Radio România Internațional

Tag: SMEs

June 18, 2024 UPDATE

TALKS On Tuesday after his talks in Munich with the Romanian Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu, the Prime Minister of Bavaria, Markus Soder, underlined the importance of Romania’s fully-fledged accession to Schengen. He also mentioned that over 213 thousand Romanian nationals are presently living in Bavaria and highlighted their contribution to society. The German official also pleaded for stepped up economic relations. “Germany is Romania’s best partner, and Bavaria is the strongest trade partner of Romania” – the official went on to say. Prime Minister Ciolacu also mentioned the excellent cooperation relations between Romania and Bavaria and reiterated Romania’s staunch support for the European future of the partners in the western Balkans as well as of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. Ciolacu also reiterated Romania’s solidarity with Ukraine and the Ukrainian people in the illegal and unjustified war waged by Russia as well as Romania’s commitment to the multidimensional support for Ukraine and the tight cooperation with Germany in this respect. During the visit to Munich, the governments of Romania and the state of Bavaria convened in a joint session marking 25 years of bilateral relations. The delegations signed a memorandum on entrepreneurship, the SMEs and startups.

EXAM Tuesday saw the oral examinations in the Romanian language part of the baccalaureate exam. The examination of the linguistic and oral communication in the Romanian language is going to continue on Wednesday, and they will be followed by exams in the mother tongue, computer skills and the foreign language exams. The written exams are going to kick off on July 1^st. Education officials have given assurances the measures taken for this Baccalaureate session will significantly reduce frauds. All the exams are being video and audio monitored and the written papers will be graded only on the digital platform.

EXHIBITION Italy’s capital-city Rome is hosting an exhibition featuring Romanian traditional costumes and ceramic items from the collections of the Romanian Village Museum, alongside other exhibits from the Museum of Civilizations in Rome. Open until July 14, the exhibition also marks the Universal Day of the Romanian Blouse, celebrated on June 24.

MEETING The president of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, is meeting his Italian counterpart, Sergio Mattarella on Wednesday in Bucharest. According to the presidency, the Italian president’s visit continues top-level exchanges after the Romanian president’s visit to Italy in 2018, the first after a 45-year break, as well as in the context of the joint Romanian-Italian government session hosted by Rome over February 14-15 this year. Romania and Italy this year celebrate 145 years of diplomat ties, as well as 60 years since relations were elevated to the rank of Embassy. The two officials will also tackle developments at European and global levels, focusing on the EU Strategic Agenda and security topics.

(bill)

18 June 2024
November 25, 2020 UPDATE

COVID-19 President Klaus Iohannis Wednesday had a meeting with Prime Minister Ludovic Orban, Health Minister Nelu Tătaru and the head of the Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat, to assess and present measures aimed at managing the COVID-19 pandemic. After the meeting, president Iohannis told a press conference that a downward trend in the number of infections has been noted since November 20, as a result of local lockdowns. He added the measures remain in place, and further restrictions will be introduced where necessary. Iohannis also said the authorities are not planning to introduce a nation-wide lockdown after the general election due on December 6. Also on Wednesday, the finance minister Florin Cîţu signed a 12-million euro advance payment to the European Commission for the purchase of the COVID-19 vaccine. Romania wants to make sure it will be among the first countries to have access to the vaccine. In other news, the Romanian Red Cross has started a COVID-19 awareness raising campaign. On Wednesday, another 9,700 new COVID-19 infections and 168 related deaths were reported for the last 24 hours. Over 1,200 people are in intensive care.

SURE Romania will receive in the ensuing days a first instalment of 3 billion euros of the loan granted by the European Commission under SURE scheme, the Romanian finance minister Florin Cîţu announced on his Facebook account. The total loan requested by Romania amounts to 4.1 billion euro. The money will cover the deficit generated by measures like furlough or flexible working hours in the context of the pandemic. Apart from Romania, another 15 EU member states have access to this scheme, including Italy, Spain, Poland, Portugal, Belgium. The SURE programme makes available a total 100 billion euros.

