March 30, 2015 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news.
România Internațional, 30.03.2015, 12:15
The Romanian Defense Minister Mircea Dusa is meeting on Tuesday in Bucharest with NATOs supreme allied commander in Europe, General Philip Breedlove, the Romanian Defense Ministry has announced. High on the meeting’s agenda are issues such as the security situation in Ukraine, the implementation of the Alliance’s action plan to enhance its operational capability and the NATO mission in Afghanistan. Also on Tuesday Philip Breedlove will have a meeting with the Romanian President Kalus Iohannis.
“Toto and His Sisters”, a film by Romanian director Alexander Nanau won the grand prize of the 7th International Documentary Film Festival in Brussels. The film, which is a Romanian-Hungarian-German co-production, has so far reaped several international awards. Alexander Nanau’s immersive documentary is a powerful look at siblings in a Bucharest slum unlikely to escape the grip of drugs, poverty and a monstrous mother. In a message to organizers, director Nanau explained he wanted to present these problems to European decision makers so that they may solve them.
The British Parliament was dissolved on Monday, which marks the start of the elections campaign for the legislative elections. Premier David Cameron was driven to Buckingham Palace to ask the monarchs approval to dissolve parliament ahead of a 7 May ballot, a formality marking the symbolic end of five years of coalition government between Camerons Conservatives and the centre-left Liberal Democrats.
The Parliament in Bucharest is hosting, as of Monday, debates on the new Fiscal and Fiscal Procedure Codes. The new provisions, which are about to come into effect next January, include significant cuts into the VAT, healthcare contributions and flat tax. The measures are aimed at boosting economic growth. The Fiscal Council however, gave a negative vote to the new fiscal bills, arguing that they stipulate a considerable decrease in taxes and duties, which cannot be covered by the state budget. According to the head of the Fiscal Council Ionut Dumitru, Romania needs a 7% economic growth in order to implement the new Fiscal Code. The Liberal opposition has already criticised the possible increase in local taxes. Also, the head of the IMF mission in Romania, Andrea Schaechter, has said that the executive in Bucharest should reconsider the moment of adopting tax cuts as well as their dimension, as more time is needed for progress in the tax collection process to be made.
Boosting the strategic partnership with the US is a key priority in Romania’s security and foreign policy and the privileged relation between the two countries is a solid guarantee for the stability of the entire region, Romanian president Klaus Iohannis said during the meeting he held Monday in Bucharest with Michael Turner, chairman of the Romanian caucus in US Congress. President Iohannis said that Romania would continue to be the same staunch partner of the US in international missions, including those unfolding under NATO aegis. At the same time Romania firmly supports the completion of talks on the Transatlantic partnership for trade and investment, the president went on to say. He said that Romania wants the USA to be among the top ten investors in Romania. A delegation of the US State Department and Congress has arrived in Bucharest for high-level talks in the field of bilateral relations. Bilateral talks have intensified against the unstable situation in Ukraine.
