December 4, 2013

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Mihai Pelin, 04.12.2013, 12:14

Romanian Parliament’s plenary in Bucharest today is holding a debate on the 2014 social insurance budget, after having concluded talks on the state budget this past Tuesday. The Parliament could cast its final vote on the two draft budgets. The opposition is displeased with not having been able to impose their own amendments, which in their opinion could have led to the country’s economic relaunch. Prime Minister Victor Ponta specified that among the measures stipulated for the 2014 budget are the increase of pensions, the increase of minimum wages, an increase of the guaranteed minimum income as well as a cutback on the healthcare contributions as of July 2014. In another move, President Traian Basescu reiterated the fact that he would resubmit the 2014 draft budget to Parliament, if the decision is maintained to place a supplementary excise on fuel which in his opinion will be a tax burden for the country’s citizens.

The Romanian Senate Speaker in Bucharest Crin Antonescu as of today starts a two-day visit to the Republic of Moldova. High on the agenda are meetings with President Nicolai Timofti, with the Parliament’s President Igor Corman, with Prime Minister Iurie Leanca as well as with other high-ranking officials in Chisinau. Crin Antonescu will also pay a visit to Radio Chisinau, which is one of Radio Romania’s special projects, a Radio station that on December 1st marked two years since its first broadcast has been on air. The Romanian top-ranking official’s visit is part of Romania’s endeavor to support Chisinau’s European trail. We recall that on November the 29th at the Eastern Partnership Summit in Vilnius, the Republic of Moldova sealed the Association and Free Trade Agreements with the European Union.

Romanians and Bulgarians ought to be wholeheartedly welcomed in the United Kingdom, since they do jobs British workers avoid taking, the Romanian Labor Minister Mariana Campeanu told an interview to The Times. Among other things, the Romanian high-ranking official condemned the xenophobic and racist attacks in the British media targeting her fellow nationals. Young and well-educated Romanians do not in any way pose a threat to the labor market in Britain; moreover, they cover shortages in such key areas as healthcare and social assistance, Ms Campeanu also said. The Romanian Labor Minister has made the statements against the backdrop of heated debates in the United Kingdom on a so-called wave of Romanian and Bulgarian workers allegedly invading the labor market after January the 1st, 2014. We recall that all community countries starting January the 1st, 2014 will mandatorily lift their labor market ban for Romanian and Bulgarian workers.

The US Secretary of State John Kerry as of today is on an a official visit to Chisinau. Kerry is the second US high-ranking official visiting the Republic of Moldova, after Vice-President Joe Biden’s visit to that country in March 2011. According to Radio Romania’s News and Current Affairs Channel correspondent, John Kerry’s visit to Chisinau is very important and will facilitate bilateral talks on recent developments in the region, as well as possible American investments in that country. Prime Minister Iurie Leanca announced John Kerry would make public the fact that the United States are set to support Chisinau’s efforts towards democratization and modernization.