December 18, 2013 UPDATE
Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news.
Mihai Pelin, 18.12.2013, 13:15
BUDGET-Romania’s President, Traian Basescu, on Wednesday promulgated the 2014 state budget, after he promulgated the welfare budget 10 days ago. The Romanian president said he made this decision after the government had agreed to postponing for three months the 7 Euro cent per litre increase in the excise on diesel, a measure that the government intended to enforce on January the 1st. President Basescu made this announcement amidst growing tensions within the ruling centre-leftist coalition, USL, on the nomination of the CEO of the Romanian Public Television.
EU ACCESSION TALKS-The EU will start in January accession negotiations with Serbia and will step up talks on an association and stability agreement with Kosovo, the EU Commissioner for Enlargement Stefan Füle announced in Brussels. He appreciated the efforts made by the prime ministers of Serbia and Kosovo to normalise bilateral relations. We’ll have more on this after the news.
UKRAINE-The Lithuanian Presidency of the EU said on Wednesday that the agreements signed by Ukraine with Russia on Tuesday are only a temporary solution for the former Soviet republic, which does not solve its long term problems. The opposition in Ukraine has firmly criticised the agreements signed in Moscow by the Russian President Vladimir Putin with his Ukrainian counterpart, Viktor Yanukovich, which they see as coming against the best interests of Ukraine. Under the agreements, Russia will lend 15 billion US dollars to Ukraine, by purchasing governmental bonds issued by Kiev, and will reduce by one-third the price of natural gas delivered to Ukraine. Since November 21st, protests have been staged in Ukraine on a daily basis, after the current power decided to put on hold the EU association process.
DACIA– The hottest car in Europe is Dacia, writes the New York Times, and the analysts quoted by the publication say the Romanian brand “has a monopoly on the entry-level market in Europe, and it most likely hold it for at least three to five years.” Providing a no-frills car at a low price, “Dacia has found a foothold in Europe amid high unemployment and economic uncertainty,” the New York Times also reads.
GREECE-The Greek economy will overcome the recession and start recovering in 2014, the Central Bank of Greece has announced. After six years of recession, the central bank estimates for this year a 0.6% increase of the GDP, thanks to investments, exports and tourism.
COMMEMORATION- The western Romanian city of Timisoara continues to host events devoted to the commemoration of 24 years since the start of the anti-communist revolution of December 1989. A group of revolutionaries are making a pilgrimage to Bucharest, in memory of the young people killed 24 years ago in front of the Timisoara Cathedral, and whose bodies were cremated in Bucharest. On December the 18th, 1989, in a Timisoara hospital, communist authorities started investigating the wounded and kidnapped tens of corpses of Revolution martyrs.
