December 31, 2014 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news.

România Internațional, 31.12.2014, 12:15

In his New Year message for Romanians all over the world, President Klaus Iohannis said he was confident that 2015 would be the year that Romania enters an era of normalcy. He urged his compatriots to set aside what divides them and focus on what unites them. ‘My thoughts are with the people who call Romania home, wherever they may be’, the president said in his address.

Starting January 1, Romanian state pensions go up by 5%, reaching a minimum of 400 lei. The national minimum wage also goes up, from 900 to 975 lei. State support for people with disabilities goes up by 16% on the same day. Starting in 2015, excises will be calculated based on the 2014 exchange rate, 4,738 lei per Euro, while all inclusive tourism services will be enjoying a reduced VAT rate of 9%. The special purposes building tax goes down from 1.5% to 1%. Also on January 1st, the authorities will liberalize the natural gas market for SMEs, while the average regulated price for electricity goes up 0.26%.

Latvia takes over on January 1st 2015 the rotating presidency of the European Union. The former Soviet republic became an EU member in 2004, and joined the Eurozone this year. Also on January 1st, Lithuania, another Baltic country, becomes the 19th member of the monetary union. The single European currency was introduced on January 1st, 1999.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a televised New Years address on Wednesday that the “return home” of Ukraines Crimea peninsula to Moscows control would forever remain an important chapter in Russias history, Reuters reports. The head of the OSCE, Didier Burkgalter, said that the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation was the worst violation of the Helsinki principles in 2014. He said that in 2014 the security situation in Europe deteriorated significantly, and called on OSCE member states to double their efforts to overcome the crisis. In Helsinki in 1975, 35 heads of state signed a major agreement to safeguard security in a post-WWII world.

The head of the OSCE, Didier Burkgalter, said that the annexation of Crimea by the Russian Federation was the worst violation of the Helsinki principles in 2014. He said that in 2014 the security situation in Europe deteriorated significantly, and called on OSCE member states to double their efforts to overcome the crisis. In Helsinki in 1975, 35 heads of state signed a major agreement to safeguard security in a post-WWII world.

Radiation levels are within normal limits in Romania, the Romanian Environment Ministry announced on Wednesday. The announcement comes after information in the media regarding possible radioactive leaks at the nuclear plant in Zaporojie, south-eastern Ukraine, close to the border with Romania. The Ukrainian authorities have denied the information published by the pro-Kremlin media. Early this month, the Ukrainian authorities reported an accident at the plant, which is the largest in Europe, but said there was no danger to human or environmental health. We recall that the worst nuclear accident in history occurred at Chernobyl, also in Ukraine, in 1986.

In Romania, an extreme cold alert has been issued until January 2nd 2015. During this interval, the weather will be freezing all over the country, with minimum temperatures often reaching below minus 13 degrees in most areas, in places going as low as minus 23 degrees. Temperatures are expected to remain below freezing this entire period. Stay tuned for more after the news.

The United States plans to deploy around 150 tanks and other armored vehicles to Europe, including Romania, Poland and the Baltic countries by the end of 2015. According to Reuters, which interviewed American Lieutenant General Ben Hodges, commander of American forces in Europe. He said that the move is meant to bolster defense on the eastern flank in case of an emergency. Hodges said that there is a risk for pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine to launch a new offensive in spring. In this context, the general said he expected his country to continue taking various measures over the next two years, including a wide array of exercises.

The Romanian authorities gave further assurances that the 30% slash in Russian natural gas deliveries operated early this week by Gazprom is no reason to worry. Minister of Energy Andrei Gerea said that this quantity is very small seen in the context of national consumption, and would not create problems. According to the latest report from the National Energy Regulatory Agency, last week gas imports made up for 15% of consumption, while this year in September imports were only 1.6% of total consumption.