INVESTMENTS 46% of the foreign investors in Romania have this year cancelled, reduced or suspended investments, while 51% made no changes to the planned projects, according to a survey made public on Wednesday. 41 out of 100 investors believe Romania will still be attractive after the end of the pandemic, in sectors like agriculture, IT and the automotive and transport industries. On the other hand, the main areas in which Romania should invest in order to increase its competitiveness include education, infrastructure and technology. At the end of last year, the biggest investors in Romania were the Netherlands, Austria and Germany. Another survey, focusing on the state of the national economy, reveals that 58% of the SMEs in the country only have reserves for the next 1-2 months, while 22% estimate their existing funds would be enough for 2-4 months.

MEETING Prime Minister Ludovic Orban and Economy Minister Virgil Popescu Wednesday met with representatives of the hospitality sector, one of the worst hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The talks focused on offsetting the losses incurred by this sector. PM Orban argued in favour of extending furlough for all employees whose activity has been affected by the health crisis and introducing flexible working hours so as to better meet the needs of the hospitality industry. Consultations between the Government and HoReCa operators will continue over the coming period. The Government has so far given tax breaks and continued to pay unemployment benefits to employees in furlough. The Government has also adopted a state-aid scheme whereby hospitality businesses are to receive 20% of the turnover they reported the previous year. All restaurants are currently shut down in Romania due to the high infection rate, and restaurants with outdoor seating have few clients because of the cold weather. Business owners in the sector say their losses amount even to 80%, and expect some 100,000 jobs to be lost by the end the year.

MARADONA World football legend Diego Armando Maradona, 60, died of a heart attack on Wednesday, international news agencies report. Maradona was struggling with depression and an alcohol addiction. Early this month he was hospitalised for routine checks, but 3 weeks ago he underwent emergency surgery for a blood clot in his brain. Diego Armando Maradona will be remembered as the footballer who scored some of the greatest goals in history. He played for Argentina for 17 years (1977-1994), scored 50 goals in 115 games and won his country its second World Cup in 1986. He retired from football at the age of 37. (translated by: A.M. Popescu)

25 November 2020
November 25, 2020

COVID-19 IN ROMANIA -
President Klaus Iohannis is today holding a meeting to assess and present
measures aimed at managing the COVID-19 pandemic, to be attended by Prime
Minister Ludovic Orban, Health Minister Nelu Tătaru and the head of the
Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat. Finance Minister Florin Cîţu
on Wednesday signed the €12-million down payment to the European Commission for
the purchase of the COVID-19 vaccine. Romania wants to make sure it will be
among the first countries to have access to the vaccine in the coming period.
In other news, the Romanian Red Cross has started an anti-COVID-19 campaign by
raising public awareness regarding the virus. Over 23,000 pupils in 40 counties
and 4 districts of the capital city will be attending health education classes
over the next four months, both in schools and online. Aimed at also providing
them with emotional support, the classes will be delivered by Red Cross
volunteers. At the same time, some 190 thousand adults from rural or at-risk communities
will receive information regarding the risks presented by the SARS-CoV-2 virus,
and will be counseled concerning the psychological weight of the pandemic. On
Wednesday, another 9,700 new COVID-19 infections and 168 related deaths were
reported in the last 24 hours. Over 1,200 people are in intensive care.

COVID-19 IN THE WORLD – The global number of SARS-CoV-2 infections has
exceeded 60 million today. 1.4 million people have died to the virus while 41.5
million have recovered, reads the latest worldometers.info update. The World
Health Organization has recommended people refrain from attending family
reunions this year and celebrate Christmas online this year. In Europe several
states have made public plans to ease lockdown restrictions for the winter
holidays. The British Government has sanctioned Christmas bubbles of a maximum
of three households meeting indoors. Germany too will allow gatherings of a
maximum of ten people for Christmas and New Year’s celebrations. In turn,
France has announced a three-stage relaxation plan. Starting Saturday, shops
will reopen under strict hygiene conditions and with working hours ending at 9
PM. Religious services will resume, albeit with a maximum attendance limit.
Physical exercise and outdoor walks will now be permitted within a 20-km radius
from home for a maximum period of three hours. In Spain, the Government wants
to limit Christmas and New Year’s social and family gatherings to a maximum
number of 6 people. The authorities here are also considering introducing a
nighttime curfew between 1-6 AM on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

