December 20, 2017
Debates on the 2018 draft budget laws continue today in Parliament
Newsroom, 20.12.2017, 13:52
BUDGET – Debates continue today in the Parliament of Romania on the 2018 draft budget laws. After heated talks, MPs approved on Tuesday the funding for 2 ministries and another 7 public institutions, in the amounts proposed by the specialised committees. They also discussed and turned down 1,700 amendments tabled by the Opposition with respect to the budget of the Regional Development Ministry. Romanias state budget for 2018 is based on an expected 5.5% economic growth rate, an exchange rate of 4.55 lei for the euro, average monthly salaries of 565 euros and a budget deficit accounting for 2.97% of the GDP. The main priorities for next year are public healthcare, education and infrastructure. The right-wing opposition has criticised the draft budget, which they view as risky and likely to increase public debt.
JUSTICE LAWS – Romanian MPs carry on today debates on two other bills in a package designed to modify the judicial framework. The draft laws concern the judicial organisation and the functioning of the Higher Council of Magistrates. On Monday, the Senate, which is the decision-making body in this case, endorsed the law on the magistrate profession. The changes that the ruling coalition made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats intends to operate on the justice laws are strongly criticised by civil society. Hundreds of magistrates gathered in front of courts of justice around Romania, to protest what they see as a less than transparent process. It is for the first time in recent years that magistrates choose this way to express their disagreement with measures taken by the legislative.
ANNIVERSARY – Timişoara, in western Romania, celebrates today 28 years since the day when it proclaimed itself the first Romanian city free from communism. On that day workers went on strike, the Army withdrew to their units and the anti-communist protesters were waiting for other cities to join in the movement. Sparked by the locals opposition to an abusive measure by local authorities, the Revolution spread across the country, culminating on December 22 with the dictators Nicolae and Elena Ceauşescu attempting to flee the capital city. Between December 16 and 25, 1989, more than 1,000 people were killed and nearly 3,400 were wounded. According to the Military Prosecutors Office, the main cause of most of the deaths, injuries and damages was a military diversion orchestrated on the evening of December 22, 1989.
PROTESTS – Romanian police workers are protesting today in front of the Interior Ministry headquarters against the under-funding of the system, and are demanding the resignation of Interior Minister, Carmen Dan. They also complain about the poor logistics and the disastrous state of some police units, as well as the personnel shortage, reaching around 20,000 employees. The Interior Ministry issued a news release, stating that it would take note of the police workers complaints.
TRANSPORT – Thousands of road carriers took to the streets to demand the implementation of the legislative changes promised by Transport Minister Felix Stroe. The respective changes would enable the authorities to fight unauthorised and unlicensed operators such as taxi and rent-a-car companies and providers of occasional or regular rides. On Tuesday the Bucharest City Hall announced measures to eliminate piracy and unauthorised transport companies, but the Confederation of Authorised Operators and Carriers announced protests will continue because the rest of the country is still affected by piracy and unfair competition. In related news, the European Court of Justice ruled that Uber is a transport services company, requiring it to accept stricter regulation and licensing within the EU as a taxi operator. Romania, where Uber has been operating for 3 years, is the companys fifth-largest market in the EU.
US SECURITY STRATEGY – Russia and China condemn US President Donald Trumps new security strategy, unveiled on Monday, which portrays Moscow and Beijing as Washingtons rival powers. Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov slammed the US national security strategy as imperialist and “unwilling to give up the idea of a unipolar world. In turn, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said US was wrong to see China as a threat, and that cooperation was the only right choice for Beijing and Washington. At the top of Trumps list of security threats are the “rogue regimes of North Korea and Iran.
(translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)
