July 14, 2014
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România Internațional, 14.07.2014, 14:09
Romania’s President Traian Basescu and Prime Minister Victor Ponta today will be holding talks on the government’s draft law on the 5 per cent reduction in the case of employers’ social insurance contribution, as of October the 1st. The parliament has already passed the measure, while President Basesu is supposed to promulgate it. Basescu has recently said he would not promulgate the law unless the government clearly indicated reliable sources to make up for the budget deficit, provided the law takes effect as of the stipulated date. The IMF has not given the go-ahead for the aforementioned measure, which has also been subject to criticism by the big Union confederations, who believe that the social insurance contributions should target the employee and not the employer. In a separate development, however, Prime Minister Ponta said that the state budget could support the impact of the aforementioned tax reduction.
Direct foreign investments in Romania have exceeded one billion Euro in the first five months of the year, that is 13.9 per cent more than the similar period of 2013, a Romanian Central Bank press release reveals. Direct foreign investments in Romania reportedly stood at their highest in May 2014, accounting for 306 million Euros. In 2013, the direct foreign investments saw a 26.8 per cent increase as compared to 2012, when the direct foreign investments had been on the rise for the first time since the outbreak of the crisis.
The Romanian Foreign Affairs Ministry has announced 84 Romanian citizens and their families today have been repatriated at their behest from Gaza Strip. The group has been taken over at Israel’s Erez border-crossing checkpoint and has been escorted to Amman in Jordan, where it was sent on board a plane with destination Bucharest. Today Israel has resumed its air raids over Gaza Strip, in retaliation for the rocket attacks launched by Hamas Islamist movement. The Palestinian Health Ministry has announced 172 people died and 1,250 other were wounded since Israel has launched its offensive in Gaza Strip this past Tuesday. On Sunday, Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas called on the United Nations to place the Palestinian Authority under United Nations’ “International protection”, against the backdrop of mounting violence in Gaza Strip.
Soldiers of the “Michael the Brave” Guard Regiment and students of Romania’s military academies have taken part in the traditional parade staged to celebrate the National Day of France. In 2014, the parade celebrates 100 years since the outbreak of the First World War. It is the eighth year in a row when Romanian military have taken part in such a grand-scale ceremony, which was an impressive air and ground show. The National Day of France has also been celebrated in Bucharest, through a reception dinner offered by the French Embassy in Romania. Francophone and Francophile Romania since 2008 has become southeastern Europe’s first country to have signed a strategic partnership with France.
Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, who this past Sunday won the first WTA tournament in Bucharest has maintained its 3rd position in the WTA standings, made public today. Halep is 175 points clear of WTA 4th –seed Petra Kvitoka of the Czech Republic. Serena Williams continues to be a WTA top-seed with 9, 510 points, followed by China’s Na Li, with 6, 970 points. Romania’s Sorana Carstea is still seeded 29th, while Monica Niculescu is seeded 59th, Irina Begu, 63rd and Alexandra Cadantu is seeded 99th in the WTA rankings.
