies for the Diesel fuel used in farming works, announced that before
taking further measures it was waiting for Kyiv to make public on Monday a plan
regarding efficient export control to prevent the disruption of the Romanian
grain market. Depending on that plan, Bucharest will take adequate steps to
support Romanian farmers. The EC decided
not to extend its ban on Ukrainian grain imports, in exchange for certain
commitments from Kyiv. Poland, Slovakia and
Hungary have introduced unilateral restrictions, while Bulgaria announced it
did not want the embargo on Ukrainian grain imports extended.

PENSIONS A new
version of the special pension law, comprising the amendments requested by the
Constitutional Court, will be endorsed by the end of September, said the
interim Chamber of Deputies speaker, Alfred Simonis. He added the law covers
all categories of special pensions, but because the special benefits paid to
magistrates and other categories cannot be scrapped, as it happened in the case
of MPs, taxation will be introduced, which the Court has accepted. Also,
Simonis said, ceilings must be introduced for each particular profession, so as
to eliminate special pensions of EUR 8,000 or even EUR 14,000 a month. The
Constitutional Court last month sent back to Parliament the new draft pension
law, on grounds that pension benefits currently being paid cannot be readjusted
to different principles than the ones in the law under which they have been
granted.

SCHENGEN Austria’s opposition to Romania’s Schengen
accession is not targeted against Bucharest, but against this freedom of
movement system, said the Austrian minister for the EU, Karoline Edtstadler. The
statement comes after Bucharest warned it would sue Vienna over its veto to
Romania’s accession. Karoline Edtstadler told the media she understood the
position of Romanian authorities, but added Austria cannot close its eyes to an
already flawed system. She explained the EU should ensure efficient protection of its external
borders before envisioning a Europe without internal
borders. In
an interview to Austrian mass media, Romania’s PM
Marcel Ciolacu said that in case of further opposition from Austria, Romania
will have to take the matter to court and demand compensation for the losses
incurred because of its failure to join the Schengen area.

NATO NATO’s secretary general
Jens Stoltenberg has warned that we must not expect a swift end to the war in
Ukraine, in an interview published on Sunday, as Kyiv carries on its
counteroffensive against Russian forces, AFP reports. The war began in February 2022, when
Russian troops invaded Ukraine. As for Ukraine’s efforts to join NATO, Jens Stoltenberg promised
that sooner or later, Ukraine will be a NATO member. In July’s NATO summit in
Vilnius, Alliance leaders agreed that Kyiv may join NATO once
certain conditions are fulfilled, with the US and Germany emphasising that
these conditions include reforms to protect democracy and the rule of law. In
mid-June the Ukrainian army launched a counteroffensive to push out the Russian
troops from the south and east of the country, but so far only a limited number
of localities have been freed.

RUGBY Romania’s national rugby team play their second
World Cup match in Bordeaux (France) today, against defending champions, South
Africa. A week ago Romania lost to Ireland 82-8 (33-8). Romania’s
rugby team is next to play against Scotland on September 30 and against Tonga on
October 8, in Lille. The 2023 Rugby World Cup
ends on October 28. The competition has been held every 4 years since 1987, when
the first edition of the World Cup was hosted by Australia and New Zealand. (AMP)

17 September 2023
Les priorités de la sessions du Parlement

Le Senat et la Chambre des Députés de Bucarest ont entamé
ce lundi la deuxième session ordinaire du Parlement de cette année. Parmi leurs
priorités : un paquet de lois visant des modifications fiscales et la réforme
de l’administration sur lequel le gouvernement envisage engager sa
responsabilité, une nouvelle loi des pensions de retraite et des punitions plus
dures pour les chauffeurs qui conduisent sous l’influence de l’alcool ou de la
drogue.

Le Premier ministre roumain et leader du Parti social
démcorate, Marcel Ciolacu, a déclaré :

« Nous savons qu’il y a beaucoup d’inégalités
dans l’ancienne loi des retraites. Il y a toujours des pensions de retraite dont
le niveau ne dépasse pas les 1 500 lei (soit 300 euros) mais il y a aussi des
personnes dont la pension de retraite atteint les 30 000 ou 40 000 lei (soit 6
000 ou 8 000 euros). Nous avons discuté avec nos collègues de l’idée que ce paquet
soit inclus dans une seule loi, à savoir celle sur laquelle nous assumerons la
responsabilité et qui comportera tant les mesures de lutte contre l’évasion
fiscale et les reformes de l’administration locale, que des mesures censées
obtenir un déficit budgétaire inférieur à celui de l’année dernière » a précisé Marcel Ciolacu.

