November 16, 2017 UPDATE

National Liberal Party, in Opposition, to table no-confidence motion on Friday

Newsroom, 16.11.2017, 19:39

PRESIDENCY – Romanias president Klaus Iohannis travels to Gothenburg, in Sweden, on Friday, to attend a social summit on fair jobs and economic growth. The event brings together EU heads of state and government, social partners and other key players. The summit consists of an introductory meeting and three other meetings focusing on specific themes that will discuss access to the labour market, the situation of the labour market and the transition between jobs. The Romanian president Klaus Iohannis is to give a talk on the access to the labour market.

NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION – The National Liberal Party, the main party in opposition in the Parliament of Romania, announced that it would table a no-confidence motion on Friday against the government made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats in Romania. The Liberals main criticism against Mihai Tudoses Cabinet concerns the changes in the tax code. The new version of this law switches the responsibility for social security payments from employers to employees and cuts income taxes from 16 to 10%, as of January 1, 2018. Over the past few weeks, street protests have been held in Bucharest and other major Romanian cities against the governments plans to change the tax code and the laws on the judiciary. On the other hand, PM Tudose claims that the new fiscal reform would result in more money to the state budget and social security budget, and will reduce bureaucracy.

JUDICIARY – The Constitutional Court of Romania postponed to next week the ruling on a notification filed by the Senate Speaker Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu with respect to an alleged conflict between the Government and the Public Ministry over government resolutions. The notification was tabled against the backdrop of an investigation by the National Anti-Corruption Directorate, concerning 2 former members of the current Cabinet, namely the former deputy PM and minister for regional development Sevil Shhaideh, and former minister for European funds Rovana Plumb. They resigned a month ago, after being accused in this case. The National Anti-Corruption Directorate claims that in 2013 two plots of land in the Danube plains were illegally transferred, under a government resolution, from state property into the property of Teleorman County and the management of the Teleorman County Council. At that time, Shhaideh was a secretary of state with the Ministry for Regional Development, and Plumb was minister for the environment.

EU AGENCY – The assessment made by the European Medicines Agency on its possible relocation from London to Bucharest exceeds its responsibilities, says the Romanian foreign ministry. The assessment made by the Agency, argues the Romanian ministry, should have only covered a number of specific aspects to facilitate a final assessment of the European Commission. The Romanian side is also unhappy with the content of the Agencys report. The winner of the bid to host the European Medicines Agency after the UK leaves the European Union will be announced on the 20th of November. Now based in London, the European Medicines Agency is considered one of most important of the European Unions 40 specialised agencies. It employs 900 people and receives visits from around 35,000 national regulation authorities and scientists every year given its essential role in approving new medicines on the European market. Bucharest has made a bid to host this agency along with other big cities in the EU.

AUTOMOTIVE – The sale in Europe of Dacia cars made by Renault in Romania saw a 20.3% growth in October compared with the same month last year, while its market share grew from 2.6 to 2.9%, according to statistics made public on Thursday by the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. In the first ten months of the year, deliveries of Dacia cars saw an 11.3% increase in Europe. The Dacia car factory was taken over by Renault in 1999. Relaunched in 2004 with the Logan model, Dacia has become an important player on the European car market.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu, Cristina Mateescu)