May 18, 2015
A roundup of local and international news
Newsroom, 18.05.2015, 12:00
Exports of logs and firewood from Romania are banned until the 31st of August. As of this date until the end of the year, sales of wood will be strictly monitored. These measures form part of two emergency ordinances currently under public debate which will be discussed by the government this week. The two ordinances are meant to enforce stricter regulations on the wood market until the enforcement of the new forestry code which is again being debated by the Chamber of Deputies as president Klaus Iohannis sent it back to Parliament for reexamination.
Senators are today debating and voting on a simple motion on child allowance submitted by the National Liberal Party in opposition. The Liberals say the allowance, amounting to around 9.5 euros, has not changed in more than 6 years, despite the fact that prices have risen by at least 20%. The signatories of the motion request an increase in the amount of child allowance and the resignation of the labour minister Rovana Plumb.
A mission of the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission will be in Bucharest between the 19th and the 26th of May for talks with the Romanian authorities about the new Fiscal Code and Romania’s implementation of the measures agreed with the Fund and the European Commission. The current stand-by type agreement signed by Romania and the International Monetary Fund is this country’s third since the beginning of the economic crisis, but will expire in autumn. Worth around 2 billion euros, it was signed in September 2013 for a period of 2 years. The European Commission has recommended Romania to take all the necessary measures to finalise its precautionary financial assistance programme.
EU foreign and defence ministers meet in Brussels today to discuss ways to put an end to migrant deaths in the Mediterranean. They will also prepare the upcoming meeting of the European Council dedicated to security and defence and held at the end of June. The EU ministers will also tackle, together with NATO’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, the military missions forming part of the common security and defence policy and the EU-NATO relationship. Romania is represented in Brussels by its foreign minister Bogdan Aurescu and its defence minister Mircea Dusa.
NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow said on Monday in Budapest that it was still unclear whether Russia was prepared to take steps to support the Minsk agreement to ease the situation in Ukraine. He added that the Moscow authorities could face new sanctions and isolation unless the deal was respected. Alexander Vershbow made these statements at the spring meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly coming to an end today in Budapest. Talks focused on the situation in Ukraine, the Islamic State and the terrorist threat, the latest developments in the Balkans, Afghanistan, hybrid wars and the challenges posed by the conflicts in Syria, Iraq and Libya.
The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep lost one place in the WTA rankings, going down from the second to the third place, following her defeat in the semifinals of the Rome tournament and Maria Sharapova’s winning the title. Serena Williams retains her world no. one ranking. Other Romanian players in the top 100 include Irina Begu, up one place compared with last week to reach the 30th position, the highest in her career so far; Alexandra Dulgheru, who climbed 22 places to reach the 50th position; Monica Niculescu, on the 69th position, down two places; and Andreea Mitu, who is currently in the 99th position.
