February 14, 2014 UPDATE

A look at the main stories in Romania today.

România Internațional, 14.02.2014, 13:00

Romania has made significant progress in many areas, but some concerns remain on the independence of the judiciary and on the implementation of anti-corruption measures, said the European Commission president Jose Manuel Durao Barroso on Friday in Brussels after talks with Romania’s president Traian Basescu. The European official acknowledged Romania’s economic progress, but said reforms must continue. He also said Romania must join the Schengen area as soon as possible, as all the criteria have been met. Traian Basescu has called on all EU member states to acknowledge his country’s right under treaties to join Schengen, arguing that the institutions of the Romanian state responsible for the fight against corruption have recorded achievements praised in the latest progress report under the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism.

Romania’s GDP went up by 3.5%, according to the latest data from the National Institute of Statistics, exceeding the 2.8% expected by the authorities and the 2-3% estimated by economic analysts. This growth is due mostly to agriculture and industry. For 2014, the government and the International Monetary Fund are relying on a 2.2% growth figure. The figures released by the National Institute for Statistics are the highest since 2008. However, this is only preliminary data, with the initial estimate of the GDP growth for last year to be issued on March 5th.

US Vice-President Joe Biden said he appreciated Romania’s constant contribution to NATO missions. Speaking to president Traian Basescu on the telephone, he also said the US has a vested interest in Romania’s success as a democratic country and rule of law.

The Social Liberal ruling coalition in Romania is seeking solutions to solve internal disagreements. The proposal by prime minister Victor Ponta to create a fourth position of deputy prime minister for the Conservative Party has been opposed by the Liberals who argue this will lead to an oversized cabinet and alter the distribution of power among the parties in the coalition. The prime minister has agreed to appoint the Liberal mayor of Sibiu, Klaus Iohannis, as deputy prime minister and interior minister and is also in favour of the other nominations made by the Liberal Party for the positions of health, finance and economy ministers. Despite conflicts, the leaders of the Social Liberal Union are not considering a break-up of the coalition that won them the 2012 parliamentary elections.

Romania is participating for the first time in the travel and tourist fair hosted by the Indian city of New Delhi between the 13th and the 15th of February. According to the National Tourism Authority, the focus of the Romanian offer is cultural tourism, nature, Romanian traditions and adventure tourism. According to the head of the National Tourism Authority, Razvan Filipescu, Romania’s first-time participation in the New Delhi travel fair forms part of this body’s strategy this year. “We believe Romanian tourist products are competitive on the international market and can also be an alternative for Indian tourists”, said Mr Filipescu, who added: “India, alongside China, generates the largest number of tourists and may also be a market for Romania.”

Bucharest is one of the world’s least expensive cities according to an annual report on the cost of living in large cities across the globe published by the Economist Intelligence Unit on Friday. According to a survey carried out in 2013, Tokyo is the most expensive city in the world, followed by Osaka, another Japanese city, Sydney, Oslo, melbourne, Singapore, Zurich, Paris, Caracas and Geneva. Apart from Bucharest, other inexpensive cities are Nepal’s capital Kathmandu, the Indian cities of New Delhi and Mumbai, and Pakistan’s Karachi.

The Romanian tennis player Simona Halep, number 10 in the world, on Friday qualified for the semifinals of the tournament in Doha, Qatar, worth 2.4 million dollars. She defeated Italy’s Sara Errani, number 7 in the world, in straight sets.