September 17, 2014
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România Internațional, 17.09.2014, 12:00
The censure motion against the Romanian center-left government, initiated by the center right Christian-Liberal Alliance in opposition will be read out in Parliament today and it will be debated and submitted to voting on September 22nd. The liberal-democrat and liberal MPs, signatory to the motion, claim that the government aims to rig the presidential election due in November by adopting the emergency ordinance enabling the mayors to join another party without losing their office, as it was stipulated up to now. We recall that social democrat Prime Minister Victor Ponta is the main favourite of the presidential ballot. Also today, the MPs cast their vote on the motion of the opposition criticizing the government’s financial activity and lack of economic vision.
The bread price in Romania went down by 10.25% between September 2013 and July 2014 and tax evasion dropped by 68 million Euros, after the 9% VAT on bread had been introduced — Deputy Prime minister and Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Daniel Constantin said today. He underscored that in the wake of that measure, the business environment was more sound because cases of insolvency or bankruptcy were no longer reported in the miller’s and bakery field. The Romanian government has today spelled out the effects, which the cut of the VAT on bakery products from 24% to 9% on September 1st 2013 had on the economy. According to the survey made by the authorities and the employers’ associations in the field, the measure sparked off the 20% reduction of tax evasion and consumers’ savings of 136 million Euros.
According to Eurostat, in August, Romania reported the second highest annual inflation rate in the EU, standing at 1.3%, Great Britain and Austria with a 1.5% rate coming first. The lowest annual inflation rate — minus 1% – was reported in Bulgaria. As compared to July 2014, the inflation rate went up in nine EU states, remained stable in two countries and went down in 17 member states, including Romania.
In Rome, Romanian Energy Minister Razvan Nicolescu today has talks with representatives of the company ENEL on the sale of its operations in Romania. The Italian electricity production and supply company has recently announced a plan providing among other things for the sale of its distribution assets in Romania. Bucharest considers energy distribution as a strategic activity and plans to purchase part of the ENEL assets. In another development, the Romanian government has launched a public debate on the draft resolution suspending the timetable of the gas market liberalization. According to the document assumed by Romania before the IMF and the European Commission in 2012, the gas price for the population should have been increased by 3% on October 1st.
As from today, 1300 Romanian military and 150 American infantrymen participate in a joint drill in Sibiu and Brasov counties, central Romania. The drill is aimed at developing the response and cooperation capabilities in crises and wartime. The American soldiers are part of the Marine Corps Infantry deployed in the Black Sea, Balkan and Caucasus areas. The maneuvers ending on September 26th take place in the context in which in recent years, Romania and the USA have deepened their military cooperation stipulated in the bilateral strategic partnership. Romania is going to host elements of the US anti-missile shield designed for Europe at a military base in its Southern region.
Russia and pro-Russian Ukrainian separatists should fully comply with the ceasefire accord concluded in Minsk, American vice-president Joe Biden and Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatseyuk said in a phone talk last night. The USA and Ukraine accuse Russia of fuelling the Ukrainian conflict and supporting the separatists. Moscow has constantly dismissed those accusations. According to the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry, 16 Ukrainian soldiers died and nearly one hundred were wounded in the fighting which went on after the ceasefire accord signed by the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatists had been enforced. The fighting in Eastern Ukraine has made some 370,000 people flee the country, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs has announced. In another development, the European Parliament and the Supreme Rada of Ukraine on Tuesday ratified the Association Agreement between the European Union and Ukraine, which will take effect in late 2015.
Over September 20th-27th, Radio Romania organizes the second RadiRo Festival, the only European musical event rallying radio symphony orchestras from Europe. 5 radio orchestras, world wide known soloists and conductors from Finland, the Czech Republic, Germany, France and Romania will give concerts, whose programme features Richard Strauss as this year it is 150 years since the birth of the great German composer.
