31 December, 2024

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 31.12.2024, 13:55

Deficit. Romania’s budget deficit went up to 7.12% of GDP after the first 11 months of the year, from 6.19% after ten months and compared with 4.58% in the same period last year, according to data published by the finance ministry today. Total revenues accounted for 523.94 billion lei in the first 11 months of the year, up by 12.7%, while general consolidated budget expenses amounted to 649.66 billion lei, up by 20.6% compared with the same period last year.

Schengen. The Romanian Border Police is ready for Romania’s full entry into the Schengen area on 1^st January 2025, when border controls will be lifted on 40 border crossings, by road, rail and port. According to a statement from the Border Police General Inspectorate, from next year, travels from Romania to and from other Schengen member states will be similar to any other local trip. However, people wishing to travel to another Schengen country must have on them a valid travel card, namely passport or identity card, as the Romanian border police will conduct random checks, the statement also reads.

Spending. The Romanian government adopted an emergency order aiming to reduce public spending in 2025. The government wishes to diminish budget spending by 19 billion lei, while raising budget revenues by implementing the reforms laid down in Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan. These tax and budgetary reforms have come under criticism from a number of trade unions’ and employers’ associations. The lack of social dialogue and the haste with which the emergency order has been promoted have also caused dissatisfaction among trade unions in the education, public administration and social assistance sectors, as well as the Energy Employers’ Association.

Price rise. Petrol and diesel oil will cost more in Romania from 1^st January 2025, owing to a 6% increase in excise duties on fuel, according to a report published by the finance ministry. A litre of petrol will cost 0.17 lei more and that of diesel oil by 0.16 lei more. Excise on spirits and sparkling wine will go up by 4.4% from 1^st January. Duties and local taxes will be indexed to catch up with the inflation rate, with the decision to be taken by each individual city hall. In Bucharest, the General City Council has raised taxes by 10.4%.

Elections. Romania may hold new presidential elections on 23^rd of March and 6^th April, according to the Bucharest media quoting political sources from the government coalition formed by the Social Democratic Party, the National Liberal Party and the Democratic Union of Ethnic Hungarians in Romania. The first round held on 24^th November was annulled by the Constitutional Court based on intelligence provided by the country’s Supreme Defence Council indicating interference from a state-actor. The second round, initially scheduled for 8^th December, was to be a runoff between the nationalist Călin Georgescu, accused of links with Russia, and Elena Lasconi, the leader of the Save Romania Union, in opposition. The second term of the incumbent president Klaus Iohannis was to come to an end on 21^st December, but his stay was extended until the election of a new head of state.

EU. Poland is taking over from Hungary the 6-month rotating EU presidency from 1^st January. The international media expect Poland to be much more focused on cooperation than Hungary, in an effort to press ahead with European issues such as support for Ukraine. Poland is one of Kyiv’s strongest supporters, while Hungary’s nationalist leader Viktor Orban vexed Brussels by travelling to Moscow in July to meet Russian president Vladimir Putin. The Polish presidency gets under way against the backdrop of Donald Trump’s return to the White House, with the Europeans fearing a disengagement with Ukraine from the US and commercial tensions with the US, commentators also note.

Tennis. The Romanian tennis player Jaqueline Cristian reached the round of last 16 at the WTA 250 tennis tournament in Auckland, New Zealand, worth more than 275,000 US dollars. She will next meet the winner between top seed Madison Keys and Italy’s Lucia Bronzetti. Former world no. 1 Simona Halep got a wild card for Auckland, but had to pull out because of an injury. In Brisbane, Romania’s Anca Todoni defeated Spain’s Cristina Bucşa to reach the second round of the WTA 500 tournament hosted by this city and will next face Linda Noskova of the Czech Republic.