The routine assessment
\nof Member States made by the European Commission in the form of semester
\ncountry reports looks at the progress or delays in key fields, from the economy
\nto social policy, education and justice. According to the latest such analysis,
\nin most EU countries the economic recovery has contributed to a decrease in
\nunemployment, although this figure is still above pre-crisis levels. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
For Romania,
\nwhich celebrated a decade of EU membership on January 1, the report highlights
\nthe good state of the economy and social policies, but expresses concern for a
\nprospective miss of the budget deficit ceiling of 3% of the GDP and for threats
\nto the progress made so far in curbing corruption. Financial stability improved
\nin 2016, and so did banks’ capital positions and liquidities. According to the
\nreport of the European Commission, over the past two years Romania has seen
\nsteady economic growth, with the rate peaking at 4.9% in 2016. On the downside,
\nthe substantial tax cuts prompted the widening of the budget deficit last year
\nto 2.8% of the GDP, with a further deepening, to 3.6% and 3.9% expected in 2017
\nand 2018 respectively. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The labour
\nmarket improved, salaries went up and unemployment rates lowered. The poverty
\nrate, one of the highest in the Union, decreased, but social inequality remains
\na problem, affecting in particular the youth, large families, disabled people,
\nthe Roma and rural population. In healthcare, reforms were initiated in 2016,
\nbut the system is struggling with inefficiency and corruption, and access to
\nhealthcare is limited, particularly in rural communities. In education, the
\nreport mentions insufficient measures to prevent school dropout and low access
\nto higher education for rural youth. Reforms in public administration were
\nstepped up in 2016, but according to the European Commission, these are still
\nnot enough. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Corruption
\nremains an obstacle for business and a problem in all fields. Although Romania
\nhas made efforts to fight it in recent years, the progress in this respect is
\nnow under threat, says the report, mentioning as an example the emergency
\ndecrees issued by the new government, formed by the Social Democratic Party and
\nthe Alliance of Liberals and Democrats, in an attempt to amend the Criminal
\nCode and Code of Criminal Procedure. The measure, seen as an attempt to clean
\nthe slate for influential local and central administration officers and
\npoliticians under criminal investigation or prosecution, was eventually
\nabandoned, but only as a result of warnings from Romania’s Western partners, of
\ncriticism from the media and the opposition and, more importantly, after
\nmassive protests from hundreds of thousands of people who took to the streets
\nin Bucharest and other major cities in Romania and abroad.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The European Commissions latest country report on Romania reveals both positive and negative aspects.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":105,"featured_media":71822,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[37738],"tags":[38837,29053],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-72318","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-today-in-the-news","tag-country-report-romania","tag-european-commission"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n