November 20, 2013 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
România Internațional, 20.11.2013, 19:11
Romania is the staunchest advocate for Moldova’s bid to join the European Union, according to the Romanian Foreign Minister, Titus Corlatean, speaking during the meeting he had with the President of the REpublic of Moldova, Nicolae Timofti. The foreign minister also met with the Moldovan Prime Minister Iurie Leanca. The two discussed priority bilateral projects. Corlatean was in Chisinau in preview of the upcoming Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius, where Moldova will sign with the European Union association and free trade agreements.
The Romanian Prime Minister, Victor Ponta, announced on Wednesday, that a number of trade agreements and contracts will be signed during next week’s visit to Bucharest of the Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang. Ponta said that the meeting on November 25th between the Chinese Prime Minister and his counterparts from 16 central and east-European countries is a great opportunity for Romania to boost its economic ties with China, as well as its regional relations. On the 26th of November, the Chinese official will attend in the Romanian capital the China — Central-East European Countries’ Forum. The meeting will be attended by some 1000 representatives of the private and public sectors in Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia — Herzegovina, Croatia, the Check Republic, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia and Hungary.
Iraq is one of Romania’s major partners in the Middle East, said in Bucharest on Wednesday the Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Valeriu Zgonea, after meeting the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Saleh Mohamed al Mutlag. The two officials pleaded for boosting bilateral relations, especially as this year Romania and Iraq celebrate 55 years of diplomatic ties. The Iraqi official appreciated the support provided by Romania for his country’s stabilization and reconstruction, recalling the many joint projects run by the two countries. Also on Wednesday, the Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister met his Romanian counterpart Liviu Dragnea, who said that bilateral trade exchanges have doubled over the past two years and that there are many possibilities of collaboration in various economic fields.
On Wednesday, the Romanian government approved the draft law regulating the sale and purchase of farm land. The document will be submitted to Parliament for debate and approval, for the new rules to be applied starting January 1st, 2014, when the land market will be liberalized. According to the latest regulations, only EU citizens will be allowed to buy land in Romania. However, Romanian citizens will benefit from the right of preemption, just like those who have leased farm land, said the Agriculture Minister Daniel Constantin. The current draft law no longer includes the condition that the buyer must have experience in farming, and stipulates cap of 100 hectares on the total surface that can be bought by a natural person. At present, foreign nationals planning on buying land in Romania have to set up a company.
Romania should boost efforts to reduce the rate of bad loans, and to take more action to fight corruption and reform the judiciary. These are recommendations made by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, in a report that analyses the latest developments in the countries where the banks operates. According to the EBRD, the absorption of European funds is rather insignificant, despite efforts to enhance the rate of accession. A more efficient use of European money would improve Romania’s economic growth prospects, the Bank says. Also, the business environment in Romania is rather difficult, and companies are faced with every-day operational problems, a situation that discourages foreign direct investment.
On Wednesday, the European Parliament approved the new Common Agricultural Policy, which will focus on environmental protection and provides for a more fair distribution of European funds, more money for small farmers, and also penalties for those who do not take environmental protection measures. The European Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, the Romanian Dacian Ciolos, has stated that the new policy will balance the support to farmers, regions and Member Countries, with more focus on young farmers, and will promote a more competitive European agricultural sector. Also on Wednesday, the European Parliament approved the legislative package regarding the EU Cohesion Policy for the 2014-2020 timeframe, under which Romania will get 7.25 billion Euros.
The all out strike in the Romanian health-care sector, announced for November 28th is illegal and the judiciary will be notified about this, said on Wednesday the Health Minister Eugen Nicolaescu. The minister made the announcement after the meeting he had with representatives of the Medical Professionals’ Association to discuss doctors’ claims. Among other things, health care staff demands the allocation of at least 6% of the GDP for health, higher salaries and improved technical conditions.
Starting on Wednesday, Bucharest hosts the 20th edition of the Gaudeamus Books of Learning International Fair, the most important in Eastern Europe, ending Sunday. The event is organized by the Romanian Broadcasting Corporation, which this celebrates 85 years of broadcast. The fair will consist of over 600 publishing and exhibition events, with around 400 participants. The guest of honor this year is the Group of Northern Countries, made up by Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