MEETING – Prime Minister Ludovic Orban and Economy Minister Virgil
Popescu today met with representatives of the hospitality sector, one of the
most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Talks focused on offsetting losses incurred
by this sector due to the pandemic. Pirme Minister Orban argued in favor of
extending the furlough status of all employees whose activity has been affected
by the health crisis and introducing flexible working hours so as to better meet
the needs of the hospitality industry. Consultations between the Government and
hospitality representatives will continue over the coming period. The Government
has so far given tax breaks and continued to pay unemployment benefits to
employees put in furlough. The Government has also adopted a state-aid scheme
whereby hospitality businesses are to receive 20% of the turnover they reported
the previous year. We recall all restaurants are currently shut down in Romania
due to the high infection rate, and those restaurants with exterior seating
have low numbers of clients due to the cold weather. Business owners in the
sector say their losses amount even to 80%, and expect some 100 thousand jobs
to be lost by the end the year.

SMEs – 58% of Romanian SMEs have enough funds to last them 1-2 months,
while 22% estimate the money will run out in 2-4 months, a recent survey
conducted by the Sierra Quadrant & Frames consultancy company reveals. Made
public on Wednesday, the document shows
that the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, along with restrictive measures
introduced by the authorities, have severely impacted the Romanian economy, the
SME sector in particular, where financial problems have been most serious.
According to the survey, 61% of respondents say sales are the main problem
behind their current troubles, 14% indicated financial deadlock to be the main
cause, 12% say the decrease in supplier credits is responsible for their
current financial distress, while the limited access to bank financing is also
rated as a cause with an 8% response share. The survey was conducted over
November 10-15 using a sample population of 300 businesses operating in various
sector of the economy, from trade, financing, agriculture, energy, IT and
others. A total of 1,232 took part in the survey, representing entrepreneurs,
people in middle and top management positions, all higher education graduates.

FRANCOPHONIE – Romania’s Foreign Minister Bogdan Aurescu highlighted the
actions our country has undertaken this year to support the Francophonie.
According to the Foreign Ministry, Bogdan Aurescu on Tuesday attended the 37th
session of the Francophonie Ministerial Conference held in videoconference
format. In his speech, Minister Aurescu referred to Romania’s contribution to
peace-keeping and post-conflict reconstruction UN- and EU-led missions in
French-speaking countries. In this respect, Romania provided French-language
training to high-ranking military officials taking part in the missions,
funding and co-organizing scholarships for doctor and post-doctoral studies.
The Conference is taking place over November 24-25 in the context of marking 50
years of Francophonie in 2020. On this occasion the Conference also adopted the
2020-2025 Economic Strategy, which addresses, among other things, the economic
fallout of the coronacrisis, economic recovery and sustainable development in
French-speaking states. Romania has been a full-member of the International
Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) since 1993. (V.Palcu)

25 November 2020
Severe contraction of the Romanian economy

International experts warn about a global recession in the context of the coronavirus pandemic if countries do not take the necessary measures to combat the crisis. The Romanian economy has already contracted by 30-40% due to the current crisis, the economy minister Virgil Popescu has estimated.

In an interview to Radio Romania, the economy minister said that the car sector, tourism, transports and the hospitality industry have been the most affected by the restrictions imposed by the authorities. But, the government is preparing new measures and instruments to support the business environment, among which direct financial aid worth 750 million Euros for SMEs.

Virgil Popescu: “The package of measures will be tailored in such a way to re-launch the economy and to get back to the situation we were in at the beginning of the crisis, and not to compensate for the losses incurred. We want to re-start the economy gradually and return to the situation we had before the crisis. I also believe that it is very important to think of what we’ll do after the crisis, and especially of what we’ll do from a strategic point of view in Romania, on medium and long terms. Once the crisis is overcome, we need to think about the future of the Romanian economy, because, in my opinion, which is similar to that of the other colleagues in the government, nothing will be the same as before.”