D’ailleurs, la semaine dernière, à Bruxelles, le premier
ministre roumain a essayé justement de convaincre la Commission européenne que
l’Exécutif de Bucarest avait la capacité de respecter la nouvelle cible du
déficit budgétaire de cette année, ayant un taux plus élevé que celui assumé initialement
par la Roumanie, soit de 4,4 %. Tout cela afin de couvrir l’aide que Bucarest
avait accordée à l’Ukraine et à la République de Moldova voisines. Qui plus
est, le Plan National de Relance et de Résilience (PNRR) et les régimes
spéciaux de retraites ont figuré aussi à l’agenda de ces récentes négociations.

A leur tour, les partenaires des sociaux-démocrates au
sein du gouvernement, les libéraux, ont annoncé qu’une nouvelle loi des
retraites, censée résoudre les inégalités du système, était une priorité.

Quand même, pour le moment, le document concernant la
réforme des régimes spéciaux de retraites a été déclaré partiellement
inconstitutionnel par les juges de la Cour Constitutionnelle de Roumanie, même
si les modifications opérées étaient une exigence du PNRR.

En même temps, l’Opposition prépare une motion de censure
si le nouveau paquet de mesures fiscales et budgétaires est adopté, en
engageant la responsabilité du Gouvernement. Le leader de l’Union Sauvez la
Roumanie, Cătălin Drulă, estime qu’une augmentation des taxes et des impôts
n’est pas une solution viable. Il accuse :

« Monsieur Ciolacu se prépare pour enterrer
l’économie roumaine ! La croissance économique a déjà ralenti, elle stagne
en fait, les entreprises se plaignent, la demande diminue, les ventes aussi,
alors qu’eux, ils veulent augmenter les taxes et chasser les investisseurs de
Roumanie. Pourquoi ? Pour payer la facture de leur chaos budgétaire »
a martelé Cătălin Drulă.

Le Premier ministre roumain, Marcel Ciolacu, quant à
lui, a assuré Bruxelles que la Roumanie était un partenaire crédible,
responsable et surtout équitable, tant du Conseil que de la Commission et du
Parlement européen. Les experts du gouvernement roumain continuent de discuter
avec les responsables européens afin de renégocier le Plan National de Relance
et de Résilience, selon les principes établis par le Premier ministre lors des
réunions qu’il a eues à Bruxelles. Et pour cause. Ce n’est qu’après avoir
constaté la mise en place des réformes par le gouvernement de Bucarest, que la Commission
européenne proposera au Conseil européen une renégociation du taux du déficit
budgétaire, ce qui permettra à Bucarest d’obtenir la permission d’avoir un taux
plus élevé du déficit. Une décision sur ce nouveau taux pourrait être prise avant
la fin de cette année.

4 September 2023
August 7, 2023

Spending. The government is this week planning
to adopt an emergency order to cut public spending. The fifty measures
envisaged include reducing the number of management and under-secretary positions,
the merger of various institutions and eliminating holiday vouchers for some
budget employees. According to estimates from the finance ministry, this would
save the state budget more than 1.2 billion euros by the end of the year. The
government is also planning an emergency order introducing a number of tax
changes aimed at increasing budget revenues. Talks on the subject are still
ongoing between the two parties in the ruling coalition, the Social Democratic
Party and the National Liberal Party, amid criticism from the business
community.

Summit. Romania will continue to
stand by Ukraine as long as it takes to win this war, said the presidential
advisor and former foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu at the Ukraine peace talks
in Saudi Arabia. Any future solution for peace must guarantee Ukraine’s security
within its internationally recognised borders and the freedom to hold sovereign
elections, free of interference, the Romanian official also said. According to
the BBC, the summit’s final declaration only refers to the decision to hold
further peace talks. The summit was attended by senior officials from dozens of
countries, including Brazil, India, China and South Africa, with Russia not
invited.

Defence. The Romanian defence
minister Angel Tîlvăr is today making an official visit to the Republic of
Moldova following an invitation from his counterpart in Chişinău, Anatolie
Nosatîi. According to the defence ministry in Bucharest, the agenda of talks
features the stage of bilateral cooperation in the area of defence, as well as
issues related to cooperation in a NATO and EU context and in the region, from
a security perspective and amid the challenges arising from Russia’s war of
aggression against Ukraine.

