May 2, 2017 UPDATE

US ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, has said talks on Romanias purchasing some US Patriot air defence systems might be finalised by the end of the year/The Romanian Senate on Tuesday decided to debate the unified pay bill, in an emergency procedure

Newsroom, 02.05.2017, 18:58

AIR DEFENCE – US ambassador to Bucharest, Hans Klemm, has said talks on Romanias purchasing some US Patriot air defence systems might be finalised by the end of the year. He has explained that Romanian PM Sorin Grideanu has recently met with a delegation of the Romanian-US Business Council, during which the officials discussed ways to boost cooperation in the field of defence industry, as well as investments in Romania. In another move, Hans Klemm has said the US hails Romanias decision to increase defence spending to 2% of the GDP, in agreement with the commitments it has made within NATO. This also grants opportunities to US companies to cooperate with the Romanian ones in the field of defence, to develop new, state-of-the art equipment, to help Romania and the Alliance, including the US, to provide better defence, Hans Klemm has said.

UNIFIED PAY BILL – The Romanian Senate on Tuesday decided to debate the unified pay bill, in an emergency procedure. Also on Tuesday, the bill was sent by the Senates Standing Bureau, for endorsement, to the Government, the Economic and Social Council, the Legislative Council and to other institutions. The deadline set for securing these endorsements is of one week. The bill provides among others for the gradual increase, in the following five years, of the salaries of state sector employees. The first pay rise is to be applied as of July 1st.

MOLDOVA – The IMF Executive Board has completed the first reviews under the Extended Credit Facility and Extended Fund Facility Arrangements for the Republic of Moldova, that allow for the disbursement of 21.5 million dollars for that country. According to the report, the authorities continue to make significant progress in tackling long-standing vulnerabilities in the financial sector and advancing structural reforms. These efforts have helped strengthen financial stability and growth has been resumed. The report also says that the 2017 budget and the medium-term budget framework are consistent with the program targets. In November 2016 the Republic of Moldova signed a new programme with the IMF, worth almost 179 million dollars for a three-year period.

BREXIT – Britains plan to leave the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) when it exits the European Union will severely hinder nuclear trade and research, and threaten power supplies, a UK parliamentary committee said in a report on Tuesday. The government says Britain must leave Euratom as part of its goal to end the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice when the country leaves the EU. Experts have said that if Britain leaves Euratom, there is a risk of new projects being delayed or put on hold while new stand-alone nuclear cooperation treaties are negotiated with countries in the EU and outside it.

UNEMPLOYMENT – The unemployment rate registered in Romania in March 2017 stood at 5.3%, down by 0.1% as against February, while the number of unemployed people went down to 486,000, according to the National Institute for Statistics. The figure is by 3,000 people smaller than in February, and also smaller than in March 2016, when it stood at 561,000. The unemployment rate among men is 5.7% while among women is 4.9%.

LABOUR MARKET – Of all EU member states, Romania registered in 2016 the lowest number of people in the 15-64 age bracket who had an employment contract on a definite period of time, that is 1.4%, whereas the European average stood at 14.2%, a report issued by Eurostat on Tuesday shows. According to the figures, Spain is ranking at the opposite end of the classification with 26.1% and Poland with 27.5%. As regards the 15-24 year age bracket, the European average of people who have an employment contract on a definite period of time stood at 43.8%. The lowest percentage points were also reported by Romania – 5.3%.

TRAVEL ALERT – The U.S. Department of State issued a travel alert for Europe on Monday, citing the continued threat of terror attacks. In the alert, the Department of State mentioned recent incidents in France, Russia, Sweden and the United Kingdom, saying Islamic State and al Qaeda have the ability to plan and execute terrorist attacks in Europe. Malls, government facilities, hotels, clubs, restaurants, places of worship, parks, airports and other locations are all possible targets for attacks, the State Department’s alert said. The alert is valid until September the 1st. Washingtons previous alert of this kind expired in February.

EUROVISION – Over 200 competitors from 20 countries have arrived in Kiev these days to get ready for the Eurovision Song Contest, including Romanias representatives, Ilinca and Alex Florea. In the second semi-final, due on May 11, the two will be performing the song “Yodel it! composed by Mihai Alexandru. The head of the Romanian delegation, Iuliana Marciuc, told a press conference that the song has already caught public interest.