15 July, 2015 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 15.07.2015, 12:15
Romanias President Klaus Iohannis will pay a formal visit to Serbia on Thursday, for talks with his counterpart Tomislav Nikolic, Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic and Parliament Speaker Maja Gojkovici. Also, the Romanian head of state will meet with representatives of the Romanian community in Serbia.
President Klaus Iohannis stated on Wednesday that the focus in Romania should not be on lowering taxes alone, but also on the way in which this is being implemented. According to the president, such a change is useful, but only if it does not jeopardize other benefits, such as public finance sustainability, which has been consolidated lately as a result of sustained efforts. President Iohannis also said he was studying the Fiscal Code in order to make a decision regarding its promulgation. We recall that the European Commission has voiced worries over the effects of the fiscal relaxation stipulated in the new code, as this might affect the budget deficit. The Finance Ministry, however, claims that Romania will meet all its commitments as stipulated in the agreements with the EC, the WB and the IMF, and the fiscal relaxation is aimed at narrowing the gap between Romania and other European countries.
Several flights scheduled for early Wednesday on the main international airport in Bucharest were affected by the two-hour warning strike staged by air traffic controllers. The strike ended in the resignation of Marcel Parvu, the Chairman of the board of ROMATSA, the Romanian Air Traffic Services Administration. The strike came after Tuesdays talks with the management yielded no results. According to the Romanian legislation, only one third of air traffic is guaranteed in such situations. The controllers are demanding wage protection, air traffic safety and some rights, such as the one regarding the retirement age. The employer has stated that trade unions decision to go on strike will be taken to court. Air traffic controllers have announced that they still havent ruled out a general strike in the future.
The Minister Delegate for Relations with Romanians Abroad, Angel Tilvar, is on a formal visit to Austria until July 19th. The agenda of the visit includes meetings with members of the Romanian communities living in several Austrian towns and villages, as well as meetings with representatives of local and central administration. He will also lay a wreath at the cross built in Viennas central cemetery to honour the Romanian soldiers who died in the first world war. According to a communiqué issued by the line ministry, the visit reflects the interest that the Romania state has in the Romanian communities in Europe and in the world, with the aim of promoting and preserving the Romanian identity of such communities.
According to a US State Department spokesperson, the nuclear deal with Iran has no bearing on the development of the missile defense shield. Moscow insists that the Iranian deal made ballistic missile defense moot. According to US diplomacy, Iran has the largest stockpile of ballistic missiles in the Middle East, which is of great concern for the US and the international community, making necessary a system of missile defense. Press agencies recall that US plans to deploy anti-ballistic systems in Europe, including Romania, invoking the threat from Iran, have been the touchstone for relations between Moscow and Washington.
Romanian football champions Steaua Bucharest defeated in an away game Slovak side AS Trencin, 2-0, in the first leg of the second preliminary round of the Champions League. The second leg is played the coming Wednesday. In the other continental competition, the Europa League, two other Romanian teams will be playing for promotion on Thursday, in away games. Astra Giurgiu plays against Inverness CT of Scotland, while FC Botosani plays against the Polish team Legia Warsaw. A third Romanian team in the Europa League, ASA Tg. Mures, has already qualified to the third round.
