DEBATES Romania’s Prime Minister Viroica Dancila is
\ntoday attending debates in the Chamber of Deputies over controversial ordinance
\n114, which imposes new taxes in the fields of banking, telecommunications and
\nenergy. The Prime Minister has been invited in Parliament by the Liberal
\nopposition, which contested the law jointly with the opposition parties, the
\nbusiness environment and banks. Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici has called
\nfor postponed debates on the state ordinance so that the government may be able
\nto analyze a series of amendments to this document. One of the ordinance’s
\ncontested provisions is the 2% tax for energy producers. Administrators of private
\npension funds are also likely to face problems, as, under the fresh ordinance
\nthey are supposed to increase social capital in order to be able to continue
\ntheir activity. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
ELECTION According to the European
\nParliament’s webpage, the European People’s Party would get 181 seats, the
\nEuropean socialists 135 and the Liberals 75 in the future European Legislature
\nthat would form after the elections on May 23rd and 26th.
\nThe Europe of Nations and Freedom would come fourth with 59 seats followed by
\nthe Greens with 49. Romania, where these elections are scheduled for May 26th
\nwill have 33 seats one more than in the present legislature. The main ruling
\npolitical party, the Social-Democrats, will have 11 seats, the opposition
\nLiberals will have 9 seats, ALDE, also part of the ruling coalition, will have 3
\nseats and so will the opposition USR and Pro Romania. Two other political
\nforces, PLUS and UDMR will each have two seats. The estimates are based on
\nnational polls conducted by the end of February. The first direct elections for
\nthe European Parliament were staged 40 years ago on June 12th 1979.
\nThe ballot this year will be the most important in the history of the European
\nParliament, given the political context, the UK’s leaving the block, as well as
\nother major political and cross-border challenges. The next European Parliament
\nwill have less MPs, 705, as compared to the present 751. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
COMMEMORATION The National Institute
\nfor Earth Physics in Bucharest is today commemorating 42 years since the
\ndevastating earthquake in 1977, through a series of events aimed at raising
\nawareness about the risk of another major earthquake in Romania. According to
\nexperts, the safest buildings in Bucharest are those built between 1963 and 1989
\nas well as those constructed after 2000. On March 4th 1977, an
\nearthquake of 7.2 magnitude, the severest to hit Romania, killed 1,570 people
\nmostly in Bucharest, causing 2 billion dollars in damages. About 230 thousand
\nhouseholds and other buildings were destroyed or severely damaged. The
\nearthquake marked the beginning of a social-economic crisis the communist
\nregime was unable to overcome until its demise in 1989. Experts are cautioning
\nthat in case of a similar earthquake, hundreds of buildings could collapse in
\nBucharest alone. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
TENNIS Three Romanian tennis
\nplayers have entered straight the main draw at Indian Wells, the premier
\nMandatory Tournament in California, which kicks off today. WTA number 2nd
\nSimona Halep, WTA 31st-ranked Mihaela Buzarnescu and Irina Begu, WTA
\n67th-placed, are to find out today who their opponents are.
\nTop-seeded in Indian Wells, Halep and Buzarnescu benefit from a first free
\nround and will only prove their mettle in the competition this coming Friday or
\nSaturday. We recall Simona Halep won the Indian Wells tournament in 2015, and
\nreached as far as the semis in the previous edition. The drawing of lots for
\nthe men’s version of the tournament is to be held on Tuesday, while
\nrepresenting Romania at Indian Wells is Marius Copil. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
(Translated by D. Bilt)<\/p>\n
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