28 January, 2017

German chancellor voices support for the continuation of Romanias anti-corruption fight. The government will discuss the 2017 draft budget on Tuesday, after a meeting of the Countrys Supreme Defence Council called by the president.

Newsroom, 28.01.2017, 14:07

Merkel-Iohannis. German
chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday called Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis to
express her support for the continuation of the fight against corruption in
Romania. She also voiced her concern about the possibility that certain actions
may affect the country’s efforts to combat this phenomenon. President Iohannis
assured the German chancellor that he was firmly committed to continuing the
fight against corruption in Romania with a view to building a mature and solid
democracy. The president said that, at regional level, Romania remains a
reliable partner and one of the most important pillars of stability. He said
that, in the context of complex crises at international level, Romanian-German
cooperation has become very dynamic, both within the European Union and NATO, a
trend that must continue. During their telephone conversation, the two leaders
also spoke about the excellent stage of the special strategic relationship
between their countries and the consolidation and deepening of bilateral political
dialogue, as well as enhancing coordination on European matters.

2017 budget. The draft budget for 2017 will be discussed
on Tuesday by the government after a meeting of the Country’s Supreme Defence
Council called by president Klaus Iohannis on Friday to approve the draft
budget of national security institutions proposed by the government. Initially,
the latter said it would adopt the draft budget on Friday and submit it to
Parliament for debate. Prime minister Sorin Grindeanu explained that his cabinet’s
wish was for the new budget to cover all measures contained in the governing
programme and that the fact that certain institutions may receive less money
does not threaten their activity. The 2017 budget is based on a 5.2% economic
growth rate, while the budget deficit is estimated at 2.96% of the GDP. The
areas of transports, agriculture, healthcare and small and medium sized
enterprises will receive the largest amount of funds. Education, energy,
regional development, the home office, the foreign office, the president’s
office, the two chambers of Parliament and the Foreign Intelligence Service are
to receive less money than in 2016.

Foreign workers quota. Romanian
employers may hire this year 5,500 foreign nationals newly admitted to the
labour market, according to a decision issued on Friday by the government in
Bucharest. These are citizens of countries other than those part of the
European Union and the European Economic Area or Switzerland and whose access
to the labour market is regulated by agreements and treaties signed by Romania
with other states. The government has also established the number and type of
newly admitted foreign workers: 3,500 permanent workers, 200 seasonal workers,
200 internship workers, 100 cross-border workers, 800 highly qualified workers
and 700 posted workers. The number of newly admitted foreign workers in Romania
is established every year by government decision. This ensures a control of
foreign workers entering Romania and restricts the number of foreign posted workers
whose social security contributions are paid in the country of origin.
According to the government, the budget revenue resulting from the issuing of
hiring and posting authorisations for newly admitted workers in Romania is
estimated at 1.1 million euros.

USA measures. US president Donald Trump on Friday announced a
tougher legal framework for immigration and refugee admission to prevent what
he called radical Islamic terrorists from entering the US. Trump has banned
the entry of Syrian refugees until further notice. He also halted the issuing
of visas for the citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries, namely Iraq,
Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen, for three months. The federal
programme for the admission of refugees of all nationalities from countries at
war has been halted for four months. Rights
groups have immediately condemned
the measures. The United Nations has
called on Trump to continue the US’s long tradition of protecting those who
are fleeing conflict and persecution and not to distinguish on grounds of
race, religion and nationality. The American Civil Liberties Union criticised
the use of the words extreme vetting, saying it was a euphemism for discrimination
against Muslims.

Handball. CSM Bucharest, the European defending champion
in women’s handball, drew 26-all at home against the Norwegian side Larvik HK
in a Champions League group match on Friday. The winner of the European title
in 2011, Larvik are now third in their group. The leaders of the group are the
Hungarian side ETO Gyor and the Slovenian side Krim Ljubljana, with 6 points each, followed by Larvik with
5 points, the Danish side FC Midtjlland with 4 points, CSM Bucharest with 3
points and another Danish side, Team Esbjerg, with 2 points. CSM will next face
Krim on the 4th of February in Ljubljana.