January 1, 2020 UPDATE

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 01.01.2020, 19:20

VISIT – Over
January 7 – 9, the Romanian prime-minister Ludovic Orban will pay a working
visit to Brussels. According to a communiqué issued by the Romanian Government,
Mr. Orban will meet with the EC President Ursula von der Leyen and the NATO
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Also, he will meet with the president of
the European Council, Charles Michel, and the European Parliament President
David Sassoli.

SALARIES – As of
January 1st, the minimum gross salary in Romania stands at approximately 467
Euro per month, which is higher than in 2019. The adjustment must be made
within 20 working days since the enforcement of the measure. The Labour
Inspectorate has drawn attention to the fact that, according to the
Government’s decision, the minimum gross salary at country level is established
at the aforementioned amount for a normal work schedule, without including
bonuses and other incentives.

WORK PERMITS – This
year, the General Immigration Inspectorate can issue work permits for 30,000
new foreign workers. According to a press release, the number of work permits
set for 2020 is similar to that of 2019, when 10,000 permits were added to the
initial 20,000. Last year, employers requested permits for some 750
occupational positions, from machine operators to management staff. Most
foreign workers in Romania are from Vietnam, Nepal, India, the Republic of
Moldova and Sri Lanka.

EXCISE DUTIES -
Excise duties on fuels have increased by 7%, which significantly reduces the
effects of the elimination of the additional excise duty promulgated by the
president the day before. Besides alcoholic beverages and tobacco, the list on
the Finance Ministry’s website includes the excise duties for petrol and
diesel, which are by 24.5 and 22.4 Euro higher per one thousand liters than in
the normative act published in the Official Journal on December 30th.

EU COUNCIL – On January
1st, Croatia took over, for the first time, the presidency of the
Council of the EU. Brexit is top of the list of pressing issues that Croatia
will have to deal with. In 2013 Croatia became the 28th country that joined the
EU and now has to manage the first exit of a member state, as the UK is to
leave the Union on January 31st. Another issue on the agenda is EU’s
enlargement towards the East, against the background of France’s standing
against accession negotiations with North Macedonia and Albania. The EU and the
six candidates from the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo,
Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia) are to attend an important summit in
Zagreb, in May this year. We recall that Romania held for the first time the
rotating presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2019.

NORTH KOREA – The
North-Korean leader Kim Jong-un has stated that his country is abandoning the
moratoriums on intercontinental nuclear and ballistic tests. The state news
agency has quoted the leader as saying that the North-Korean state will
continue to develop an anti-nuclear system and will soon introduce a new
strategic weapon. President Kim believes that the US formulates demands that
run counter to North Korea’s fundamental interests and has stressed teh fact
that his country is ready to continue to live under international sanctions in
order to maintain its nuclear capability. However, he has left open a door for
dialogue, saying that Pyong Yang’s new nuclear development plans will depend on
the American’s future attitude. The US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said
that he hopes the North Korean state will choose peace and prosperity to war.

NEW YEAR – More
than 90,000 people took part in the biggest New Year’s party in Bucharest,
Disco Night Fever, organized by the Bucharest municipality. The traditional
open-air party was inspired by the energy and exuberance of the disco movement.
Domestic and international starts entertained the audience for more than 6
hours with hits that influenced entire generations. At midnight, the passing
into the new year was marked by an impressive fireworks show.

SPORTS – 2020 is
going to be an important year for sports lovers in Romania, which will take
part in at least two major events. Euro 2020 will have four matches in
Bucharest (on June 14, 18, 22 and 29), and at the Summer Olympic Games, Romania
will include the football team, for the first time in 56 years. As regards
football clubs, on February 20th and 27th, CFR will take on Seville, Spain, in
the Europa League. Tennis will also hold a central spot, as everybody expects
Simona Halep to win another Grand Slam tournament. In handball, Romania will be
represented in the Champions Leagues by both the women’s and men’s squads,
namely CSM Bucharest and SCM Ramnicu Valcea, and Dinamo Bucharest respectively.