As regards the situation of the Romanian economy in an international context, minister Virgil Popescu said: “We have to try to ‘take advantage’ of this pandemic, so to say. I believe that very many industries outside Europe will be relocated in the European zone, and I think that we should not miss this opportunity and be prepared to be able to receive new industries, new investments in Romania, which will obviously create new expectations for Romanians and for the Romanian employees.”

Studies conducted by international experts on the impact of the current sanitary crisis on the Romanian economy show a risk of entering a period of recession and of losing the race to the advantage of regional competitors. An analysis of the Businesses Development Consulting Agency shows that the Romanian economy risks collapsing if the authorities delay working out concrete solutions to the unprecedented crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic. The analysis shows that the economic effects of the crisis are intensifying, which will leave more than 2 million people without jobs, thus causing a severe recession.

At the same time, Romania risks losing the race for competitiveness to several states in the region such as Poland, Hungary and Bulgaria. So far, more than 215,000 people have lost their jobs in Romania and more than a million are in technical unemployment, according to figures provided by the Labor Ministry. (tr. L. Simion)

14 April 2020
The Week in Review 29 September – 5 October

No-confidence motion against the Cabinet

The Cabinet headed by Viorica Dancila is facing a new motion of no-confidence, the first since the ruling coalition of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats fell apart in August. The text of the motion against the Social Democrats minority government was read in Parliament on Thursday. The document, entitled “In order to rebuild Romania, the Dancila Cabinet must be dismissed immediately! will be discussed next Thursday, on October 10. The motion signatories argue that although the country has seen a favourable economic period, with significant economic growth, the Government has failed to start even one major infrastructure project. Confidence in the Romanian economy is dwindling, first of all because the business legislation changes almost on a weekly basis, the Opposition also says. The Social Democratic PM Viorica Dancila says on the other hand that the Government will not fall. The motion was signed by 237 MPs, from across the political spectrum, 4 more than the number of votes required for the document to pass.

Romanias new nominations for European Commissioner

The Romanian Government had to come up this week with new nominations for European Commissioner for Transport, after the European Parliaments legal affairs committee rejected Rovana Plumb on grounds of a conflict of interests. Convening in Bucharest on Tuesday night, the National Executive Committee of the Social Democratic Party decided that MEP Dan Nica, a former telecoms minister, was the Governments new nomination for the post. They also chose Gabriela Ciot, a state secretary with the Foreign Ministry, as a back-up candidate, in case the European Commission wanted a woman for this position. Disgruntled with both Rovana Plumbs candidacy, and with the 2 subsequent alternatives, the Opposition called on PM Viorica Dancila to no longer make any nominations without consultations with the President and without a vote in Parliaments specialised committees. The president of the National Liberal Party, Ludovic Orban, warned that otherwise more candidates will be rejected, damaging Romanias international reputation.

EIB triples funding for Romanian SMEs

The European Investment Bank triples the funds granted to Romanian small and medium sized enterprises. The announcement was made on Thursday by the EIB vice-president Andrew McDowell. The funding, increased from 500 million to 1.38 billion euros, can support 5,000 small and medium companies. McDowell added that the EIB Group provides not only financial resources, but also consulting services for preparing and implementing complex projects. He signed new contracts and changes in the existing agreements with the Romanian banking institutions interested in facilitating the access of Romanian companies to funding. According to the Romanian Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici, over 2,000 Romanian SMEs have benefited from such funding so far.

Anti-mafia chief prosecutor resigns

The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis Wednesday signed a decree dismissing Felix Banila as chief prosecutor of the Directorate Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism. The latter had previously announced he would step down, although he claimed that he had not failed to do his duty. On Monday the President called for Banilas resignation, criticising him for the way in which the institution handled the investigations in the Caracal killings, a case with a heavy emotional impact on the public. Prosecutors are trying to determine whether 2 under-aged girls were killed by a presumed people trafficker, Gheorghe Dinca. The President argued that in both cases he saw delayed and outrageous responses from certain authorities, proving their disregard for both the victims and their families.

