October 15, 2019 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

România Internațional, 15.10.2019, 19:54

GOVERNMENT – On Tuesday, after consultations with most political parties
represented in Parliament, Romania’s president Klaus Iohannis designated the
leader of the National Liberal Party Ludovic Orban to form a new government team
and draft a governing program and present them to parliament for endorsement.
According to the head of state, the National Liberal Party is the largest
opposition party and the promoter of the no-confidence motion by means of which
the Social Democratic Government headed by Viorica Dancila was dismissed. According
to Iohannis, among other things, the new Government will have to make sure next
month’s presidential elections are properly organized, to close the 2019 budget
and to built the 2020 budget. In turn, the prime-minister designate has
promised that his team will be characterized by honesty, competence and
integrity and will come up with solutions to Romania’s big issues. Restoring
the country’s macroeconomic balance, restructuring the government apparatus,
investments in transport, health-care and education, the real independence of
the judiciary and strengthening Romania’s European path are some of the top
priorities. A supporter of early parliamentary elections, the Save Romania
Union, which signed the no-confidence motion, has stated it will support the
new government provided certain conditions are met. The Pro Romania Party has
stated it will do what is best for Romania. In turn, the Social Democratic Party, which
refused to take part in the consultations over the designation of a new
premier, has announced, through its president Viorica Dancila, that it will not
vote for the new Government. In fact, the president of the Chamber of Deputies,
the Social Democrat Marcel Ciolacu, has stated that it is the responsibility of
the parties that supported the motion to ensure the quorum for the investiture
of the new Cabinet.

IMF – The International Monetary Fund has revised upwards the forecasts regarding
the growth of Romanian economy this year, but it also envisages an increase in the
inflation rate and the current account deficit, reads the latest ‘World
Economic Outlook’, published on Tuesday. In April, the IMF forecasted that
Romania would register an economic growth rate of 3.1% this year, followed by
3% in 2020. However, in Tuesday’s report, the institution speaks of a 4%
economic growth rate in 2019 and 3.5% in 2020. These new forecasts are in line
with those of the World Bank, which last week spoke of a 4.2% growth rate this
year. Also, the World Bank is expecting a growth in the GDP in 2020 and 2021,
of 3.6% and 3.2% respectively.

DEFENCE – Representatives of
the South-East European defense ministries (SEDM) convene in Bucharest on
Wednesday. Romania is represented by the state secretary with the Defense
Ministry Doru Claudian Frunzulică. According to a Defense Ministry news release,
the meeting is an opportunity for Bucharest to reconfirm its commitment to the
projects implemented as part of this initiative, as well as to support
proposals for the consolidation of the SEDM as the main cooperation platform in
South-East Europe. SEDM is a regional initiative designed to help maintain
peace and strengthen neighborhood and close cooperation among East-European
countries, by fostering political-military dialogue and involvement in
practical projects in the field of regional security and stability.

EC – President Emmanuel Macron will nominate
a new candidate for the European Commission, but only after the European summit
on Thursday and Friday, in order to try and first resolve ‘the political
instability’ in the European Parliament, the Elysee Palace announced on
Tuesday. If tensions occurring in the European Parliament, expressed by
rejecting the proposals sets forth by France, Romania and Hungary, are not
taken into consideration, actions at European level will be difficult to
undertake. To president Macron, an atmosphere of political tension and wish for
revenge would be destructive. We recall that Rovana Plumb and Laszlo Trocsanyi,
Romania’s and Hungary’s proposals respectively, have been rejected due to
suspicions of conflict of interests, and the French candidate, Sylvie Goulard,
has been rejected for ethical reasons.

PRICES – In Romania, the
Foodstuff Price Monitor was launched on Tuesday. It is a platform designed to
help citizens compare food prices charged by stores across the country. The
users will be able to choose between around 30,000 types of products,
accounting for half of the total foodstuffs in the market. The project is
similar to the one that compares fuel prices, launched in June. The new
platform is available as a mobile phone app and on the internet at
monitorulpreţurilor.info.