Pensions. Romanian senators and
deputies are to return to Parliament this week to again amend a bill adopted at
the end of June on the special pensions enjoyed by a number of professional
categories in Romania, such as magistrates, the military and the police. Prime
minister Marcel Ciolacu said he summoned a special session of Parliament as a
number of articles of the bill were declared unconstitutional last week.
According to official figures, the number of special pensions is growing, with
over 10,000 recorded in July, up from the previous month. The highest special
pension amounted to around 4,300 euros. Romania has committed to reforming the
special pensions system in order to receive the recovery and resilience funds
allocated by the European Union.

Bank. The board of the National Bank of Romania
is meeting today to discuss issues of monetary policy. At last month’s meeting,
it maintained the monetary policy interest rate at 7% a year and said it
expected the inflation rate to drop over the coming months. On Friday, the
ROBOR three-month index used to calculate variable interest rates in the national
currency went up to 6.43% from 6.41%, according to data published by the
National Bank.

Travel. The Romanian foreign ministry has warned
Romanian citizens currently in Norway or planning to travel there that the Norwegian
authorities have issued a series of weather alerts until 10th
August. Red and orange codes are in place warning of heavy rain, strong winds,
flooding, landslides and fires. The storms that hit southern Norway are estimated
to be the strongest in the last 25 years. (CM)

7 August 2023
June 27, 2023 – UPDATE

RECOVERY The European Commission Tuesday endorsed a positive preliminary
assessment of the second payment request submitted by Romania under the
National Recovery and Resilience Facility, and found 49 out of the 51 targets
and milestones to be completed. Two
milestones, concerning investments in the energy sector, are deemed as not satisfactorily
fulfilled, and therefore the Commission activated a ‘payment suspension’
procedure. The EC acknowledged the first steps already taken by Romania to
fulfil these outstanding milestones, but emphasised that important work remains
to be done. Romania is to submit its observations within one month, and has an
additional 6 months to fulfil the outstanding milestones. If and when they have
been completed, the Commission will lift the payment suspension. In this
context, the EC chief Ursula von der Leyen stated that Romania has progressed
well in the implementation of its recovery and resilience plan, for instance
carrying out reforms on road safety, renewable energy and public sector cloud
services. PM Marcel Ciolacu says the
two delayed milestones will be recovered quickly, so that the country may
receive all the funds earmarked for them. The total amount in the second
payment request is EUR 2.8 billion, but Romania will receive EUR 53 million
less. The USR leader in opposition, Cătălin Drulă, says the money will only
arrive in September and the 3rd and 4th payments, also
scheduled for this year, stand no chances of being received

PROTEST About 700 employees with the police and penitentiary systems,
as well as court clerks protested in front of the Parliament building on
Tuesday, against the revision of the military and service pension system.
Protesters also asked for the elimination of all wage inequities, ceilings and
postponements imposed by the Government since 2010. According to protesters,
the increase in the retirement age from 60 to 65 is unjustified and will turn
Romania into the country with the most unfavourable retirement terms in the
NATO bloc. On Monday, the Romanian MPs passed a bill on the reform of all
special pensions received by some professional categories in Romania. The
changes concern, among other things, the increase in the retirement age for
some beneficiaries and the taxation of amounts that exceed the net average
salary. On the same day, Parliament eliminated the special pensions of senators
and deputies.

BACCALAUREATE Romanian high school graduates Tuesday sat the
compulsory test in their respective majors as part of the Baccalaureate exam. The
last test of the exam for most students is scheduled for Wednesday, with only
ethnic minority students left to sit a mother tongue test on Thursday. During
the examinations all classrooms are subject to audio and video surveillance,
and access with electronic devices or any other materials may lead to expulsion.
The grades will be announced on 3 July, and they may be appealed on the same
day, with the final results to be announced on 7 July.

FARMERS Romania will receive EUR 30 million from the European
Commission in aid for farmers affected by the import of cheap grain from
Ukraine. The support package, the second approved by Brussels after the one in
March, is worth a total EUR 100 million and is granted to five border countries
– Romania, Poland, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia. Poland, with almost EUR 40
million and Romania with EUR 30 million are the biggest beneficiaries of this
aid. The deadline for payments to farmers is 30 September. After the Ukrainian
Black Sea ports were blocked following the Russian invasion, the Romanian port
of Constanţa has become the most important alternative shipping route. (AMP)

27 June 2023