January 6, 2017

Tens of national roads have been closed and hundreds of localities have been left without electricity because of blizzard and snow/ The EC President Jean-Claude Juncker calls on the new Romanian PM Sorin Grindeanu to continue the fight against corruption

Newsroom, 06.01.2017, 00:00

WEATHER — It is gradually getting colder in Romania, with freezing temperatures especially in the west, centre and the north. The sky is overcast and it is snowing on large areas, more heavily in the south, the east and the mountains. Gusty wind is also reported in places, particularly in the south and southeast, where it exceeds 70-85 km/h in places. The highs of the day range from minus 10 to 0 degrees Celsius. The southeastern part of the country is under red code alert against blizzard, in the first part of the day. The code yellow alert against snow is valid for the south and the east and a code orange alert against blizzard is valid for the south-east, Bucharest included. The counties in the east will further be under code yellow alert until Saturday. Tens of national roads have been closed and hundreds of localities have been left without electricity because of the blizzard.

MOLDOVA — Blizzard and extremely low temperatures are also reported in the Republic of Moldova, a former Soviet state with a predominantly Romanian speaking population, where a code orange alert against heavy snowfalls is in force, in the centre and the south. Moldovan meteorologists have forecast temperatures of minus 17 degrees Celsius and issued a code yellow alert against low temperatures, between January 6 and 9. In this context, the Civil Protection and Emergency Situations Service has warned car drivers to properly equip their cars for winter conditions. The situation is similar in central Europe. Poland is swept by a wave of cold, with temperatures dropping to minus 25 degrees Celsius. Heavy snowfalls are reported in the northern half of Italy and Germany is facing the same situation, with a high risk of flooding. Bad weather is also reported in Denmark, Sweden and Croatia.

GOVERNMENT MEETING — The new government in Bucharest is analysing in today’s meeting, a 16% increase in the minimum gross salary, as of February 1, up to 1,450 lei (some 300 Euro). Representatives of major trade unions have hailed the announcement made by the government, but the employers’ associations show reservation. Also today, the salaries of public servants working in local administration will be increased by 20%, just like those of the actors and of other categories of artists. On Thursday, the Chamber of Deputies voted in a plenary session the law amending the Fiscal Code, and consequently pensioners with pensions of up to 2,000 lei (some 400 Euros) will be exempted from paying taxes on these sums. They will no longer pay for their health insurances, whose costs will be covered from the state budget. Sworn in on Wednesday, the cabinet led by the Social Democrat Sorin Grindeanu also pledges to reduce taxes, cut red-tape, build new factories and highways as well as high-speed railways. Economic analysts describe the governing program as very ambitious and point to the risks and impact on the budget.

BRUSSELS- The European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has posted on his Twitter page a message congratulating the Prime Minister of Romania, Sorin Grindeanu, on his recent appointment. The EU’s message reads: “we look forward to the continuation of the positive trend in Romania regarding a stable government, robust economic growth, increased productivity, rising living standards and an independent justice system that can sustain the fight against corruption.” The EU Commissioner assures PM Grindeanu that the EU executive remains a constant and reliable partner to Romania, be it through financial support or technical expertise.

BORDER POLICE — The Romanian border policemen deployed in Greece have rescued 34 refugees from Syria and Congo from the international waters of the Aegean Sea. The refugees, among whom 9 children, were on board an overloaded light boat, which was on point of overturning. It was the first intervention of its kind by the Romanian policemen. A patrolling and intervention boat of the Romanian Interior Ministry, with a 23 member crew, is carrying out surveillance missions along the external borders of the EU, in the Aegean Sea, for four months, as of January 1, as part of the Maritime Joint Operation “EPN POSEIDON SEA”, coordinated by the FRONTEX Agency. The border policemen carry out individual patrolling, search and rescue missions, alongside colleagues from other EU member states participating in the mission.

WikiLeaks — The CIA claims it has identified several Russian officials who, under the coordination of the Kremlin leader, Vladimir Putin, have sent stolen DNC emails to WikiLeaks. According to the CIA report, quoted by the CNN, Russia got involved in the electoral process in the US by supporting the campaign of the US President elect, Republican Donald Trump. The latter has expressed his scepticism over Russia’s involvement and, in his turn, continued to reject the accusations. Recently, the acting US President, Barack Obama, has ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats from the US over the alleged hacking.

EPIPHANY-The majority Christian orthodox believers in Romania are today celebrating the Epiphany, commemorating the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River. (Translated by D. Vijeu)