November 19, 2013
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Valentin Țigău, 19.11.2013, 13:00
LEGISLATION – The Government of Romania is today asking Parliament for a vote of confidence on the Decentralisation Bill. Before this, a special Cabinet meeting is scheduled, during which the amendments submitted by MPs are to be discussed. The areas to be subject to decentralisation include public healthcare, agriculture, environment, culture, youth, sports and tourism. The Liberal Democrats in opposition announced they would take the bill to the Constitutional Court. This is the second time that Victor Ponta’s government seeks a vote of confidence in Parliament, after using the same procedure in April, to pass legislation on returning property abusively seized by communist authorities to their rightful owners.
ECONOMY – Prime Minister of Romania Victor Ponta has voiced confidence in the successful continuation of economic reforms in Romania. In an interview to the American television station CNBC, he said the country would continue to work with the international lenders that supported it during the financial crisis. Ponta mentioned that in 2013, Romania had the highest economic growth rate in the EU, namely 1.6%, which may even reach 2.2% by year end. On the other hand, Victor Ponta admitted that Romania still has a lot to do in terms of structural reforms and that it is not rushing its eurozone accession, planned to take place between 2018 and 2020.
ROSIA MONTANA – The Senate of Romania dismissed on Tuesday the bill on the gold mining plans in Rosia Montana and on encouraging mining in Romania, as recommended by a special parliamentary commission. The decisive vote on the new legislation will be cast by the Chamber of Deputies. The prospect of using cyanide for gold and silver mining in Rosia Montana has been severely criticised by environmental watchdogs and the general public, who protested for months against the project. On the other hand, Gold Corporation, the Canadian company involved in the plan, argues that by exploiting the ores in Rosia Montana, Romania may become Europe’s main gold supplier.
EU – The Romanian Foreign Minister, Titus Corlăţean, is presenting in Chisinau today some specific measures to support the Republic of Moldova’s European efforts. The talks take place ahead of the Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius, where the Republic of Moldova is to sign the Association and the Free Trade agreements with the EU. The Romanian official will be received by the Moldovan president, Nicolae Timofti, and will also have talks with prime minister Iurie Leanca. On Monday in Brussels, the EU Foreign Affairs Council analysed the stage of preparations for the Eastern Partnership Summit.
CULTURE – The Gaudeamus International Book Fair, organised every year by Radio Romania, starts on Wednesday in Bucharest. Over 400 Romanian and foreign publishers are attending this 20th edition of the most important book fair in Romania and one of the top 10 in Europe. Adding to these are multimedia companies, literary agents, cultural and educational NGOs, trade associations, bookshops and libraries. Events will include book launches, conferences, film screenings and various creative workshops. For the first time this year, the guest of honour is a group of five countries, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, and the motto of the fair is “Cool Nordic Bucharest.”
