December 9, 2015
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Newsroom, 09.12.2015, 12:00
The British PM David Cameron is paying an official visit to Romania on Wednesday. He will be received by President Klaus Iohannis and will hold talks with his Romanian counterpart, Dacian Ciolos. The British PM’s visit is part of a tour that also included Bulgaria and Poland, in the context of negotiations for the reconfiguration of the relation between Great Britain and the EU. The visit takes place also in the context in which London is preparing a referendum over remaining within or leaving the EU. London wants the reform of the EU so that it should fit its interests, especially in terms of the free movement of people, and the free movement of the labour force. Romania, just like Poland, excludes any limitation of the free movement, which is a fundamental principle for the EU and has constantly stated that it wanted Great Britain to remain in the EU.
The Romanian government approves Wednesday the draft budget for 2016. The education, healthcare, defense and interior ministries are the domains that will receive more money in 2016. Less money will be channeled to the labor and transport ministries. The bill was drafted based on a maximum budget deficit of 3% of the GDP, admitted by the European Union and on an economic growth estimated at 4%. Calculations show that budget revenues will be higher by 3.6 billion lei, that is 800 million euros than this year and expenses, augmented by almost 13 billion lei, that is 2.9 billion euros, will also cover the fiscal relaxation measures already approved. The state draft budget will be submitted to public debate today. Besides the government members, attending the debate for the first time are the representatives of several NGOS and citizens.
Romania will be able to join the euro zone as soon as possible, on condition it is ready, in the sense of reaching a high degree of real convergence that should continue also after the adoption of the euro- says the governor of the National Bank of Romania, Mugur Isarescu. According to him, the whole process of changing the currency is not necessarily a technical move, it is more of a political process and requires a firm commitment to be made by all representative parties. Previously, the presidential advisor Leonard Orban said that Romania should adopt the euro as soon as possible because as of 2018 it is possible that new measures be passed in the euro zone that will affect the access of the states outside the euro zone.
Romania’s women’s national handball team on Tuesday night sustained an 18-26 defeat by the national team of Spain, in a Group D fixture at the World Championships in Denmark. Despite its defeat, the national squad has managed to get through to the eighth finals, following the two comfortable wins against the teams of Puerto Rico and Kazakhstan. Romania’s upcoming fixtures in Group D are the games against Norway and Russia. Romania is the only country which, starting in 1957, participated in all the World Championships’ final tournaments, winning three medals, gold in 1962 and silver in 1973 and 2005, respectively.
