July 17, 2023

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Newsroom, 17.07.2023, 13:55

SUMMIT The president of Romania Klaus Iohannis
takes part on Monday and Tuesday in Brussels in the 3rd summit of
the European Union and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. The main goal of the summit is to revive the partnership
between the EU and Latin American countries, in the context of current
geopolitical developments, including Russia’s war against Ukraine. According to
the Romanian presidency, Mr. Iohannis will highlight the importance of the
cooperation between the 2 regions for the management of new global challenges,
of the complex challenges facing both regions, and of the new development
opportunities that may be capitalised on through enhanced cooperation. The
Romanian president will also emphasise that Romania’s active commitment to a
closer cooperation between the 2 regions was reconfirmed in all his meetings
with his counterparts, during his official visits to Brazil, Chile and
Argentina this April.

GOVERNMENT The
Social Democratic MPs Natalia Intotero and Simona Bucura-Oprescu have been
appointed by their party leaders today as the new ministries for family and
labour, respectively. The 2 positions were vacant after the resignation of Gabrielei
Firea as minister for family and of Marius Budăi as labour minister, following
a scandal concerning care home abuses in Ilfov County, near the capital
Bucharest, where prosecutors are investigating organised crime groups exploiting
vulnerable people. Simona Bucura-Oprescu chairs the Committee on public
administration and country planning in the Chamber of Deputies. She was elected
as Deputy for Argeş County as a Social Democratic candidate, first in 2012, and
then in 2016 and 2020. Natalia Intotero was a minister for the Romanian
diaspora in 2018-2019 and a state secretary with the Foreign Ministry. She is
also at her 3rd term in office as an MP, and since December 2020 she
has been chairing the Chamber’s committee on education.

TAXATION The government of Romania is looking at a set of
tax increases to be applied as of September 1 in order to offset the budget
deficit. The planned changes include a new 1% tax on residential buildings
worth over EUR 500,000, and higher taxes on tobacco products and gambling. According
to governmental sources, 2 VAT rates will remain in force, with a 9% tax rate
for foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals and prostheses, and a 19% rate for other
products and services. The government is also considering the introduction of
public health insurance contributions for employees in agriculture and
constructions, thus eliminating current exemptions in these sectors. Additional
taxes will be charged on transfers by companies that move their profits out of
the country. As many as 85.8% of the small and medium-sized enterprises are
against these proposed amendments to the Fiscal Code, the SME Council president
Florin Jianu says.

CULTURE This week’s agenda of the Timişoara – European Capital
of Culture programme includes theatre, performing arts, cinema, exhibitions and
gastronomy. The world-famous US actor John Malkovich stars in The Infernal
Comedy staged by the National Theatre in Timişoara, supported by the Vienna
Academy Orchestra, in 3 sold-out performances on Thursday and Friday. On
Tuesday, the Revolution Memorial Museum opens an exhibition on The Berlin
Wall, a border through Germany, and Wednesday sees the first screening of a travel
documentary by Florin Iepan, entitled My journey to Romania – Letter from
Timişoara, depicting the city as seen by a Norwegian traveller, Christoffer
Johansen.

SPORTS Romanian
football champions Farul Constanţa take on Sheriff Tiraspol, of the R. of
Moldova, on Tuesday night, in the Champions League’s first qualifying round. In the first leg, Farul won 1-0 on home
turf. The winning team is next to play against the winner of the round pitting Maccabi Haifa (Israel) against Hamrun Spartans (Malta), in
which the Israeli side won the first leg 4-0. Three
Romanian teams are playing in Conference League as well. In the 2nd
qualifying round, former champions CFR Cluj take on Adana Demirspor, of Turkey.
Cup winners Sepsi Sfântu Gheorghe are pitting against CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria), while
vice-champions FCSB (Bucharest) are facing CSKA 1948 Sofia. The first leg is
scheduled for July 27, with the return leg due a week later. (AMP)