3 September 2018

Parliament reconvenes after the summer recess./ Two new cases of African swine fever reported at the weekend./ Supreme Defence Council to meet on Tuesday.

Newsroom, 03.09.2018, 13:00

Parliament. The Chamber of Deputies and the Senate reconvened on Monday
after the summer recess. The legislative priorities of the majority formed by
the Social Democratic Party and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats are the
adoption of a new pension law and amending national security laws and the
adoption law. The opposition wants a return to a two-round voting system to
elect mayors, the elimination of special pensions and a healthcare reform.
Parliament’s agenda also features finalising the justice laws, which have been
challenged in the Constitutional Court, the criminal and criminal procedure
codes and the offshore bill regulating the extraction of natural gas from the
Black Sea.

African
swine fever. Romanian pork exports may be temporarily suspended because of the
African swine fever, former prime minister of Romania and European commissioner
for agriculture Dacian Ciolos has warned. He says the epidemic may destroy the
pig farming sector in Romania and lead to an increase in imports, which would
result in higher inflation rates. Two new cases of African swine fever were confirmed at the
weekend in Romania, where the number of hotbeds is nearing 800. The authorities
continue to take measures to contain the spread of the virus, and in the areas
where the virus has been confirmed, that is a quarter of all counties in
Romania, the pigs are being culled. As a precautionary measure, the authorities
have also imposed restrictions on the sale of pork, and road checks are in
place on the borders with the counties where the virus has been identified.
The government has given assurances that the owners of the culled animals will
receive compensations.

Budget adjustment. The Country’s
Supreme Defence Council is to meet on the 4th of September to
discuss the government’s proposals to adjust this year’s budget of state
institutions with responsibilities in the area of national security. The
meeting has been requested by the government and the date has been established
by president Klaus Iohannis, who has explained that the government could have
made budget adjustments in any field with no need for further approval, with
the exception of national security. He made this comment after warnings from
the government that a possible refusal from the president to hold an emergency
meeting of the Country’s Supreme Defence Council to approve the proposed
adjustments can jeopardise not only the incomes of the most vulnerable
categories, that is pensioners, mothers and children, but also people’s access
to medical services.

Tourism. The tourism ministry in
Bucharest has established a number of measures to improve the sector. These
include a reduction in the 5% VAT rate in areas such as: accommodation in the
hotel sector and sectors with a similar function, including rental of camping
sites, and restaurant and catering services with the exception of alcoholic
beverages, others than beer, and sports, recreational and entertainment
activities. Tourism will thus have the lowest VAT rate of all economic sectors.
Another measure aims at stimulating spa tourism by applying no charges for
geothermal and natural mineral water for public use in designated public
places. According to the government’s estimate, the development of spa tourism
requires investments of at least 1 billion euros worth of projects over the
next ten years. A third of Europe’s thermal and mineral springs are to be found
in Romania.

Festival. More than 100 singers and
musicians are participating this week in the World Experience Festival which
goes under way today in Bucharest. The events, held under the theme The Music
of the World, include many workshops, such as those dedicated to Irish dance,
the tea ceremony and the art of wearing a kimono in the Japanese style.
Presentations are held of instruments from 30 different countries in the
Orient, Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia. The festival also features a
food section. The main stage is located in one of the Bucharest’s parks.

Weather. The national weather service has issued a yellow code alert for
unstable weather in 13 counties in Romania beginning this afternoon until
tomorrow night. Torrential rain, thunder storms, powerful winds and hailstorms
are expected in the west and centre. The amount of precipitation is expected to
exceed 25 litres per square metre, and even 40 litres in some areas. In
Bucharest, the noon reading showed 30 degrees Celsius, but the temperature is
expected to hit 34 degrees.