January 8, 2025 UPDATE
A roundup of local and world news
Newsroom, 08.01.2025, 20:14
TALKS Leaders of the ruling coalition in Bucharest convened on Wednesday for their first meeting this year. They decided that the first round of the presidential election be held on May 4 and the second on May 18. The coalition also reconfirmed the former PNL leader, Crin Antonescu as their common candidate for the presidential race. They also decided that the 2025 budget be presented before January 27 so that it might get Parliament approval in the first week of February. The Minister of Finance, Tánczos Barna, had earlier said the draft budget would observe the deficit cap of 7% of the GDP, without new tax increases, but through a more rigorous control of public spending. On the other hand, the unions called on the Ombudsman to appeal at the Constitutional Court the article in the recent emergency ordinance that provides for the freezing of pension indexation. The ordinance, which came into force on January 1, also provides for the freezing of salaries, the elimination of some tax benefits and the restriction of certain benefits.
VISAS Romanians will be able to travel to the USA without a visa starting March this year. The only thing they need is a notification in a platform known as ESTA – Electronic System for Travel Authorization, the country’s Foreign Minister, Emil Hurezeanu said on Wednesday. Romania’s inclusion in the Visa Waiver programme will be formally marked on Friday, January 10, through an event staged in Washington DC. The US State Secretary of Homeland Security, Alejandro Mayorkas, and Romania’s ambassador in Washington, Andrei Muraru, are going to meet to record Romania’s accession to the US visa-free programme. The technical details and the date of the effective activation of the new travel regime are to be announced shortly. The Romanian citizens no longer need to give interviews at the US consulate while the travel permit, which replaces the present visas, will be valid for two years, with an unlimited number of entries into the United States. The aforementioned permit can be used for visits up to 90 days with the cost of 21 US dollars, says a notification posted on the Facebook page of Romania’s embassy in Washington.
OMV The Austrians from OMV have concluded an agreement with the German utility group Uniper regarding the supply of natural gas under the Romanian “Neptun Deep” project in the Black Sea, as of 2027, Reuters reports. The deal comes after Russia stopped delivering gas through Ukraine on January 1, as well as a wider reduction in the European Union’s energy purchases from Russia due to the invasion of Ukraine. In the “Neptun Deep” area there are reserves of gas estimated at approximately 100 billion cubic meters, which makes it one of the most important extraction area in the EU. OMV and the Romanian state producer Romgaz own equal shares of the “Neptune Deep”. In total, Romania’s territorial waters of the Black Sea are said to host reserves of approximately 200 billion cubic meters of gas.
ENERGY The liberalization of the energy market as of April 1, together with appropriate preparation while there is still time, is the only option for Romania – claims the president of the NGO Asociaţia Energia Inteligentă (Smart Energy Association), Dumitru Chiseliţă. In his opinion, the biggest challenge of the year is related to the fact that on March 31 the current capping and compensation scheme for natural gas and electricity prices will expire. Chiseliţă believes that an extension of this measure involves large expenses from the state budget, with the payment of compensations to suppliers. In addition, he mentions Romania’s commitments to the European Union for market liberalization, appreciating that a possible continuation of the ceiling will lead to a decrease in community funds, which Bucharest cannot afford.
(bill)
