17 December, 2015
Timisoara mourns Revolution victims, transporters protest in Bucharest against insurance hikes
Mihai Pelin, 17.12.2015, 11:59
Today the western city of Timisoara is in mourning, commemorating the victims of the 1989 anti-communist revolt. 90 people lost their lives and almost 400 were injured during the popular uprising 26 years ago. A special mass was held at the Metropolitan Cathedral, and the Opera hosted the opening of a contemporary art exhibition. Timisoara is the city that sparked the revolution, which then rapidly spread all over the country, eventually toppling the Ceausescu regime on 22 December. Between December 16 and 22, over a thousand people lost their lives, and almost 3,400 were wounded. Romania is the only country of the former Soviet bloc where the regime change was bloody, and the communist leaders executed. The Romanian Parliament meets on 21 December in solemn session to mark the 26th anniversary of this momentous event.
Romanian PM Dacian Ciolos takes part today and tomorrow in Brussels in the European Council meeting. European leaders gather to discuss ways to better manage migration, as well as UK requests to reform the EU. According to a government press release, Romania supports measures to reinforce borders with better security measures to guarantee internal security, without impinging on freedom of circulation within the Union. The debates in Brussels will also include matters related to the Russian Federation, the situation in Eastern Ukraine, as well as economic matters.
In Bucharest, representatives of the transportation sector, who were holding a protest today in the capital, have started talks with the government and representatives of the National Insurance Union. The main issue of contention is the recent hike in insurance rates for mandatory insurance for road vehicles. In a press release, insurers explained that the increase is motivated by the fact that claims are higher for transport abroad, since some countries mandate higher pay-offs, sometimes without a ceiling. They added that pay-offs for personal and moral injury in Romania were unpredictable because of a lack of consistency in court rulings. Transportation sector representatives, on the other hand, are angry at the fact that fuel excises are still at an elevated rate, and that, starting on January 1, 2016, transporters will have to pay huge amounts for copyright purposes. Thousands of buses, coaches, taxis and commercial trucks have gathered in front of the Government building.
Romanias national womens handball team has qualified to the semi-finals of the World Championships in Denmark. In the dramatic game on Wednesday night, the Romanians defeated the Danes 31-30, after extra time. The victory goal was scored in the very last second of the game. On Friday, in the semi-finals, Romania plays against Norway, while the Netherlands contend with Poland. The latter two are veritable surprises, just like Romanias presence is, considering that in the group stage it got defeated by Spain, Norway and Russia.
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is the most trusted political figures in Romania, according to a poll published today. According to the barometer, almost 60% of the people polled said they have high or very high confidence in the president. 40% trust the Governor of the National Bank, Mugur Isarescu, and 32.6% trust the prime minister. The poll was run between November 26 and December 2. The sample was 1,071 people.
International markets have had a positive reaction to the US Federal Reserve decision to raise the reference interest rate, for the first time after 2006, even though the figure was quite small, 0.25%. This indicates that the US economy has finally overcome the effects of the world financial crisis. The hike was followed by a similar one in Hong Kong, where the currency is linked to the US dollar. Next year, new hikes are expected, resulting in pressure on emerging markets and national currencies in countries from India to Indonesia, according to the BBC. While some states, such as Japan, could benefit from a weaker national currency, which makes exports cheaper. Other states, such as Australia, could have problems, since the price of their consumer goods is already low. Also, in some developing countries, businesses could face more expensive loans, the BBC informs.
