20 November 2017, UPDATE

20 november 2017, update A no-confidence motion against the government is read out in Parliament./ Romanian Senate approves the purchase of Patriot missiles.

Motion. A no-confidence motion initiated by the National Liberal Party and the Save Romania Union, both in opposition, against the government made up of the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats was read out on Monday in Parliament before the two joint chambers. Filed last Friday, the motion was endorsed by 148 MPs. The latter criticise the government mainly for its changes to the tax code. No date has yet been established for a vote on the motion. Protests have taken place in recent weeks in Bucharest and other cities against the government's plans to amend the tax code and overhaul the judiciary. The Social Democratic prime minister Mihai Tudose says the new tax reform brings in more money to the budget and the pension fund and simplifies procedures for companies.


Patriot missiles. The Senate in Bucharest approved the purchase of Patriot missiles. The bill has received the approval of Parliament's defence committee. On Tuesday, the bill reaches the Chamber of Deputies, the decision-making body in this case. Romania is to purchase seven surface-to-air missile systems for a total of around 4 billion dollars. The first of the seven has been approved for delivery by the US administration for a value of 750 million dollars and is to be contracted by the end of the year. Right now, the Romanian armed forces rely on obsolete Soviet missile systems.


EU. The Romanian minister delegate for European affairs Victor Negrescu on Monday attended in Brussels the first three-party meeting with his counterparts from France and Germany, Nathalie Loiseau and Michael Roth, respectively. The parties reiterated the need to relaunch the European project, in the context in which Romania will hold the EU rotating presidency in the first half of 2019. Negrescu said Romania's presidency is an opportunity to consolidate the unity of the member states. The three officials also discussed the Union's future multiannual financial framework and ways to consolidate the bloc's internal security and external policy. The meeting was held on the margins of the General Affairs Council.


Eu agency relocation. The EU European Affairs ministers met in Brussels on Monday to decide the future location of the European Medicines Agency. Now based in London, the agency will be relocated when the UK leaves the European Union. Amsterdam, which was in the running together with 18 other cities, including Romania's capital Bucharest, will be the new home of the European Medicines Agency, a body that employs 900 people and monitors the safety of medication sold on a market with 500 million consumers.


Child poverty. According to results posted on Monday by Eurostat, the European statistics agency, in 2016, 49.2% of Romanian children were exposed to the risk of poverty and social exclusion, the highest such figure among European states and double the average in the Union. At the opposite end are children in Denmark, Finland and Slovenia. Data for 2016 shows that around 24.8 million children below 17 years of age in the Union were exposed to such danger, with the number of children in Romania standing at around 1.8 million. Between 2010 and 2016, the percentage of at risk children in the EU went down from 27.5 to 26.4%.


Winter fuel stocks. The energy minister Toma Petcu on Monday gave assurances that Romania has enough energy resources for this winter, even in the event of very cold weather and heavy snowfall. He told a specialist conference that fuel stocks for the winter are higher than the estimated need. Although gas consumption in Romania has decreased following the closing down of the big consumers, 1.6% more natural gas than last year has been stocked this year, the energy minister has explained.


Book fair. The 24th Gaudeamus International Education Book Fair organised by Radio Romania begins on Wednesday. For the first time in the history of the fair, the special guest will not be a country, but the European Union through the European Commission Representation in Bucharest. Under the motto "Unity in Diversity", the European Union encourages people to discover and explore Europe's rich cultural heritage. The fair's 2017 edition will see a number of anniversaries: the 60th anniversary of the signing of the Rome Treaty, the 30th anniversary of the launch of the Erasmus programme and the 10th anniversary of Romania's joining the European Union. The fair brings together 300 exhibitors and features more than 800 different events.



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Publicat: 2017-11-20 19:45:00
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