April 8, 2016
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Newsroom, 08.04.2016, 12:00
In 2015 Romania’s GDP registered a real 3.8% growth as compared to the previous year, shows a report published by the National Institute for Statistics (INS) on Friday. The National Forecast Committee has revised up its forecasts on Romania’s economic growth in 2015 to 3.7% and to 4.2% for this year. In turn, the European Commission has improved its estimates on Romania’s economic growth for 2015, 2016 and 2017. According to the new data released in February, the EU executive estimates that Romania’s GDP growth in 2015 was 3.6%, the highest after 2008. In 2016, the GDP is believed to reach a peak of 4.2%, while in 2017 it would go down to 3.7%.
The High Court of Cassation and Justice in Bucharest is today ruling on the last court appearance in the ‘Referendum’ file, in which Social-Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea got a previous suspended prison sentence of one year. Dragnea has been accused by DNA prosecutors of having coordinated a complex mechanism aimed at rigging turnout figures during the referendum on president Traian Basescu’s resignation. 74 other people, presidents and members of polling stations in 4 counties have been either acquitted or got suspended prison sentences in the same file. We recall that 87% of the voters voted for the president to step down, but the referendum didn’t get validation due to the lack of quorum.
WTA 34-th ranked tennis player Irina Begu of Romania on Thursday qualified for the quarterfinals of the WTA tournament in Charleston, South Carolina, with more than 687 thousand dollars in prize money, after defeating Monica Puig of Puerto Rico in three sets, 1-6, 6-2, 7-6. Begu will be up against the world’s second best player Angelique Kerber of Germany in the quarters. Head-to-heads revealed that Begu and Kerber are equal in terms of wins, two-all, but Kerber outperformed Irina in Charleston’s quarters last year.
Doctors in Romania are threatening with a warning strike unless their claims are met, mainly those related to work conditions and payment. The medical personnel is disgruntled with the law on unitary payment in the healthcare system, based on the minimum wage of 280 euros. The medical personnel has also claimed all the bonuses that have been cut and also the time of rest and relaxation. They have also asked for free medical services to all those working in the system. Hundreds of doctors took to the streets on the World Health Day on Thursday, while their representatives were attending talks with institution officials. The protest timetable announced last month include an all-out strike on April 18th leaving only one third of the activities managed by the personnel as well as emergency cases.
A Canadian frigate part of NATO’s Standing Naval Force Mediterranean is as of today making a three-day stop in the Romanian Black Sea port of Constanta. During the visit, the commander of the Canadian fleet in the Atlantic, comodore Craig Baines will be participating in meetings with Romanian navy officials. The Romanian and Canadian sailors will be training together in joint anti-submarine exercises and surveilance operations. The mission is part of the collective defence measures.
Romania’s communication and transport infrastructure must be modernized and the people’s IT skills must be strengthened, the European Commissioner for Internal market and industry Elzbieta Bienkowska told a news conference in Bucharest on Friday. She encouraged the Romanian government to increase investment opportunities and EU fund absorption. The European official held talks with Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos who briefed her on the government’s main objectives, one of them being the improvement of Romania’s investment climate.
