September 25, 2023

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 25.09.2023, 14:05

POLL According
to a poll conducted by the Center of Urban and Regional Sociology, (CURS) most
of the Romanians believe that things are rather going wrong in Romania. 69% of
the respondents share this opinion, whereas only 22% of them believe the
country goes in the right direction. 41% of those questioned believe their
situation will be more difficult next year, 38% that it will remain the same whereas
18% says that things will improve. According to the CURS poll, the main issues
the Romanians are presently facing are the inflation, the higher prices and their
low incomes, the dropping standard of living, corruption and theft. The most
trusted institutions remain the firefighters (73%) followed by the army (68%)
and the church (63%). If elections were to take place next Sunday, 50% of the
interviewees would be voting for the parties presently ruling Romania, the PSD
and PNL.

FESTIVAL The concert of the Concertgebouw Royal
Orchestra of Amsterdam on Sunday night ended the 26th edition of the
George Enescu International Music Festival. The Academic Radio Choir and the
Children Radio Choir have also participated in the aforementioned event, which
brought together over 40 orchestras from 16 countries and over 35 hundred of
the world’s most renowned musicians. This festival, one of the world’s most
important, will be followed by Remember Enescu, a contest devoted to the young
musicians. This year’s edition kicks of on Monday in Timisoara, western
Romania.

IMF A team of the International Monetary Fund comes to
Bucharest today for the annual round of talks over the Romanian economy. Until
October 4th, international experts will be holding talks on the
economic policies and the latest developments in the field with representatives
of the Finance Ministry, the Central Bank and various NGOs. The IMF team will
also be meeting representatives of the private sector for talks, which are
taking place periodically in all member states with a view to presenting
recommendations for ensuring stability and a positive development at the level
of the economy.

LAWS The completion of the measure package aimed
at balancing the state budget will be preceded today by a new round of talks in
Bucharest between Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu and Finance Minister Marcel
Bolos followed by another round of consultation with employers associations and
trade unions on the matter. Also today, the Executive is to endorse a draft law
for which it will assume responsibility in Parliament. The government’s
intention is to effectively combat tax evasion, ensure fiscal equity and curb
red tape. The VAT will remain low for a series of products and goods – 5% for
firewood, thermal energy, natural gas and other things related to household
consumption. The VAT will stay at 9% for food stuff and medicine, whereas
products destined for people with abilities will remain exempted from the VAT.
Holiday vouchers will be given only to state employees with incomes up to 16
hundred euros.

(bill)