Radio România Internațional

Tag: social benefits

  • September 2, 2024 UPDATE

    September 2, 2024 UPDATE

    Parliament – The last session of the current Parliament began on Monday in Bucharest, with parliamentary elections to take place on December 1. The Senate adopted, as the first chamber notified, the Government’s draft law on the donation of a Patriot surface-to-air missile system to third parties. The project will also be sent to the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in this case. After the adoption of the law by Parliament, the Government will be able to issue the decision that will make the act of donation operational. Another bill is aimed at exempting from taxation the pensions below 3,000 lei (600 Euros), for which a decisive vote is expected on Tuesday in the Chamber of Deputies. The bill allows the people who benefited from pension increases as a result of recalculations not to lose any money following the raising of the current tax ceiling of 2,000 lei (400 Euros).

     

    Government – In its Monday meeting, the government issued an emergency ordinance to raise the ceiling for the social benefits granted to low-income pensioners whose pensions went up as a result of recent recalculations. The ceiling by which food allowances will be granted is to go up from 2,000 to 2,210 lei, that is some 440 Euros. An allowance of 1,400 lei to help with utility bills during winter will continue to be granted, regardless of the pension rises. The ceiling was also raised by which pensioners can benefit from 90% subsidies on medicines. In another move, the government is to start consultations with the representatives of people with disabilities to draft a special pensions law for this category that should take into account the low contribution levels recognized previously.

     

    Drills – Romanian military are taking part in the Ample Strike international exercise under way in the Czech Republic until September 20. They will carry out air support and air surveillance missions alongside other NATO troops. According to the Romanian defense ministry, 25 military and two helicopters are taking part in the exercise.

     

    Weather – Meteorologists have issued a code orange alert for heat wave valid, on Tuesday, in several counties in the west and south-west of Romania. Thermal discomfort will be high, and the temperature-humidity index (ITU) will reach the critical threshold of 80 units. Maximum temperatures, particularly high for this date, will be around 37 degrees Celsius. Also on Tuesday, a yellow code alert for heat will be valid in almost the entire country. The maximum temperature will reach 35 degrees C.

     

    Commissioner – The Social Democratic MEP (in the government coalition with the National Liberal Party – PNL), Roxana Mînzatu, is Romania’s official proposal for the position of European Commissioner, the PM Marcel Ciolacu announced on Monday. The social-democratic leader said that the EC president, Ursula von der Leyen, already had the interview with Roxana Mînzatu. He also said that he would discuss, in the next period, with the head of the European Commission about the portfolio that Bucharest will manage. The PM points out that the field would be established by Ursula von der Leyen, but assured that it would be a relevant one. The PNL leader, Nicolae Ciucă, says that the options are for the Enlargement portfolio or the Agriculture portfolio. The makeup of the future European Commission will be announced on September 11. Roxana Mînzatu has a degree in political sciences in English, she was a Braşov county deputy in the last legislature, and, in 2019 she was appointed Minister of European Funds.

     

    Bank – The foreign exchange reserves of the National Bank of Romania (BNR) exceeded 63 billion Euros at the end of August 2024, down by 0.62% as compared to the level of July 31, according to a communiqué of the Central Bank, sent to AGERPRES. The level of the gold reserve remained at 103.6 tons. Against the backdrop of international price developments, its value was 7.588 billion Euros.

     

    Visit – Pope Francis is starting his 45th apostolic trip abroad. Until September 13, the Sovereign Pontiff will visit Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor and Singapore, states marked by strong religious, economic and social contrasts. Immigration, inter-religious dialogue, ecology, the role of the Church in relation to access to health and education are the main themes that the pontiff will address in his speeches and meetings. According to the Radio Romania’s correspondent in Rome, in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world, the central theme will be the dialogue between Islam and Christianity. On September 5, there will be an interfaith meeting in the largest mosque in Southeast Asia, in the presence of representatives of six official religions, on which occasion the Pope will sign a joint statement with the Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar. Pope Francis is the third Sovereign Pontiff to visit this archipelago, after Paul VI and John Paul II.

