January 1, 2020

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 01.01.2020, 14:12

SALARIES – As of January 1st,
the minimum gross salary in Romania stands at approximately 467 Euro per month,
which is higher than in 2019. The adjustment must be made within 20 working
days since the enforcement of the measure. The Labour Inspectorate has drawn
attention to the fact that, according to the Government’s decision, the minimum
gross salary at country level is established at the aforementioned amount for a
normal work schedule, without including bonuses and other incentives.

WORK
PERMITS – This year, the General Immigration Inspectorate can issue work
permits for 30,000 new foreign workers. According to a press release, the
number of work permits set for 2020 is similar to that of 2019, when 10,000
permits were added to the initial 20,000. Last year, employers requested
permits for some 750 occupational positions, from machine operators to
management staff. Most foreign workers in Romania are from Vietnam, Nepal,
India, the Republic of Moldova and Sri Lanka.

VISIT – Over
January 7 – 9, the Romanian prime-minister Ludovic Orban will pay a working
visit to Brussels. According to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Government,
Mr. Orban will meet with the EC President Ursula von der Leyen and the NATO Secretary
General Jens Stoltenberg. Also, he will meet with the president of the European
Council, Charles Michel, and the European Parliament President David Sassoli.

EXCISE DUTIES – Excise duties on
fuels have increased by 7%, which significantly reduces the effects of the
elimination of the additional excise duty promulgated by the president the day
before. Besides alcoholic beverages and tobacco, the list on the Finance
Ministry’s website includes the excise duties for petrol and diesel, which are
by 24.5 and 22.4 Euro higher per one thousand liters than in the normative act published
in the Official Journal on December 30th.

EU COUNCIL – Croatia takes over
today, for the first time, the presidency of the Council of the EU. Brexit is
top of the list of pressing issues that Croatia will have to deal with. In 2013
Croatia became the 28th country that joined the EU and now has to manage the
first exit of a member state, as the UK is to leave the Union on January 31st.
Another issue on the agenda is EU’s enlargement towards the East, against the
background of France’s standing against accession negotiations with North
Macedonia and Albania. The EU and the six candidates from the Western Balkans
(Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia)
are to attend an important summit in Zagreb, in May this year. We recall that Romania
held for the first time the rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in the
first half of 2019.

NORTH KOREA – The North-Korean
leader Kim Jon-un has stated that his country is abandoning the moratoriums on
intercontinental nuclear and ballistic tests. The state news agency has quoted
the leader as saying that the North-Korean state will continue to develop an
anti-nuclear system and will soon introduce a new strategic weapon. President
Kim believes that the US formulates demands that run counter to North Korea’s
fundamental interests and has stressed teh fact that his country is ready to
continue to live under international sanctions in order to maintain its nuclear
capability. However, he has left open a door for dialogue, saying that Pyong
Yang’s new nuclear development plans will depend on the American’s future
attitude. The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that he hopes the
North Korean state will choose peace and prosperity to war.

SPORTS
– 2020 is going to be an important year for sports lovers in Romania, which
will take part in at least two major events. Euro 2020 will have four matches
in Bucharest (on June 14, 18, 22 and 29), and at the Summer Olympic Games,
Romania will include the football team, for the first time in 56 years. As
regards football clubs, on February 20th and 27th, CFR
will take on Seville, Spain, in the Europa League. Tennis will also hold a
central spot, as everybody expects Simona Halep to win another Grand Slam
tournament. In handball, Romania will be represented in the Champions Leagues
by both the women’s and men’s squads, namely CSM Bucharest and SCM Ramnicu
Valcea, and Dinamo Bucharest respectively.