Romania, guest of honour in Europalia International Art Festival

The 50th edition of the Europalia International Art Festival, with Romania as a guest of honour, continues in Brussels, after it opened to the public on Wednesday. The official opening was on Tuesday, when King Philippe of Belgium, Queen Mathilde and the President of Romania Klaus Iohannis visited a Brancusi exhibition organised by the Romanian Cultural Institute at the Bozar Centre. This is the most important exhibition devoted to the Romanian sculptor in decades, and the highlight of the Festival. For the coming 4 months, events will be organised as part of Europalia in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and Britain, including over 250 visual art, music, theatre, literature and performing arts projects.

Media 2020 Conference in Bucharest

Radio Romania organised the 5th edition of the Media 2020 Conference, jointly with Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union. The event in Bucharest brought together more than 40 representatives of the most important public media organisations in Europe and Asia-Pacific. Attending the event, the ABU president Javad Mottaghi emphasised that public media services need independent, unbiased and reliable news produced by professionals. The debates focused on the future of public media in the digital era, on strategies to protect copyright and on fighting fake news. Radio Romania and BBC Radio signed a bilateral partnership agreement. Similar agreements have been signed by Radio Romania with Radio France and RAI, as part of the Romanian public broadcasters strategy to collaborate with Europes most prestigious media institutions.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

5 October 2019
July 25, 2019

SMEs – Half of Romania’s SMEs are experiencing financial
difficulties, considering 10% have declared bankruptcy and 40% have restricted
their activity in the last two years, Ovidiu Nicolescu, honorary president of
the National Council for Romanian Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises said
earlier today. Attending the official launch of the White Charter of SMEs,
Nicolescu recalled these enterprises account for over 50% of the country’s GDP,
also making a significant contribution to exports. Ovidiu Nicolescu pointed out
the main difficulties have to do with personnel shortage, bureaucracy and
inflation. Attending the event was Prime Minister Viorica Dancila, who said the
Government’s public policies are inefficient in the absence of sustained
cooperation with employers’ associations and entrepreneurs, irrespective of
where the capital is coming from. The Romanian official went on to say that
entrepreneurs can contribute innovation and competitiveness, and the Government
keeps funding programmes such as Start-up Nation and encouraging exports. The
Prime Minister recalled some of the measures adopted to deal with labor market
shortages, such as increasing the minimum wage, tax benefits and encouraging
vocational qualification.

PROSECUTORS -
Daniel Horodniceanu, Catalin Borcoman and Claudiu Dumitrescu have been
nominated by Romania’s Justice Ministry for the position of European
Prosecutor. Justice Minister Ana Birchall will submit the names to the Council
of the European Union. The European Prosecutors will report to the European
Chief Prosecutor, a position Laura Codruta Kovesi, the former head of the
National Anticorruption Directorate, is vying for. The European Prosecutor’s
Office will specialize in combating fraud related to VAT and community funds
and is set to begin its activity by the end of next year. So far, 20 member
states have signed off on the project, including Romania. The Prosecutor’s
Office will investigate, indict and prosecute cases of embezzlement of
structural funds, tax evasion and other crimes infringing on the EU’s financial
interests. The institution will be headquartered in Luxemburg. According to the
European Commission, every year public authorities in Europe incur VAT-related
losses tantamount to some 50 billion euros.

HEAT WAVE – A new
heat wave is affecting Western Europe, the second within less than a month.
Record-high temperatures were reported on Wednesday in Belgium, the
Netherlands, Germany, Italy, Luxemburg and Switzerland. In Western Germany
temperatures exceeded 40 degrees Celsius, while highs in the Netherlands went
up to 39.2 degrees. Some bridges in Amsterdam and Haarlem are expanding. The
municipality is spraying water over them to cool them down. In Belgium a code
red alert against extreme heat was declared, after temperatures reached 39.9
degrees in the northeast. Meteorologists say Paris may see an all-time high
today, above the 40.4 degrees mark, reported in 1947, as temperatures may go as
high as 43 degrees. The temperature record was exceeded in Great Britain as
well, over 38.5 degrees.

