Protests and government measures
The Romanian Government takes measures in trasnport and agriculture, against the background of the drivers' and farmers' protests
Roxana Vasile, 19.01.2024, 14:00
On Thursday, the Romanian government took a first set of measures agreed with transporters and farmers who had been protesting for days throughout the country. In the field of transport, the rules regarding the weighing of trucks at customs, the periodic technical inspection of vehicles or the professional attestation of drivers have been modified. According to Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu, the solution for a decent level of the Motor Vehicle Liability (RCA) insurance for the transport of goods has also been found.”It will be a sustainable price, including for small carriers with two or three trucks, who cannot afford what companies with large fleets can. Moreover, the payment of the Motor Vehicle Liability (RCA) insurance fee in installments and the possibility of suspending the insurance while the truck is parked are allowed for a certain period, for various reasons.” In agriculture, cereal farmers will receive compensation. Here is Prime Minister Ciolacu again about the other agreed measures:
„We grant a direct aid of 100 euros per hectare to growers in the vegetable sector, to compensate for the losses suffered due to the war in Ukraine for the 2022 crops. The compensation for each agricultural enterprise cannot exceed 280,000 euros. We estimate over 162,000 of beneficiaries and a budgetary effort of almost 250 million euros, an amount already provided for in the budget. Moreover, I also thought it was common sense to ask for the equivalence of the driving license to categories B and B1 to drive tractors. We are also dealing with the problem of agricultural machinery, extending the exceptions from registration and periodic technical inspection to the category of slow vehicles. The Romanian Automotive Registry will be able to perform the technical inspection on agricultural or forestry vehicles with mobile laboratories, right at the farm headquarters.”
Last but not least, the proposal to temporarily postpone the payment of installments on loans to agricultural producers affected by last years drought was analyzed, in the first reading, a proposal that must, however, be finalized together with the banking system. Despite the measures announced by the Executive, the protests continue, even if their scale has decreased. In Bucharest, the City Hall has authorized a demonstration for Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, in the center of the Capital, for 5,000 people and 200 tractors and truck heads. Protests were also organized by family doctors and those from specialized outpatient clinics throughout the country, as a reaction to the lowering of the amount paid as reimbursement for medical services, as proposed by the authorities in the new framework contract. Following the negotiations, it was decided that the current budget will be maintained until June 30, after which the Romanian Government will have to find solutions and make sure the money is enough until the end of the year. (MI)
