July 8, 2024
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 08.07.2024, 13:55
Protest. The Employers’ Association of Accountants in Romania – PACR – is organizing, today, near the government headquarters, a protest to draw attention to the economic climate marked, in their opinion, by legislative chaos and fiscal uncertainty. The accountants also request fundamental changes in the country’s fiscal policy. The protest is followed by a march to the headquarters of the Ministry of Finance in Constitution Square. According to PACR, around 3,000 people, accountants and economists, could participate in the protest, and such actions will also take place in other cities in the country. The protest staged by accountants and economists is also supported by associations and organizations from the tourism and hospitality industry, as well as by family doctors.
TAROM. The national airline TAROM canceled 10 flights from the Henri Coandă Airport this morning, after some of the crew members declared themselves unfit to fly. In a press release, TAROM says that this is an unprecedented situation and that efforts are being made to identify solutions and protect passengers. The company mentions that it has allocated additional staff to this situation and that its assistance team will contact passengers directly to provide them with details regarding the rescheduling of flights. The press writes that another 10 flights, which were to arrive at the airport, would have been affected. Right now, there are queues in the airport formed by passengers trying to find new ways of getting to their destinations. The Minister of Transport, Sorin Grindeanu, has called on the TAROM management to take the necessary measures to avoid blockages.
Economy. The National Institute of Statistics revised upward the economic growth of Romania in the first three months of this year, to 0.7%, from 0.4% as previously estimated. Compared to the same quarter of 2023, the GDP registered an increase of 0.5% on the gross series and 2.2% on the seasonally adjusted series, according to the provisional data published today by the NIS. The country’s budget for the current year is based on an economic growth of 3.4%.
Paris. The French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal has announced that he will present his resignation to President Emmanuel Macron today, after the snap legislative elections on Sunday. The announcement comes after the French left-wing New Popular Front coalition, which includes socialists, environmentalists, communists and radicals, surprisingly won the most seats in the second round of the election, but fell short of an absolute majority in parliament. Attal, who is part of President Emmanuel Macron’s Renaissance party, said after the publication of the first estimates, that the Ensemble (Together) alliance, led by Renaissance, does not have a majority to govern. According to France Presse, Attal’s government camp is likely to drop from 245 seats to somewhere between 150 and 180 of the 577 seats in the lower house of parliament (the National Assembly), becoming the second largest force after the NPF, which would have between 172 and 215 seats. Sources close to President Macron hinted that he will address the nation before leaving for the United States to attend the NATO summit.
Culture. Romanians and foreign tourists visiting Romania are increasingly interested in culture – said the Minister of Culture, Raluca Turcan. She specified that the number of people visiting museums, public collections, botanical gardens, zoos, aquariums and nature reserves increased in 2023 by more than 3 million, compared to 2022. Mrs. Turcan has appreciated the professionalism and dedication of all those in the cultural sector who manage to increase public interest in cultural events and activities, as confirmed by the latest figures of the National Institute of Statistics.
Tennis. The Romanian-Ukrainian pair Gabriela Ruse/Marta Kostiuk qualified, on Sunday, for the next round of the women’s doubles event at the Wimbledon tennis tournament, after defeating Iana Sizikova (Russia)/Yafan Wang (China ), 6-4, 6-4. Ruse and Kostiuk, who last year stopped in the second round of the Grand Slam tournament on grass, will play, on Tuesday, against the second seeded Gabriela Dabrowski (Canada)/Erin Routliffe (New Zealand). (MI)