INDICTMENT – The
former treasurer of the Social-Democratic Party, Mircea Draghici, has been
indicted by anticorruption prosecutors in an embezzlement case. Draghici
allegedly pocketed 380,000 euros in subsidies disbursed by the Permanent
Election Authority. Prosecutors have decided to splat the cause in the case of
the former chief of the Permanent Election Authority, Daniel Barbu, who is
being prosecuted for failing to monitor the subsidies allocated to political
parties and for halting ongoing inspections. According to prosecutors, the
Social-Democratic Party tasked Draghici with managing the party’s assets and
funds. Draghici allegedly pocketed the money pursuant to signing a real estate
rental contract. The subsidized money was given to Draghici to cover the
partial payment accounting for two thirds of a building.

UK – British
Prime Minister Boris Johnson will chair his first Cabinet meeting today before
addressing Parliament. The key positions in the British Government will be held
as Sajid Javid, who will be taking over as Finance Minister, Dominic Raab as
Foreign Minister, Priti Patel as Interior Minister and Jeremy Hunt as Defense
Minister. Overall 17 ministers and state secretaries from the former May
Cabinet were dismissed or have resigned, among them Justice Minister David
Gauke, Finance Minister Philip Hammond and Minister for International
Development, Rory Stewart.

FOOTBALL -
Romanian football champions CFR Cluj on Wednesday defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv of
Israel 1-nil on home turf in the first leg of the Champions League second
preliminary round. If it advances to the third round, CFR Cluj will play either
Celtic Glasgow of Scotland or Estonia’s Nomme Kalju. Today, in the first leg of
Europa League, Romanian Cup winners Viitorul Constanta are taking on KAA Gent
of Belgium, while vice-champions FCSB are going up against FC Alashkert of
Armenia. Finally, CSU Craiova is playing Honved Budapest. The return legs are
scheduled for next week. In the next round, Viitorul will play the winner
between AEK Larnaca of Cyprus or Levski Sofia of Bulgaria, FCSB will play
either Mlada Boleslav of the Czech Republic or Ordabasy Shymkent of Kazakhstan,
while Craiova will take on AEK Athens of Greece.

(Translated by V.
Palcu)

25 July 2019
October 25, 2016 UPDATE

CELEBRATION – On October 25, King Mihai I turned 95 and the Royal House of Romania is organizing a series of events, until October 28, to mark his anniversary. Medals and distinctions are being offered, concerts and book launches are held and Radio Romania broadcasts a radio drama written by King Mihai and Queen Ana. Mihai I is Romanias last king and the only surviving head of state from WWII. He ruled the country two times, between 1927 and 1930, and between 1940 and 1947, respectively. Forced by the communists to abdicate, on December 30, 1947, the former monarch lived in exile. After the Anti-communist Revolution of 1989, he returned to his native Romania. Also on Tuesday the Romanian Army Day was observed at home and abroad. Military and religious ceremonies were organized in all garrisons and theatres of operation across the country. Floral tributes were also paid at the cemeteries and memorials, in honour of the Romanian heroes in Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Russia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. A reburial ceremony was held at Rossoshka, in the Russian Federation, for 594 Romanian military who died in the line of duty in the battle of Stalingrad (todays Volgograd) during WW II. At present, 780 Romanian military are taking part in international missions around the world, 629 of them in Afghanistan.

NON FISCAL FEES– The Romanian Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday approved the draft law initiated by the Social Democratic Party to abolish over 100 non-fiscal taxes, including the radio and TV license fee, which covers most of the public broadcasters financing. On Monday, the Social-Democrats announced they gave up the idea of cancelling the radio and TV license fee, against the backdrop of harsh criticism voiced by the political class, civil society, representatives of public media institutions, who said the absence of such a fee would significantly impact the autonomy of the public radio and TV broadcasters. On Tuesday, however, Social-Democrat Liviu Dragnea made a comeback and called again, in the plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies, for the elimination of the public radio and TV license fee. The draft law has been endorsed by the Senate, and the Chamber of Deputies is the decision making body on the issue.

