July 6, 2022
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 06.07.2022, 13:56
FiscalCode. The Romanian Government is discussing, today, in first reading,
the ample amendments to the Fiscal Code proposed by the Ministry of Finance, aimed
to increase the amounts collected into the state budget. The document,
currently under public debate, contains some measures that would apply starting
August 1. Others are scheduled to take effect early next year. They include
raising taxes on gambling winnings, raising excise duties on cigarettes and
alcoholic beverages, lowering the ceiling to which tax facilities apply in
construction, agriculture and the food industry, or waiving the specific HoReCa
tax and returning to taxation on turnover. The introduction of new taxes and
fees for the population is not being considered, and a new austerity plan in
response to the economic crisis has been ruled out, President Klaus Iohannis
has said.
Moldova. The 73rd anniversary of the biggest wave of Stalinist
deportations is commemorated in the Republic of Moldova (ex-Soviet, mostly
Romanian-speaking), today. On the night of July 5-6, 1949, the Soviet communist
regime deported tens of thousands of peasant families, including women,
children, and the elderly. Their fortunes were seized by the Bolshevik regime.
The so-called Operation South was the culmination of mass terror in Bessarabia
and affected about 40,000 people. Last
month marked the 81st anniversary of the first wave of Soviet deportations from
Bessarabia and northern Bukovina, when 25,000 people were taken to Siberia and
Kazakhstan. Less than a year after the annexation, following an ultimatum, the
repressive bodies displaced, from the night of June 12 to 13 and until June 22,
1941, tens of thousands of Bessarabians, most of them ethnic Romanians. The
wealthiest people, as well as those who were perceived as a threat to the USSR,
were taken to the most remote regions of the former Soviet Union. According to
historians, the deportations aimed at destroying the local elites, so that,
later, the occupants would have those left at home accept the collectivization
and expropriation of goods.
USR. Online elections for the
leadership of the opposition Save Romania Union (USR) are underway in
Bucharest. There are six candidates left in the race, including the interim
president Catalin Drula, deputy Catalin Tenita and the former head of the
Environment Squad, Octavian Berceanu. The first round, in which all the party
members can participate, will be held until Sunday. If neither of the contenders
gets over 50% of the votes, a second round will be held next week. The
validation congress is scheduled for July 16, also online. Last year, the Save
Romania Union left the governing coalition and has been marked by lots of
internal scandals ever since, which culminated with the departure of its former
leader, the EMP Dacian Ciolos, who set up his own party, REPER.
UK crisis. The UK is faced with a government crisis. Two key secretaries
– Finance and Health – resigned last
night, saying they no longer trusted Prime Minister Boris Johnson as leader. He
replaced the two secretaries immediately, a sign that he would not resign easily,
but political pressure increased on him, along with questions he would have to
answer today in the House of Commons and then before a special parliamentary
committee on the need for integrity in public life. Boris Johnson has been in
power for two and a half years, during which time his government has been
shaken by a number of scandals, including corruption. Most often, however, the
prime minister is accused of lying and lack of character. According to the Radio
Romania correspondent in London, the political history of Great Britain shows
that, when important ministers start a revolt against the prime minister, it is
extremely difficult for that person to remain in power.
Swimming. The town of Otopeni, near Bucharest, is hosting the European
Junior Swimming Championships. Yesterday, on the first day of the competition,
the men’s medley relay, made up of David Popovici, Vlad Stancu, Ştefan Cozma
and Patrick Sebastian Dinu, brought Romania the first gold medal in the 4×100 m
freestyle final, after an exciting duel with Great Britain, ranked second. Nine
finals have been schedule for today. As of July 10, 494 athletes from 42
countries have been competing in the European Junior Swimming Championships.
Romania is represented by 26 athletes – 14 boys and 12 girls, led by the
two-time world champion David Popovici (17 years old.
Tennis. Romanian tennis player Simona Halep is taking on today the American Amanda Anisimova, in the quarterfinals of the Grand Slam tennis tournament at Wimbledon. On Monday, in the eighth round, Halep defeated, in less than an hour, 6-1, 6-2, the Spaniard Paola Badosa, and Amanda Anisimova defeated the French Harmony Tan 6-2, 6-3. Former world leader, Simona Halep won the London tournament in 2019 and, a year before, the one at Roland Garros, in France. (MI)
