July 29, 2023 UPDATE

A roundup of local and international news.

Newsroom, 29.07.2023, 20:10

NURSING HOMES – The National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) has opened a criminal case in rem for abuse of office, after a new nursing home keeping patients in terrible conditions was found in Mureş county (central Romania). Seven people were being kept in improper conditions in the basement, in addition to the 23 registered in the asylums official documents. Also, three people suspected of human trafficking and of forming an organized crime group were detained by the Directorate for the Investigation of Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT), in connection with this case. Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu dismissed the prefect and deputy prefect of Mures county and announced changes in the legal framework for the functioning of nursing homes. We remind you that, a few weeks ago, police and prosecutors searched three such nursing homes near Bucharest and found that the patients there, many of them disabled, were beaten, starved, and subjected to forced labour. On the other hand, the Penitentiary Administration decided to conduct an inspection at the Buziaş Educational Center (west), intended for the resocialization of minors and young people who have committed criminal deeds, after a young man detained there was brutally beaten by supervising policemen. The Minister of Justice filed a criminal complaint in this case and dismissed the centers management.

TRANSPORT – Romania is ready to quickly develop alternative routes for the export of Ukrainian grain, after Russia withdrew from the agreement for the safe transport on the Black Sea and threatened to attack ships heading for Ukrainian ports. Foreign Minister Luminiţa Odobescu told the Bloomberg news agency that Romania can now open new border checkpoints with the neighboring country, bring in more staff at existing crossings as well as retired pilots and soldiers, in order to speed up the transit of ships on the Danube. Romania has already facilitated the transit of over 20 million tons of grain from Ukraine, approximately half of the amount transported on the solidarity roads since the beginning of the Russian invasion. The port of Constanta (southeast), preferred by Ukrainian companies, has been modernized, but it may become overwhelmed by domestic grain production. Bulgaria is also considering using the railway network to the Greek ports, for the transport of Ukrainian food products, which have so far been directed to the Port of Varna.

CARS – The registration period for natural persons in the “Rabla local” car renewal program in Romania starts on Monday. Town halls will participate in the programme and will cover 20% of the approximately 600-euro offered to those who dispose of a car older than 15 years. Beneficiaries do not have to buy a new car, but, in the next 3 years, they are not allowed to buy a car with a Euro 5 or lower pollution level. Those who want to be part of the car scrapping programme should not have any debts to the state budget, under the form of taxes, fines and other types of contributions. The Ministry of the Environment estimates that due to this programme, around 100,000 polluting cars will be removed from circulation. There are 500 town halls enrolled in the program, and their list and the number of vouchers available in each locality is published on the website of the Environmental Fund Administration – afm.ro. There are also details about the procedure and the steps to follow in order to enroll in the program.

ECONOMY — Two emergency ordinances – one to reduce public spending and the other to increase collection to the state budget – will soon be approved by the Romanian government. This package of fiscal and administrative changes will be made public next week, according to Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu. He specified that the measures will be applied in three separate stages, on September 1st, October 1st and January 1, 2024, respectively. Talks with the Minister of Finance are scheduled for Monday and an analysis from the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) is also expected, as a decrease in budget revenues from taxes and duties has been reported, in the context of a drop in consumption and industrial output. The measures could include the elimination of approximately 200,000 unfilled positions in the public system, the reorganization of some ministries and the merger of certain institutions. At the same time, the elimination of a number of exemptions from the payment of the healthcare contribution in sectors such as IT, construction and agriculture and maintaining only two VAT rates, of 9% and 19%, respectively, were considered. Also, the option of introducing a 1% tax on properties worth over 500,000 euros is also being analyzed. The Prime Minister gave assurances that the fiscal changes will not trigger social crises or macroeconomic imbalances. In his opinion, there is no danger of recession, and the economy will end the year on the increase.

SWIMMING – Swimmer Paul Georgescu is the first Romanian who managed to cross the Bristol Channel on its historic distance, between Coney beach in Porthcawl and Lynmouth in Devon. The distance in a straight line is 25 kilometers. “This crossing brought me the third crown – the Original Triple Crown,” he wrote on his Facebook page. The Original Triple Crown is a long sought-after achievement in the world of open water swimming. It includes a successful completion of the English Channel (England-France), the North Channel (Scotland-Ireland), and Bristol Channel (England-Wales). He swam in tandem with Irish swimmer John Curley and they completed the crossing in 10 hours and 55 minutes. This is the first officially recorded tandem crossing in the history of the Bristol Channel, says Paul Georgescu. He also plans to finish the Oceans Seven project. He has two crossings left, both in 2024. (EE)