PROTESTS In Romania, local administration
\nstaff in rural areas were on a token strike on Wednesday, with demands
\nprimarily related to salaries. According to trade unions, almost 11,000
\nemployees in over 800 town halls in the country signed for the protest. Unionists threaten with an all-out strike
\nstarting on February 5 unless their demands are met. On the other hand, trade
\nunions in the healthcare sector announced they would carry on protests, as the
\ngovernment’s current offer to raise salaries by 13.9% this year is not what
\nthey had expected. Solidaritatea Sanitar\u0103 Union Federation notified the
\ngovernment of their plans to go on an all-out strike. According to the
\nfederation, under the law the government has 10 days to negotiate with the unions
\nand avoid a labour dispute.<\/p>\n
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DEFICIT Romania ended the year 2023 with a
\nbudget deficit of 5.68% of the GDP, as against the 4.4% originally forecast
\nwhen the state budget for last year was drawn up. The deficit is however below
\nthe 6.3% estimated by the European Commission in its forecast. According to
\ndata supplied by the Finance Ministry, the difference between revenues and
\nexpenditure was almost EUR 18 bln.<\/p>\n
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REPORT With 46 points out of 100, Romania
\nremains one of the EU countries with the poorest results in the implementation
\nof anti-corruption measures, according to Transparency International’s annual
\nCorruption Perceptions Index. The organisation’s recommendations for Romania
\ninclude updating the legislation in the field of public integrity, improving
\norganisational and decision-making transparency, standardising and clarifying
\nadministrative procedures.<\/p>\n
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EU
\nRomanian President Klaus Iohannisis in Brussels to take part in a
\nceremony organised by the European Commission in memory of Jacques Delors (1925
\n– 2023), a former European Commission president between 1985 and 1995, and to
\nattend an extraordinary meeting of the European Council on Thursday. The
\nCouncil meeting will focus on an agreement on the main elements of the proposed
\nrevision of the 2021-2027 Multiannual Financial Framework. The most important
\ndecisions are the support for Ukraine, including military support under the
\nEuropean Peace Facility, in keeping with the country’s needs. Klaus Iohannis
\nwill firmly plead for Ukraine to remain a top priority on the EU agenda.<\/p>\n
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VISIT The Turkish foreign minister, Hakan
\nFidan, was on a visit to Bucharest, for a meeting with his Romanian counterpart
\nLumini\u0163a Odobescu. The Turkish official also had talks with Prime Minister
\nMarcel Ciolacu and the Senate Speaker, Nicolae Ciuc\u0103. According to the Turkish
\nmedia, Hakan Fidan is meeting with his counterparts in Albania, Bulgaria and
\nRomania ‘to discuss bilateral relations, as well as current regional and global
\ndevelopments’. Romania and Turkey signed a Strategic Partnership in 2011,
\nfollowed by a joint action plan, signed in 2013 by the two countries’ foreign
\nministers. (AMP)<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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