January 6, 2020
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Newsroom, 06.01.2020, 13:57
Government meeting — In Bucharest the Liberal government headed by Ludovic Orban is today meeting for the first time in 2020, with focus on the organization and functioning of several ministries. The reduction of the number of ministries to 16 involves the merger or transfer of several agencies from one ministry to another, according to the new government structure. But for the good organization and functioning of the new entities, some government decisions need to be made. The PM Ludovic Orban called on the cabinet members to make sure that by January 15 all these decisions need to have the necessary approvals, given that the government must have a flexible and supple structure that should responsibly manage the public money. In another development, the government might also tackle today an emergency decree bill that should include several aspects among which the ban on cumulating the pension with the salary from a public institution, the cessation of temporary job appointments, the capping of entitlements for dignitaries, of food allowances and of the fine point.
NATO — NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday convened an emergency meeting of the Alliance members’ ambassadors to discuss the crisis between the US and Iran. The crisis was triggered after the killing, on Friday, in an American drone airstrike, in Baghdad, of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani. Esmail Qaani, the new chief of the Quds Forces- the elites unit of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps in charge of Iran’s foreign operations, said his target was to oust the US from the region. The American President Donald Trump said he would impose bigger sanctions on Iraq if the Iraqi government asked the American soldiers to leave that country. Trump made these statements after the Iraqi Parliament approved a resolution in which it calls on the government to put an end to the foreign presence in the country. Previously, the US-led coalition against the Islamic State terrorist organization announced it suspended its activities of supporting and training the Iraqi troops to be able to focus on protecting its own bases in Iraq, which have become potential targets after Soleimani’s death. The decision was made after Iran promised to avenge the death of the general.
Zagreb – Social Democrat Zoran Milanovic has won the presidential election in Croatia outrunning the incumbent president, the Conservative Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic. According to partial results made public by the Central Electoral Committee Zoran Milanovic got 52.7% of the vote while Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic garnered only 47.3%. Milanovic, a former prime minister, had also won the first round of vote with one third of the votes cast, benefiting from the support of the urban voters and from divisions among the right wing parties. As of January 1st Croatia took over the half yearly rotating presidency of the Council of the EU, its agenda including 4 main issues: the relations between the EU and London after Brexit, the accession aspirations of the countries in the western Balkans, climate change and the future multiannual budget of the community bloc.
Statistics — The labor force crisis and the rising inflation will be the biggest challenges in 2020 for the Romanian business environment — shows a barometer reviewing the country’s economy made public by a Romanian consultancy company. Businesspeople estimate that, in 2020, the economy will slow down against the backdrop of increasing macroeconomic imbalances. In a consumption-based economy most investors estimate that trading business will generate the highest level of interest. Services, constructions, transport and storage and professional, scientific and technical activities will also be in the top of interesting investments. In another development, investments are going to drop in agriculture, forestry and fisheries.
Epiphany — In Romania, a country with a majority Orthodox population, Orthodox and Greek Catholic believers are today celebrating the Epiphany or the Baptism of Jesus when the revelation of God incarnate as Jesus Christ is marked. In Western Christianity the feast day commemorates the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. In another development, the old-rite church is today celebrating the Christmas Eve. The Russian Orthodox Church will celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. (translation by L. Simion)
