December 10, 2024
A roundup of local and international news.
Newsroom, 10.12.2024, 13:55
A roundup of local and international news.
SCHENGEN – Austria will not oppose Romania and Bulgaria becoming full members of the Schengen European free movement area, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country holds the six-month presidency of the EU Council, said in turn that EU interior ministers will vote on December 12 in the Justice and Home Affairs Council on Hungary’s proposal to allow Romania and Bulgaria to join the Schengen area with land borders. Romania and Bulgaria received partial access to the Schengen area starting March 31, with the opening of air and sea borders. Land border checks, however, remained in force due to Austrian opposition, motivated by Vienna’s concerns about illegal migration. Romania could thus fully join the Schengen area 17 years after becoming a EU member.
DEFICIT – Romania’s trade balance deficit in the first 10 months of 2024 was 27.211 billion euros, almost 4 billion euros (+17.2%) higher than the one recorded between January 1 and October 31, 2023, according to data published on Tuesday by the National Institute of Statistics (INS). During the aforementioned period, exports stood at 77.731 billion euros, down 1.2%, and imports stood at 104.943 billion euros, up 3%, compared to the same period in 2023. Important shares in the structure of exports and imports are held by the product groups: machinery and transport equipment and other manufactured products. On the other hand, Romania’s budget deficit for the first 11 months of this year reached 7.11% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), about 125.7 billion lei (the equivalent of over 25 billion euros). The Government’s deficit target for 2024 is 8.58% of the GDP, 152 billion lei, which, according to the specialized media in Bucharest, means that substantial spending is planned for December as well.
MOLDOVA – The 15th meeting of the Moldova – European Union Parliamentary Association Committee is taking place today in Brussels. The current state of the country’s accession process will be analyzed and a final declaration will be adopted, which will include certain recommendations for the authorities in Chisinau. The Moldovan President, Maia Sandu, will also be in Brussels, to meet with the Presidents of the European Commission, the Council and the European Parliament, as well as with the NATO Secretary General, on topics related to the integration of the country’s economy into the European single market, reforming the judiciary, combating corruption and strengthening the rule of law.
GOVERNMENT – The leaders of the pro-European parties in the Romanian Parliament, PSD, PNL, USR, UDMR and those of the national minorities, are meeting this week to discuss the new government make-up. The Social Democrats, who came first in the December 1 elections, would like the future government to be formed around them and to continue the projects started by the current PSD-PNL government. They want to maintain the pace of investments, increase purchasing power, support the Romanian private sector and reform the state. The Liberals say they have understood the need for change coming from the electorate and want the negotiations to start from a clear program of reforms for the benefit of citizens. The USR representatives want a government to be formed as soon as possible, while the UDMR calls for solidarity for a common vision for Romania. The negotiations between PSD, PNL, UDMR, USR and the national minorities to form a new government are taking place after these parties had signed, before the presidential elections were cancelled, a resolution for a pro-European majority in Parliament. They commit to reforms and support the country’s development and reject any collaboration with the political parties in the sovereignist (ultranationalist, populist) bloc formed by AUR, SOS Romania and POT.
HANDBALL – The Romanian national team meets Poland today in its last match in the main Group I of the European Women’s Handball Championship – EHF EURO 2024, hosted by Austria, Hungary and Switzerland. The match is being played in Debrecen, Hungary. France and Hungary have already qualified for the semi-finals. Romania defeated Serbia and the Czech Republic in the first phase and lost to Montenegro, and in the main group it defeated Sweden and lost to Hungary. The 16th edition of the EHF EURO includes the participation of 24 teams, eight more than in previous editions. Romania has participated 14 times in the European Women’s Championship, obtaining only one medal, bronze, in 2010.
