March 4, 2019

A roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 04.03.2019, 14:01

DEBATES Romania’s Prime Minister Viroica Dancila is
today attending debates in the Chamber of Deputies over controversial ordinance
114, which imposes new taxes in the fields of banking, telecommunications and
energy. The Prime Minister has been invited in Parliament by the Liberal
opposition, which contested the law jointly with the opposition parties, the
business environment and banks. Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici has called
for postponed debates on the state ordinance so that the government may be able
to analyze a series of amendments to this document. One of the ordinance’s
contested provisions is the 2% tax for energy producers. Administrators of private
pension funds are also likely to face problems, as, under the fresh ordinance
they are supposed to increase social capital in order to be able to continue
their activity.

ELECTION According to the European
Parliament’s webpage, the European People’s Party would get 181 seats, the
European socialists 135 and the Liberals 75 in the future European Legislature
that would form after the elections on May 23rd and 26th.
The Europe of Nations and Freedom would come fourth with 59 seats followed by
the Greens with 49. Romania, where these elections are scheduled for May 26th
will have 33 seats one more than in the present legislature. The main ruling
political party, the Social-Democrats, will have 11 seats, the opposition
Liberals will have 9 seats, ALDE, also part of the ruling coalition, will have 3
seats and so will the opposition USR and Pro Romania. Two other political
forces, PLUS and UDMR will each have two seats. The estimates are based on
national polls conducted by the end of February. The first direct elections for
the European Parliament were staged 40 years ago on June 12th 1979.
The ballot this year will be the most important in the history of the European
Parliament, given the political context, the UK’s leaving the block, as well as
other major political and cross-border challenges. The next European Parliament
will have less MPs, 705, as compared to the present 751.

COMMEMORATION The National Institute
for Earth Physics in Bucharest is today commemorating 42 years since the
devastating earthquake in 1977, through a series of events aimed at raising
awareness about the risk of another major earthquake in Romania. According to
experts, the safest buildings in Bucharest are those built between 1963 and 1989
as well as those constructed after 2000. On March 4th 1977, an
earthquake of 7.2 magnitude, the severest to hit Romania, killed 1,570 people
mostly in Bucharest, causing 2 billion dollars in damages. About 230 thousand
households and other buildings were destroyed or severely damaged. The
earthquake marked the beginning of a social-economic crisis the communist
regime was unable to overcome until its demise in 1989. Experts are cautioning
that in case of a similar earthquake, hundreds of buildings could collapse in
Bucharest alone.

TENNIS Three Romanian tennis
players have entered straight the main draw at Indian Wells, the premier
Mandatory Tournament in California, which kicks off today. WTA number 2nd
Simona Halep, WTA 31st-ranked Mihaela Buzarnescu and Irina Begu, WTA
67th-placed, are to find out today who their opponents are.
Top-seeded in Indian Wells, Halep and Buzarnescu benefit from a first free
round and will only prove their mettle in the competition this coming Friday or
Saturday. We recall Simona Halep won the Indian Wells tournament in 2015, and
reached as far as the semis in the previous edition. The drawing of lots for
the men’s version of the tournament is to be held on Tuesday, while
representing Romania at Indian Wells is Marius Copil.

(Translated by D. Bilt)