The Week in Review (March 05-11. 2017)
A round-up of the week's main stories
România Internațional, 11.03.2017, 14:00
Romania at the spring European Council in Brussels
President Klaus Iohannis has attended the spring European Council meeting in Brussels, and said that Romania is not in agreement with the idea of a multi-speed Europe. He said that his country believes in a strong, united and solidary European Union, which takes 27 to work. In his opinion, it would be counterproductive for the EU to accept projects that are accessible to only some of the members. He underlined the fact that discussions on EU’s future are in their early stages, and that more versions may appear in time. Iohannis said that the first conclusions of this process of reflection, launched at the spring Council, will be formalized by a declaration of the Rome anniversary summit on March 25th. The government in Bucharest holds the same point of view, PM Sorin Grindeanu said in Brussels at the meeting of the Party of European Socialists. He specified that for Romania the important policies concern cohesion funds and the common agricultural policy. The EC Vice-president Frans Timmermans told Radio Romania that any EU state, including Romania, could join, if they so wished, the so-called ‘close cooperation groups’. He added that Romania will continue to be supplied with structural funds, but pointed out that if a country in the Union has issues with the rule of law or corruption, the Commission may withhold funds if it is not sure that the money is spent correctly.
Operational plan in joint EU defense and security missions
Ministers of foreign affairs and defense, including the Romanian one, meeting in Brussels, on Monday laid the foundation for a EU ‘general staff, whose responsibilities include non-combat operational planning and management, such as the ones in Congo, Mali, and Somalia. Foreign ministers also discussed the Union’s relationship with Egypt. In addition to the economy and political development of that country, they also talked about the aims that Cairo and Brussels set for the peace process in the Middle East, as well as the situations in Libya and Syria. On that occasion, Romanian Defense Minister Gabriel Les reiterated Romania’s firm commitment to consolidating the European project in terms of security and defense.
Union-government talks around the unitary salary law
The Ministry of Labor in Bucharest has this week hosted separate discussions with institutions in public order, education and culture around the unitary salary law. Labor Minister Lia Olguta Vasilescu has said that the document will pass by 1 July in order to come into effect on the first day on 2018. According to her, salaries in the public sector will grow in stages until 2021, with only healthcare workers benefiting from full rises by 2018. Vasilescu has said that all public sector employees will get meal and holiday vouchers. She has specified, however, that the total level of these bonuses will be 30% at most, for institutions that don’t have their own revenues, in order to not upset the state budget. According to healthcare unionists, the unitary pay law is good, and pay rises are satisfactory. The rises for next year for most healthcare employees will reach 60%. The head of the Spiru Haret Trade Union Federation, Marius Nistor, said that wages in education will go up by an average of 57%, and that the bonus fund will stand at 5%, granted based on performance criteria.
EU funds provided for building and refurbishing hospitals in Romania
The European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu has stated on Radio Romania that three regional hospitals will be built with European funds in Cluj, Iasi and Craiova. She said that the locations have been established, and that the European Investment Bank will run feasibility studies. The European official said she hoped that building work would start by early 2018. In addition to this money, more European funding is available for modernizing 280 more hospitals in Romania. Commissioner Cretu urged the Bucharest authorities to absorb more community funds, especially considering the fact that the states with strong economies plead for cutting short aid to less developed countries. She recalled that Romania missed out on two billion Euro in EU-provided money between 2007 and 2013, even though the budget exercise was prolonged by three years, ending this month.
Romania at the Eurovision 2017 contest
The song “Yodel It!, performed by Ilinca and Alex Florea, will be Romania’s entry at the Eurovision 2017 contest, after winning the national competition. The 62nd edition of this popular music competition will be held in Kiev, Ukraine. Romania will perform in the second semi-final, on 11 May, with the first being held on May 9th. The Eurovision final will be on May 13. This year, another Romanian singer will be on stage, Miruna Manescu, but representing Switzerland, with the song “Apollo. Romania has been taking part in this competition since 1993. Its achievements include reaching third place twice, and fourth place once. (Translated by Calin Cotoiu)
