November 3, 2017 UPDATE
Economic forecasts for Romania/ Month of Japanese Culture in Bucharest
Newsroom, 03.11.2017, 19:53
Economic forecasts – The National Committee for Prognosis has once again revised upwards the forecast regarding Romanias economic growth in 2017, from 5.6 to 6.1%. The Committee has maintained the GDP growth estimates for 2018, 2019 and 2020 at 5% every year. The International Monetary Fund has also revised the forecast regarding the evolution of Romanian economy, from 4.2% to 5.5%. According to the IMF, Romania and Iceland will register the highest economic growth rates in 2017. The World Bank has presented a similar estimate. In another move, experts point to the fact that Romanias economic growth is mainly triggered by consumption, and that the volume of public investment has dropped.
Salaries — The public sector employees are the main victims of the political manipulation called the transfer of contributions, because this measure will practically cancel the increase by 25% of public sector employees’ salaries, turning it into a political scam, writes the Sanitary Solidarity Federation in a communiqué. The trade union believes an all-out strike in the public sector is the normal punishment for the ruling coalition that is trying to impose this fiscal agenda, which runs counter to the promises they made to the people during the election campaign. On Thursday another trade union organization, CNSLR Fratia announced the start of procedures for an all-out strike at country level. The government’s measures were also sharply criticized by other trade unions, by the President of Romania and the Liberal opposition.
EU Council — The presidency of the Council of the European Union, which Romania will be holding in 2019, will reflect the need for consensus and not for political interest, said Thursday the Romanian minister delegate for European Affairs, Victor Negrescu. He participated in the launch of the Guide of the Romanian Presidency of the EU Council of 2019- a document drafted by Europuls- the Center of European Expertise. Minister Negrescu will visit London on November 3 and 4, where he will talk with the representatives of the Romanian community in Great Britain about the effects of Brexit. There are 328 thousand Romanian citizens living in Great Britain.
Paris — In line with the dynamics of the changes and new challenges imposed by the rapid technological development, Romania has chosen the path of innovation, said the Romanian education minister Liviu Pop at the UNESCO General Conference under way in Paris. According to a communiqué, Liviu Pop, as president of Romania’s National Commission for UNESCO, delivered Romania’s national declaration at a forum of political leaders. In his speech he presented Romania’s stand and contribution to the fulfillment of UNESCO’s objectives, as well as the strategic and operational measures regarding the increasing importance of the role of science, education and culture from the prospect of sustainable development.
Month of Japanese Culture – The Embassy of Japan in Romania organizes in November an ample series of cultural events under the motto the Month of Japanese Culture. The series of events started on Thursday, November 2, at the Romanian-American University in Bucharest with the presentation of kimonos made by maestro Nobuaki Tomita, known especially as a designer of kimonos. Nobuaki Tomita has been promoting the tradition of kimonos at international level.
Madrid — The case of the dismissed Catalonia leader Carles Puigdemont, who is currently in Belgium and on whose name a European arrest warrant is to be issued after his refusal to show up before the court in Madrid, is a case that should be dealt with by the judiciary, said Friday European Commission officials. Previously Geert Bourgeois, the head of the government of Flanders, a Belgian region which was also faced with separatist tendencies in the past, had criticized the Spanish authorities for the arrest of several dismissed Catalan leaders and called on the EU to act as a mediator between Catalonia and Madrid. In another development, the German government expressed its support for the way in which Madrid managed the crisis in Catalonia. Last week the Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy imposed the direct rule of Catalonia, dissolved the regional parliament and announced early local elections for December 21.
Prison sentence — The former Liberal mayor of Bacău (eastern Romania), Romeo Stavarache was sentenced on Friday to 4 years in prison for bribe taking and was forbidden certain rights for 3 years. The sentence is definitive. In 2014 Romeo Stavarache was under preventive and home arrest, then, until April 2016, he was subject to legal restrictions pending trial. The court acquitted Stavarache in another 4 cases of bribe taking, crimes he was supposed to have perpetrated between 2008-2011. (translation by L. Simion)
