December 12, 2017 UPDATE

President Iohannis receives World Bank delegation headed by vice-president Cyril Muller in Bucharest

Newsroom, 12.12.2017, 19:46

King Michael – King Michaels body will be brought from Lausanne to Romania on Wednesday. The former sovereign died on December 5, at the age of 96, in Switzerland. On Monday Romanias Parliament convened in solemn session to pay tribute to King Michael I. Attending the ceremony were President Klaus Iohannis, Princess Margareta, the Custodian of the Crown of Romania, the former presidents of Romania Emil Constantinescu and Traian Basescu, the PM Mihai Tudose, the speakers of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies, Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu and Liviu Dragnea, and the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, Daniel. The Romanian authorities have declared December 14, 15 and 16 days of national mourning. King Michael I will be buried on Saturday, December 16 with state honours at Curtea de Arges, where all Romanian kings have been interred.

World Bank – The President of Romania Klaus Iohannis received in Bucharest on Tuesday a World Bank delegation headed by the vice-president for Europe and Central Asia, Cyril Muller. During the talks, the participants discussed the need to carry on structural reforms in order to strengthen Romanias chances of sustainable economic development. In this respect, the transport infrastructure should be viewed as a top priority of public investments. According to the Presidency, the agenda of the meeting also included the issue of education, on which occasion the head of state stressed the importance of this sector and the need to improve it. The participants also looked at the recent economic developments in Romania, emphasising the need for responsible policies in this field, so that the taxation and budget framework may ensure predictability and stability for the business environment and also that it may cope with prospective risks.

PROTESTS – The National Union Bloc (BNS), one of the largest trade union organisations in Romania, organised a rally in Bucharest on Tuesday to protest the measures introduced by the new Fiscal Code, particularly the transfer of social security payment obligations from employers to employees as of January 1, 2018. The unionists sought to warn the Government against the negative short, medium and long-term effects generated by this transfer. The National Union Bloc believes the rights of workers to be threatened, and the chances for employment relations based on respect to worsen. The new tax code measures have also been criticised by other trade unions, by the business community and the right-of-centre opposition.

NATO – The 29 NATO member states Tuesday decided to extend Jens Stoltenbergs term in office as secretary general of the organisation until September 30, 2020. A former prime-minister of Norway, Jens Stoltenberg has been the NATO secretary general since October 1, 2014. He was originally elected for 4 years, replacing Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark. Romania has been a NATO member since 2004.

(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)