April 6, 2016
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 06.04.2016, 12:00
The Romanian Government is discussing today the new draft law on state employees’ salaries. The PM Dacian Ciolos says there are two versions of the law, and the future provisions are meant to re-balance the public salary system. One of the versions proposes a multi-annual salary increase until 2020 starting from the minimum salary level, while the other version refers to salary rises to be operated only next year, depending on the budget. Dacian Ciolos added that the presentation of this draft law was delayed because the current Government believed the approach of the previous government regarding pay rises was not realistic from the point of view of budget resources.
The Romanian deputies are voting today the simple motion called “Human rights are not a luxury asset” initiated by the Liberals and Democrats Alliance – ALDE against the Justice Minister, Raluca Pruna. They ask for the minister’s resignation, criticizing her for the statements she made related to the citizens’ fundamental rights, after the government passed an ordinance regulating the use of phone tapping in criminal cases. Raluca Pruna opined that talking about human rights is a theoretical luxury in a state weakened by corruption and by an inefficient fight against crime. Although a simple motion does not imply the dismissal of the respective minister, Raluca Pruna said Monday that she was considering a possible resignation, pending the vote in the Chamber of Deputies.
More than half of Romanians believe the country is going in the wrong direction, shows a survey conducted in March by the INSCOP polling agency. According to the survey, the worsening of the health condition is the main cause of concern for 20% of the interviewees. Romanians are also concerned with the reduction of their incomes and the likelihood of a war or conflict, namely 17%, with the loss of their jobs (13%) and the rise in prices (11%). The survey also shows that 45.6% of the interviewees believe the main issues facing Romania are the economy and employment. High on the list of the country’s priorities are the fight against corruption (25%), the improvement of medical services (9%), bridging the gap between the rich and the poor (8%), the country’s defense against external threats (5%), the reduction of the number of civil servants and the reform of public administration (3.8%).
The Budget — Finance Committee in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies announced it would invite representatives of the National Agency for Fiscal Administration and of the National Office for the Prevention and Fight against Money Laundering for talks on the Panama Papers international journalistic investigation. The meeting was scheduled for next week. The investigation reveals that heads of state, high-ranking politicians, businesspeople and celebrities from the world over, including Romania, are among the beneficiaries of more than 214,000 off-shore companies registered in 21 tax havens.
The European Commission will present today a series of measures for strengthening security on the EU’s external borders, against the backdrop of the immigrant flow in Europe and the security threats generated by the terrorist attacks in Brussels and Paris, claimed by the Islamic State, Reuters news agency reports. Europol underlined that Islamist militants took advantage of the flow of immigrants that reached Europe last year to infiltrate into Europe. The Frontex agency recalls that two of the Paris terrorists entered Europe through Greece, by using false Syrian documents. Against the backdrop of flaws and lack of regulation in the laws on managing controls on the EU borders, the EC suggested a series of technical measures to consolidate border security and cooperation on data exchanges. The new system is to be implemented by 2020.
In Romania, businesspeople do not need a state that should tell them what to do, but a state that should not set obstacles in their activity — said the Romanian Economy Minister, Costin Borc, at a meeting with the members of the Romanian — German Chamber of Commerce. He insisted that the state should focus on the development of online activities so that entrepreneurs and investors should not waste time at various desks. The Economy Minister added that it was important to stimulate Romanian production in all areas of the country and that the state should be friendlier to investors. on managing controls on the EU borders, the EC suggested a series of technical measures to consolidate border security and cooperation on data exchanges. The new system is to be implemented by 2020. (news translated by Lacramioara Simion)
