July 31, 2024 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 31.07.2024, 19:52
Fiscal Code. The Romanian Ministry of Finance presented the draft amendment to the Fiscal Code for public debate. Among other things, it provides for the introduction of a personal fiscal code for natural persons, to be used for shopping and paying taxes. The code will allow the National Fiscal Administration Agency to verify the transactions carried out and, in the case of expensive purchases, if the person can justify the money used. The document also provides for the lowering of the ceilings of receipts and payments in the case of those with frozen accounts, easier means of communication with the legal representatives of the business environment for periodic information on the financial situation and the simplification of procedures for the capitalization of seized and confiscated assets. A deadline of 20 days was established for proposals to modify the bill.
Fraud. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has alerted Romania with regard to several cases of fraud, including one with a possible damage of 4.3 million euros, involving a mafia group from Italy. The institution led by the Romanian Laura Codruţa Kovesi has informed the Ministry of Investments and European Projects in Bucharest that there are possible systemic vulnerabilities in contracts involving European funds in the country. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has signaled a high risk of fraud with letters of guarantee issued by fictitious entities or which did not have the right to issue such documents. According to a press release from the European institution, based on these false documents, several public tenders were won and then ended up being investigated.
TAROM. TAROM’s Wednesday and Thursday flights to and from Beirut have been cancelled, amid increasing tension in the Middle East and following the alert issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bucharest to avoid any travel to this region, the national airline has announced. Other European countries have also suspended their flights on the Beirut route. Several countries, including Romania, Germany, Great Britain and the Netherlands, have urged their citizens to leave Lebanon urgently, due to growing concerns about a possible large-scale retaliation by Israel, after Saturday’s rocket attack that killed 12 young people on the Golan Heights and for which the Lebanese group Hezbollah is accused. The Israeli army said it carried out a targeted strike in the area of the Lebanese capital against the Hezbollah commander on Tuesday evening.
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Fires. 40 Romanian firefighters and 8 fire engines have been sent to Greece, where several wild fires are active. The mission will last until September 15, the purpose of the program being to reduce the response time in the event of fires, the efficiency of the preparation activity of the intervention modules belonging to the member states, as well as the improvement of interoperability between the participating forces. The head of the Romanian Department for Emergency Situations, Raed Arafat told the firefighters that, although they are going on a support mission, the situation is difficult in Greece and, most likely, they will participate in the interventions. The mission of the Romanian firefighters is part of the assistance program financed by the EU, provided as a measure of support for the Greek communities, after the devastating fires recorded in the past years.
Harassment. The Council of Ethics and University Management in Romania will carry out checks in universities regarding cases of sexual harassment and how they are managed, the Ministry of Education announced on Wednesday. Minister Ligia Deca has called on universities to severely sanction any deviation from the norms of ethics and integrity, and to ensure protection and post-traumatic assistance for the victims. The Ministry of Education also states that, for the first time, in the new Higher Education Law, adopted last year, clear definitions were provided for sexual harassment and psychological violence, and all higher education institutions have the obligation to comply with the new provisions. The statements come after serious accusations of sexual harassment against a professor in Bucharest, which caused outrage on social media.
Concert. Wiener Jeunesse Orchester (National Youth Orchestra of Austria) is among the guests of the “Magic Summer” International Festival in Bucharest. The ensemble, founded in 1987 in Vienna, is made up of talented students aged 18 to 26 from all Austrian cities. Other participants are the Slovenian Youth Orchestra and the Romanian Youth Orchestra. The festival ends on August 21 with a concert performed by the Romanian Sinfonietta orchestra. (MI)
