A roundup of the week's main stories
Romania attended the Autumn European Council in Brussels
Romania's President, Klaus Iohannis, on Thursday attended the autumn European Council, alongside the EU leaders. The focal points on the agenda of the summit were the refugee crisis and securing the EU's external borders. The summit, which initially should have lasted two days, ended on Thursday night with an announcement of an agreement being reached in principle between the EU and Turkey, on capping the inflow of refugees heading for Europe. In exchange for securing Ankara's better cooperation to contain the wave of migrants, the European leaders promised Turkey visa waiver for its citizens, financial assistance and opening new chapters in the negotiations for EU accession, a process that is now being blocked. Turkey, the main gateway into Europe for the flow of migrants coming from neighbouring Syria, is currently providing shelter to some two million Syrian refugees. In another move, the European leaders decided to tighten control on the external borders of the EU and to find solutions to the humanitarian crisis generated by the conflict in Syria. Refugee-related issues and EU reforms had been approached, ahead of the summit, by Romania's President, Klaus Iohannis, and the President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz. Iohannis said migration-related issues should be approached in their entirety, in the areas where they emerge, and the EU should cooperate with all the refugees' countries of origin and grant support to transit countries, such as Turkey, as well as to the countries that are now providing shelter to refugees.
The new US ambassador to Bucharest has referred to the cracking down on corruption and the improvement of the economic environment in Romania
Romania has made significant progress in fighting corruption and improving the economic environment, the new US ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, told an economic forum held in Romania's capital city. He added that Romania must capitalize on its strengths and strategic advantages and serve as a springboard for investors in the region. On the other hand, the US ambassador said "Romania must break the cycle of political influence in economic decision-making". He called on Romanian politicians "to stop meddling in the management of state owned enterprises for political gain." Hans Klemm has also said "politicians should protect and publicly defend those prosecutors that pursue corrupt actors, and vocally support an independent judiciary".
Romania gives loan to neighbouring Republic of Moldova
Romanian Deputies ratified a Reimbursable Financial Assistance Agreement, under which the neighbouring Republic of Moldova is given 150 million euros. The loan has a five-year maturity and carries the same interest rates at which Romania borrows from international markets. The first installment, amounting to 60 million euros, will be transferred next month. While in Bucharest to attend the ratification, the Moldovan PM Valeriu Streletz thanked Romania for the constant support provided to Chisinau in various fields. He emphasised that this new loan will be used to promote reforms and modernise the country. The PM of Romania, Victor Ponta, explained that the difficulties that the Republic of Moldova is facing at present are the consequence of Russia's response to Moldova's European accession aspirations.
Victor Ponta: "The Republic of Moldova needs financial support today, and it can only receive it from us. It needs it in order to get through a difficult period, which, I'd say, they have been facing especially because of the economic sanctions imposed by the Russian Federation in response to one thing: the fact that last year the Republic of Moldova signed the EU Association Agreement."
Valeriu Streletz was also received by the head of state, Klaus Iohannis, who reiterated that the Republic of Moldova can rely on Romania, at any time and to a substantial extent.
Romanian Government gives facilities for overdue tax payments
Individuals and companies that pay their overdue taxes to the Romanian state by March 31, 2016, will have their delayed payment penalties and some of the interest charges erased, under an emergency order passed by the Government on Wednesday. PM Victor Ponta emphasised that this was not a fiscal amnesty measure, but rather a form of supporting the taxpayers which failed to pay the amounts owed to the state budget by September 30, 2015. In order to benefit from this facility, taxpayers must lodge an application with the local tax administration office.
Romania's hosting elements of the missile defence system triggers reactions in Moscow
The Romanian diplomats reacted to the accusations of a Russian Foreign Ministry official, Mikhail Ulianov, according to whom Romania breaks the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF) by hosting elements of the anti-missile shield at the military base in Deveselu, in the south. The Romanian Foreign Ministry dismissed the accusations as ungrounded and reiterated that this European component of the US missile defence system has a strictly defensive purpose and does not target the Russian Federation, but rather ballistic missile threats from outside the Euro-Atlantic area. Early this week Moscow called on the US and Romania to reconsider the inclusion of Mark-41 missile launchers in the defence system in Deveselu. According to the Russian Foreign Ministry official, this would be a challenge to international security and will be viewed by Moscow as a serious violation of the INF Treaty signed by the USA and the former USSR in 1987.
Useful Links
Copyright © . All rights reserved