CONSTITUTIONAL COURT – Romanias Constitutional Court on Tuesday ruled that the law on giving in payment, challenged by banking institutions, is partially against the Constitution. The law was enforced on May 13th. Also, the bill allowing the conversion of Swiss-franc loans into the local currency at below-market rates has also reached the Constitutional Court. The Government contested the law because, in their opinion, the form under which it was endorsed by the Chamber of Deputies has come to be more than a form of social protection. Under this bill debtors can ask banks to convert their outstanding debt to local currency loans at the exchange rate prevailing when the loan was extended.

SMEs– Private small and medium sized enterprises in Romania, which got prizes in the 24th edition of the National Top of the Private Companies in Romania, reported a turnover of 2.2 billion Euro and employed over 26,000 people, Florin Jianu, the President of the National Council of SMEs has today said. According to him, the business environment in Romania should be supported by the state, by measures aimed to cut red tape, encourage the work force and grant funds to SMEs. Jianu has also said it is very important to attract investment, be it local or foreign.

CETA – The European leaders say the summit scheduled for Thursday and devoted to the signing of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada (CETA) is “still possible, in spite of Belgiums finding it impossible to approve it at the moment, as it announced. Attending the meeting will also be Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, government officials from Ottawa have announced. On Tuesday, the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, the Canadian trade minister, Chrystia Freeland, and the head of the Belgian region of Wallonia, Paul Magnette, held talks in an effort to breathe new life into the negotiations on this agreement. All EU member states have expressed their agreement on the conclusion of a treaty, with the exception of Belgium, which needs the agreement of all its five federal entities. The region of Wallonia, displeased with several provisions of the treaty, particularly those referring to the arbitration of trade disputes between companies and governments, has rejected the agreement.

NATO – US Ambassador to NATO, Douglas Lute, said in Brussels that NATO would consolidate its presence in Romania and neighboring Bulgaria. The US official said that Romania would host a multinational brigade, with the participation of Bulgaria. The brigade will coordinate the efforts of allied partners, including the United States, who will be deploying military for organizing military exercises in the two countries. Ambassador Lute said that, for the time being, plans on consolidating the presence of NATOs air and naval forces in the Black Sea region are still being discussed. In another development, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO Defense Ministers will discuss NATOs presence in the Black Sea region as part of their meeting scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday in Brussels.

TENNIS – Romanian tennis player Simona Halep (WTA no. 4) lost on Tuesday to the worlds number one player Angelique Kerber of Germany, 4-6, 2-6 in the Red Group at the WTA finals in Singapore. Simona won the first match against Madison Keys of the United States, and will take on Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia (WTA no. 8) in the last match. In the White Group, the Czech player Karolina Pliskova (WTA no.5) defeated the Roland Garros defending champion, Spanish Garbine Muguruza (WTA no.6), and Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova (WTA no.9) defeated last years winner of the title, Polish Agnieszka Radwanska (WTA no.3). Simona Halep is participating for the third time in the WTA Finals, after in 2014 she met Serena Williams in the finals, and last year failed to go past the group stage.

(Translated by D. Vijeu and V. Palcu)

25 October 2016
October 25, 2016

CELEBRATION – On October 25, King Mihai I turns 95 and the Royal House of Romania organises a series of events, until October 28, to mark his anniversary. Medals and distinctions are being offered, concerts and book launches are held and Radio Romania broadcasts a radio drama written by King Mihai and Queen Ana. Mihai I is Romanias last king and the only surviving head of state from WWII. He ruled the country two times, between 1927 and 1930, and between 1940 and 1947, respectively. Forced by the communists to abdicate, on December 30, 1947, the former sovereign lived in exile. After the Anti-communist Revolution of 1989, he returned to his native Romania. Military and religious ceremonies are being organised in all garrisons and theatres of operation across the country. Floral tributes are also paid at the cemeteries and memorials, in honour of the Romanian heroes in Austria, Bosnia and Hertzegovina, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Russia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. A reburial ceremony is held at Rossoshka, in the Russian Federation, for 594 Romanian military who died in the line of duty in the battle of Stalingrad (todays Volgograd) during WW II. At present, 780 Romanian military are taking part in international missions around the world, 629 of them in Afghanistan.

