18.03.2019

Romania presides over European diaspora council; Bucharest Parliament debates new taxation rules

România Internațional, 18.03.2019, 13:40

DIASPORA — European ministers in charge of the diaspora meet today in Bucharest. Romania becomes the first country to hold such a meeting, as it right now holds the presidency of the Council of the European Union. The discussions aim at migration, integration, and free movement of labor within the EU. They also tackle ways in which European countries handle economic and cultural relations with the diaspora, initiatives to support language and cultural ties, policies leading to speedy integration of diaspora communities, as well as supporting the process of return of relocated people to their country. Part of the process is a discussion on allocations for Romanian children residing in Austria. We recall that the Austrian Parliament passed a law in effect starting this year, dictating that European workers in Austria receive for children left at home allocations equal to those from the state they come from, not at the Austrian level. The Romanian government believes this law is discriminatory.

BUCHAREST — Bucharest hosted the 2019 Automotive Industry Forum. Opening the proceedings, PM Viorica Dancila said that this industry is one of the pillars and drivers of the developing Romanian economy after the economic crisis. She pointed out that the automotive sector is, for Romania and Europe as a whole, a source of exports with high added value, as well as a source of stable jobs, a model of adaptation to change, and a way to a better living. Dozens of representatives of automotive industry in EU member states are taking part in this event in Craiova, an event organized by the Romanian Ministry of the Economy.

MOTION – The lower chamber of the Parliament in Bucharest debates today the motion aimed at the Minister of Finance, Eugen Teodorovici. The vote is scheduled for Wednesday. The motion criticizes Emergency Government Order 114, which levies additional taxes on banks, energy companies, and telecommunication carriers. The signatories of the motion, 103 MPs from the three major parties in the opposition, call for the order to be rescinded. They claim that this level of taxation would negatively affect economic growth, which the population would see higher bills for most services. At the same time, the ruling coalition rejected the idea of dropping the ordinance, while analyzing the effects of some changes. At the same time, Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici said that banks have to finance the real economy, while vulnerable energy consumers have to be protected from unwarranted price hikes.

TENNIS — Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau, the former Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci and the Australian tennis coach Darren Cahill were among the first to congratulate the Romanian-born Canadian tennis player Bianca Andreescu. Social networks were also flooded with congratulations addressed to the new winner of the tennis tournament in Indian Wells, in the US. She defeated on Sunday the much more experienced German player Angelique Kerber, 4-6, 6-3, 4-6. 18-year-old Bianca Andreescu thus made history at Indian Wells, being the first player to win the trophy with a wildcard. She will now climb to 24th place in the WTA ranking, climbing up from 178 at the beginning of the year. Thanks to Bianca Andreescu’s victory, Romania’s Simona Halep remains in the world top three, occupying the third position since Monday.

FAC — Foreign ministers of the European Union today meet Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi as part of the Foreign Affairs Council, in preparation for the EU-China summit in April. According to German press agency DPA, last week the EC published a document encouraging the EU states to reconsider Chinas multifaceted role as economic competitor and rival. The Commission singled out unfair economic practices and threats to the 5G infrastructure. China reacted by calling on the EU to focus on the opportunities offered by Chinese economic development. Relations between Brussels and the EU are complicated by human rights issues in China. Romania is represented at the meeting by Foreign Minister Dan Neculaescu.

AGRICULTURE — Romanian Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development Petre Daea leads today the meeting of the Agriculture and Fisheries Council in Brussels, the second led by Romania since taking over the presidency of the Council of the European Union. Part of the meeting will be a report on the congress held around strategic plans for the Common Agricultural Policy with a view to climate change. The main topics under debate are the common policy beyond 2020 and bio-economy.