November 14, 2024 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
Newsroom, 14.11.2024, 20:00
VISIT – The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, will pay an official visit to Germany from Friday to Monday, in response to an invitation extended by his German counterpart, Frank-Walter Steinmeier. According to the Presidential Administration in Bucharest, the agenda of the visit includes official talks between the two heads of state and meetings between president Iohannis and Chancellor Olaf Scholz, as well as the president of the Bundestag (the lower house in the German Parliament), Barbel Bas. On Sunday, president Iohannis is expected to give a speech at the Federal Parliament on the sidelines of a solemn ceremony devoted to the Day of Commemoration of the victims of war and dictatorship. According to official statistics, Germany is Romania’s top trade partner and the second-largest investor in Romanian economy. The two countries are allies in NATO and partners in the European Union. An ethnic German, Iohannis next month will conclude his second and last term as president. The first round of the presidential election is scheduled for November 24, while the second round will take place on December 8. The parliamentary election has been slated for December 1, the National Day of Romania.
SALARIES – The law raising the minimum wage to half of the average earnings in the country has been ratified and will come into effect on January 1, 2025. The increases will be operated according to a formula based on clear economic indicators, and in a first stage, the amount of the minimum gross salary will be approximately 800 EUR, according to a government-employer-union agreement. This is an increase between 47 and 52% of the average gross earnings at national level, according to a formula developed by specialists from the Ministry of Labor, based on criteria such as purchasing power, wage growth rate and labor productivity at national level. 1,8 million people are expected to benefit from these wage increases.
GDP GROWTH – Romania’s gross domestic product did not change in the third quarter of this year, compared to the previous quarter, and it went down by 0.2% compared to the same quarter in 2023, according to data published on Thursday by the National Statistics Institute. In its latest “World Economic Outlook” report, the International Monetary Fund has downgraded to 1.9% its forecast on the Romanian economy this year, from 2.8% in April. In September, the National Strategy and Forecast Commission revised the economic growth projection for this year, from 3.4% previously to 2.8%.
F-35 – As a decision-making body, the Bucharest Senate approved the draft law regarding Romania’s purchase of 32 F-35 fighter jets from the USA. The F-35 aircraft has very advanced technological performance features, the STEALTH one in particular, which ensures a reduced radar signature. The 32 F-35 planes would gradually replace, starting from 2030, the second-hand F-16 planes bought by Romania in the last decade. Later, Bucharest would buy another 16 F-35 planes, with the final goal being to constitute 3 complete squadrons of fighter planes. According to the American company Lockheed Martin, more than 1,060 F-35s have been built so far and have accumulated more than 940,000 flight hours. More than 2,600 pilots and 17,000 technicians have already been trained in the world. 19 countries, most of them NATO members, are involved in the program.
FLOODS – The October 29 devastating floods in southeastern Spain killed at least 26 people of foreign nationality, including 9 Romanians, according to an official report published on Thursday, AFP reports. The Data Integration Center, a body established after the floods of October 29, which allows the authorities to collect information about victims in the Valencia region, announced that there were a total of 216 fatalities, 190 of Spanish nationality, and the rest foreign citizens from 11 different countries. In Spain, the areas of Valencia (south-east) and Malaga (south) were affected by a code red alert against heavy rain these days. The rivers overflowed and several localities were flooded. Over 4,000 people were evacuated in Malaga. According to Radio Romania’s correspondent, heavy rains were also reported in the south of Catalonia, the north of the Castellón region, the Balearic Islands and the Granada area.
MOLDOVA – The new Constitution of the Republic of Moldova, amended by the October 20 referendum, was published on Wednesday in the Official Gazette of Chișinău. In its new form, the Fundamental Law of the Republic of Moldova provides that integration into the European Union is a strategic objective of the country, the European course is irreversible, and the identity of the people of the Republic of Moldova is European, Radio Chișinău reports. The new version of the Constitution also includes the fact that Romanian is the official state language in the Republic of Moldova. The October 20 referendum passed with a fragile majority: 50.38% of the voters said “Yes” to amending the Constitution to include the accession of the Republic of Moldova to the EU, and the difference compared to the “No” option was 11,400 votes.
TENNIS – Romania lost 2-1 to Japan in the first round of the Billie Jean King Cup final tournament in a match hosted by Malaga on Thursday. In the first match, Ana Bogdan won 6-2, 6-4 to Nao Hibino. Ena Shibahara then defeated Jaqueline Cristian 6-4, 7-6. In the doubles match, Monica Niculescu and Gabriela Ruse lost to Shuko Aoyama and Eri Hozumi. Japan will play Italy in the quarterfinals. This is the first time Romania has qualified to the final tournament of the Billie Jean King Cup. (VP)