NON FISCAL FEES– The Romanian Chamber of Deputies has today approved the draft law initiated by the Social Democratic Party to abolish over 100 non-fiscal taxes, including the radio and TV license fee, which covers most of the public broadcasters financing. On Monday, the Social-Democrats announced they gave up the idea of cancelling the radio and TV licence fee, against the backdrop of harsh criticism voiced by the political class, civil society, representatives of public media institutions, who said the absence of such a fee would significantly impact the autonomy of the public radio and TV broadcasters. Today, however, Social-Democrat Liviu Dragnea made a come back and called again, in the plenary session of the Chamber of Deputies, for the elimination of the public radio and TV license fee. The draft law has been endorsed by the Senate, and the Chamber of Deputies is the decision making body on the issue.

CONSTITUTIONAL COURT – Romanias Constitutional Court is today delivering its ruling on 33 notifications regarding the unconstitutionality of the new law on giving in payments, which allows mortgage debtors who cant repay their loans to give the mortgaged assets to the bank and stop paying back the loans. The law was enforced on May 13th. Also, the bill allowing the conversion of Swiss-franc loans into the local currency at below-market rates has also reached the Constitutional Court. The Government contested the law because, in their opinion, the form under which it was endorsed by the Chamber of Deputies has come to be more than a form of social protection. Under this bill debtors can ask banks to convert their outstanding debt to local currency loans at the exchange rate prevailing when the loan was extended.

SMEs– Private small and medium sized enterprises in Romania, which got prizes in the 24th edition of the National Top of the Private Companies in Romania, reported a turnover of 2.2 billion Euro and employed over 26,000 people, Florin Jianu, the President of the National Council of SMEs has today said. According to him, the business environment in Romania should be supported by the state, by measures aimed to cut red tape, encourage the work force and grant funds to SMEs. Jianu has also said it is very important to attract investment, be it local or foreign.

CETA – The European leaders say the summit scheduled for Thursday and devoted to the signing of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between the EU and Canada (CETA) is “still possible, in spite of Belgiums finding it impossible to approve it at the moment, as it announced. Attending the meeting will also be Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, government officials from Ottawa have announced. Today, the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, the Canadian trade minister, Chrystia Freeland, and the head of the Belgian region of Wallonia, Paul Magnette, have held talks in an effort to breathe new life into the negotiations on this agreement. All EU member states have expressed their agreement on the conclusion of a treaty, with the exception of Belgium, which needs the agreement of all its five federal entities. The region of Wallonia, discontent about several provisions of the treaty, particularly those referring to the arbitration of trade disputes between companies and governments, has rejected the agreement.

TENNIS– Romanian tennis player Simona Halep (WTA no.4) is today facing Angelique Kerber of Germany (WTA no.1), in the Red Group of the Champions Tournament in Singapore. Simona is first seeded in the group, after having defeated in the first round, American Madison Keys, whereas Kerber is second seeded, the German player defeating Slovak Dominika Cibulkova (WTA no.8). In the White Group, the Czech player Karolina Pliskova (WTA no.5) defeated the Roland Garros defending champion, Spanish Garbine Muguruza (WTA no.6), and Russian Svetlana Kuznetsova (WTA no.9) defeated last years winner of the title, Polish Agnieszka Radwanska (WTA no.3). Simona Halep is participating for the third time in the Champions Tournament, after in 2014 she met Serena Williams in the finals, and last year failed to go past the group stage.(Translated by D. Vijeu)

25 October 2016