     

    Israel – The US President Joe Biden said on Monday that the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was not doing enough to reach an agreement to release the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. A strike called by the main trade union confederation took place in Israel on Monday in protest against the delay in a cease-fire agreement in Gaza and the release of the hostages taken by Hamas. Employees of banks, hospitals and malls joined the protest, and flights were suspended at “Ben Gurion” Airport, the Israeli press writes. The strike call came after about half a million Israelis took to the streets in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other cities on Sunday evening to ask the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to do more to bring home the 101 hostages who are still in Gaza, reports Reuters. The protests took place after six hostages aged between 23 and 40 were found dead in a tunnel in Gaza by the army that said that they had been killed recently. (LS)

  • New Social Welfare Provisions in Romania

    New Social Welfare Provisions in Romania

    According to a
    report made public by the National Bank, at the end of last year in Romania some
    4 million people aged 15 to 64 did not have a job, were not looking for one and
    were not self employed. Also, according to the same data, only 10% of the inactive
    population would be available for work, but they however are not looking for a
    job. Moreover, in the past six years, the inflow of people starting or resuming
    work, out of the total inactive population, has been practically nonexistent.
    The total amount that the state earmarked for social benefits in December 2017
    stood at some 13 million Euros, accounting for an average 60 Euro per person.

    Things, however, seem to be changing. People benefiting from social welfare
    might no longer get money from the state if they refuse a job or a professional
    training course. The law that changed the regulations regarding the minimum
    guaranteed income has been promulgated by president Klaus Iohannis. In
    parliament, the bill was supported by all parties, and the initiators said the
    purpose was to encourage work and render beneficiaries more socially
    responsible.

    Here is the deputy Stefan Baisanu, a member of the Alliance of
    Liberals and Democrats:

    It’s
    time each citizen in Romania received incomes according to the work they carry
    out. This law is not about those who are indeed people with special needs, who
    must be helped, but for those who can work and must therefore be sent to work.
    Seasonal work is another solution, when there is need for such work in construction
    or agriculture.


    According to the
    new provisions, in exchange for the amounts granted as social benefits, one or
    several people of age, capable of working, depending on the quantum of social
    benefits in the beneficiary family, must carry out every month, at the mayor’s
    request, works that are of use at local level. This without exceeding the
    normal working hours and by observing the occupational health and safety rules.
    If it is proven that the family or a member of the family has obtained incomes
    from other sources, which have not been officially declared, the right to
    benefit from state welfare ceases.

    The law also establishes the mayors’
    obligations. They must draw up an activity plan on the basis of the requests
    received from the companies that need labour force and operate in the
    respective area. If the mayor does not do that, they run the risk of receiving
    fines ranging from 200 to 1090 Euros. According to the law, families and people
    with no family, who are Romanian citizens, are entitled to a minimum guaranteed
    income, in the form of social benefits, granted by the Romanian state on a
    monthly basis to those who have very small or no incomes at all. In December
    2017, some 250,000 people were benefiting from this type or social benefits.

  • British Premier David Cameron pays visit to Bucharest

    British Premier David Cameron pays visit to Bucharest

    Romania and Britain are not just partners within NATO and the EU, but also very good business partners, as bilateral trade stood at a record 3.5 billion Euro last year, British PM David Cameron said on Wednesday in Bucharest. Alongside Poland and Bulgaria, Romania is part of Cameron’s diplomatic tour of central and Eastern Europe, against the background of London’s reconsidering its relations with Brussels. Also, Britain is currently preparing a referendum on whether to stay or not within the EU. Cameron said London wanted a reform of the European Union that would also serve Britain’s interests, especially with regard to the freedom of movement, in particular of the workforce.



    David Cameron said he supported the freedom of movement principle, as one of Europe’s fundamental principles. Romanians, alongside other Europeans, make a valuable contribution to the United Kingdom in a wide range of fields, from finance to science and medicine, Cameron went on saying. However, this freedom of movement has brought more people than expected, with an net inflow of 300,000 in Great Britain alone. This pressure on schools, hospitals and public services in general must be solved, Cameron also said.



    Just like Poland, Romania strongly opposes any limitation of the right to freedom of movement, which is one of the EU’s fundamental principles. The largest part of the Romanian citizens in Britain are very well integrated and contribute to the country’s economy through the taxes and fees they pay, said Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis during the talks with the British Premier.



    In turn, the Romanian PM Dacian Ciolos said: “The proposals made by Britain can be supported by Romania, except for the matter concerning workers’ rights in the EU. Here we insisted on the need to find solutions that would not run counter to the rights that are already provided for in the European legislation, in particular with regard to welfare, given that Romanians who go to Great Britain do so in order to work, therefore they pay taxes there. I believe that in the future solutions will be found to take into account these concerns that Romania has.”



    Strengthening cooperation between Romania and Great Britain in the economic and security fields, alongside a reform of EU mechanisms, were some of the other topics approached by the British PM David Cameron during talks with Romanian officials in Bucharest.



    (Translated by Mihaela Ignatescu / Edited by Elena Enache)