September 12, 2014, UPDATE
A look at the main stories in Romania today
România Internațional, 12.09.2014, 12:05
Russia on Friday cut its gas supplies to Romania by 5%, but gave no explanation for the move, said Romania’s minister delegate for energy, Razvan Nicolescu. The representatives of the largest national electricity companies said Romania’s population may face energy cuts in winter irrespective of the developments in the region. Russia also reduced its gas supply to Austria, Poland and Slovakia. Unlike most EU states, Romania is only partly dependent on gas imports from Russia.
The Romanian foreign ministry has hailed the adoption by the European Union of a new set of sanctions against Russia on Friday, which, in Bucharest’s opinion, reflects the gravity of Russia’s actions in Ukraine. The new sanctions essentially restrict the access of Russian oil and defence companies on European capital markets. The US has also adopted measures against Russia. In response, the latter says it is considering imposing its own restrictions on imports of westerns cars and light industry products. In another development, the European Union is to grant 8 billion euros to Ukraine to support the reforms initiated by the authorities in Kiev. The announcement was made by the president of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, who met Ukraine’s president Petro Poroshenko on Friday in Kiev.
Romania’s prime minister Victor Ponta on Friday hailed the 5% increase in pensions as of January 1st, as announced by the labour minister Rovana Plumb. The latter also said that her ministry is preparing, together with the finance ministry, further regulations meant to increase low pensions as of next year. These increases are part of a larger package of measures by which the current centre-left cabinet is aiming to address unjust decisions taken in recent years, said the labour minister.
Romanian government and National Bank officials are to meet the representatives of the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission next week in Brussels. Talks will focus on Romania’s recent economic developments, the implementation of the policies agreed with the Commission and the IMF in a number of key sectors, as well as the government’s new budget adjustment.
The leaders of the ruling Social Democratic Party met on Friday in a special congress to confirm the nomination of prime minister Victor Ponta as the partys candidate for the presidential elections in November. Opinion polls show both Ponta and the leader of the National Liberal Party, Klaus Iohannis, going into the second round, which the former is expected to win. Also running for president in November are the former Liberal leader Calin Popescu Tariceanu, the leader of the pro-presidential People’s Movement Party, Elena Udrea, and Monica Macovei, who recently resigned from the Liberal Democratic Party.
The pair Horia Tecau and Florin Mergea meet Isak Arvidsson and Johan Brunstrom on Saturday in the third match of the Davis Cup play-off tie between Romania and Sweden held in Bucharest. Sunday will host two singles matches, with Adrian Ungur against Elias Ymer and Marius Copil against Christian Lindell. The winners of the tie stay in Group 1, while the losers are scheduled to meet either Latvia or Austria.
