February 28, 2017 UPDATE
Click here for a round-up of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 28.02.2017, 19:26
BUDGET DEFICIT – European Commission vice-president Valdis Dombrovskis and EU Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs Pierre Moscovici have sent a letter to Romanian Finance Minister Viorel Stefan, calling on the Government to announce in a “reliable manner the measures they envisage to cut the budget deficit within the targets set by the Stability Pact by April, when the Commission makes public its Spring Economic Forecast. The Commissions latest estimate regarding Romanias budget for this year and the forecast for 2018 differs significantly from the Governments estimate. While for 2017 the Government announced a deficit of 2.96% of the GDP, the Commission claims the deficit will be as high as 3.6%, expecting it to climb to 3.9% in 2018, as a result of major tax cuts and the increase of public spending. EU officials have warned that Romania risks exceeding its budget deficit target.
NATIONAL DEFENCE – Romanias President, Klaus Iohannis, said on Tuesday, during a meeting devoted to the Defence Ministrys 2016 activity report, that Romanias increasing defence spending to 2% of the GDP in 2017 creates the prerequisites for and is indicative of Bucharests reaching the objectives it has pledged to fulfil. The president underlined that the most precious resource of the countrys Army consists in the military and civilians active in the field. In turn, defence minister Gabriel Les expressed Romanias readiness to face the complex security evolutions in the region. Les underlined that, after years of under-financing, the budget of the Defence Ministry stands at 2 % of the GDP as of this year, which allows for the restructuring and modernisation of the military system, which are necessary mainly because of the volatile security situation around the country. The line minister also revised the military exercises that the Romanian Army participated in, within NATO, the efforts to tighten the Alliances eastern flank as well as the efforts that are being made to modernise ground, air and naval structures.
EXERCISE – The Platinum Eagle 17.1 military exercise underway at the shooting range in Smardan, south-eastern Romania, saw its press opening on Tuesday. Kicked off on February 20 and set to end on Wednesday, the exercise brings together over 500 military from seven countries in Eastern Europe and the United States. Its main purpose is to engage all participant military units in joint training sessions to increase interoperability. Platinum Eagle 17.1 is being led by the US Marine Corps Commander for Europe and Africa. In another development, a US military helicopter drill scheduled to take place on Tuesday at the Mihail Kogalniceanu airbase in Constanta, south-eastern Romania, had to be rescheduled due to bad weather.
CORRUPTION – Former Social-Democrat MP Sebastian Ghita is the target of a new corruption investigation conducted by the National Anticorruption Directorate. Ghita faces charges of influence peddling, aggravated money laundering and the set-up of an organized crime group. According to anti-corruption prosecutors, the former MP allegedly received up to 10 million euros over the 2007-2014 period from two IT companies in exchange for facilitating contracts awarded by public institutions and authorities. Ghita used the money to bribe ministers and public servants in exchange for awarding state contracts to the two companies. On Monday, prosecutors detained another two suspects in this case, Sebastian Ghitas brother-in-law, Cristian Anastasescu, and a businessman. The former MP is being investigated in several cases, and has been listed among Europols most wanted fugitives. Ghita disappeared without trace at the end of last year.
TENNIS – The tennis pair made up of Romanian Florin Mergea and Serbian Viktor Troicki has qualified to the quarter finals of the men doubles at the Dubai tennis tournament, in the United Arab Emirates, after defeating the pair Karen Haceanov (Russia) / Benoit Paire (France), 6-7, 6-4, 10-6. Mergea and Troicki will face in the quarterfinals the pair Rohan Bopanna (India)/ Marcin Matkowski (Poland). Also on Tuesday, Marius Copil qualified to the eighth finals of the Dubai tournament, after defeating German Jan-Lennard Struff, 6-4, 6-2. Copil will face in the eighth finals French Lucas Pouille. The tournament in Dubai has total prizes worth 2,5 million dollars. (Translated by V. Palcu and D. Vijeu)
