December 6, 2014
For a roundup of domestic and international news, click here.
Bogdan Matei, 06.12.2014, 12:00
IMF — Romanian authorities on Saturday continued negotiations with representatives of the IMF and the European Commission regarding the draft budget for 2015. Negotiations are hampered by diverging visions over the budget deficit. IMF officials expect a 0.9% deficit, while the Government insists the deficit should stand at 1.4%. Prime Minister Victor Ponta claims the demand is unacceptable, and that it would force the Government to slash money for investment, healthcare or the co-financing of European projects. On Friday, Minister Delegate for Budget Darius Valcov said that Romania could not afford a budget deficit below 1.4% of the GDP, and that the economy would face a severe slump with a 0.9% deficit.
MOLDOVA — The Constitutional Court of Moldova on Saturday looked at a notification regarding the neutrality of this country filed by Liberal MPs who plead for NATO accession. Under the Constitution, the Republic of Moldova is neutral and cannot host foreign troops on its territory. Liberal leader Mihai Ghimpu however believes these provisions to be unfair, given the presence of Russian military in the pro-Russian breakaway region of Transdniestr. In another development, the Moldovan Liberal Democratic and Liberal-Democratic parties continue negotiations regarding the future governing program. The three parties won the elections of November 30, grabbing 55 of the 101 seats in Parliament. The Government hopes to obtain EU candidate status by 2017 and to join the EU in 2020.
SAINT NICHOLAS –Orthodox, Greek-Catholic and Roman-Catholic people in Romania celebrated Saint Nicholas on Saturday, also known as the Miracle Worker. Born in the third century AD in the Middle East, Saint Nicholas went down in history for his generosity and philanthropy. A great number of miracles are attributed to him, both during his lifetime and after his death. Some 800 thousand Romanians named Nicolae, Nicoleta or other derivatives celebrated their name day on Saturday. According to the traditional calendar, on the Eve of St. Nicholas, children polish their boots and lay them by the door for Father Nicholas to fill them with sweets and other gifts overnight.
HANDBALL — The Romanian women’s handball team on Sunday will play Norway in Debrecen, Hungary, as part of the first match at the European Championships. Denmark and Ukraine will face each other in the other group fixture. Coach Gheorghe Tadici sees Romania ranking among the first eight teams this year, after it ranked 10th at the European Championships of 2012 and in 2013 at the World Championships. In the last two friendly matches ahead of the Championships Romania grabbed a two-leg win against Germany.
RULING — The Bucharest Court of Law is ruling in the case of the pre-emptive arrest of 11 people in the Media PRO court case. Prosecutors accuse these people of money laundering and tax evasion, causing a damage worth 1 million euros to the state budget. Media PRO is one of the most influential private media trusts in Romania, owning a network of television stations, magazines, newspapers and cinema halls.
MEETING — Russian president Vladimir Putin on Saturday met with his French counterpart Francois Hollande in Moscow to examine the developments in Ukraine. According to France Presse, the meeting was not duly prepared, with Hollande scheduled to arrive in Moscow after an official visit to Kazakhstan. In Astana, Hollande had said that Moscow and Kiev should kick off a peace-making process supervised by the French and the Germans to reduce tensions sparked by the annexation of Crimea and the Russian support for breakaway regions in Eastern Ukraine.
