January 9, 2020

Click here for a roundup of domestic and international news

Newsroom, 09.01.2020, 14:18

VISIT Romania is a serious partner, responsible and committed to
meeting its EU objectives and implementing the regulations adopted by the
European institutions, the country’s Prime Minister, Victor Orban said during
his talks with the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen in
Brussels. The EU is by Romania’s side and the block is getting ready for the
digital era for which it counts on Bucharest’s support, as this country has an
excellent reputation in this field, the EU official said. Also high on the
talks agenda were economic and justice issues. Orban is also seeing today the
NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg and will be having talks with Antonio
Lopez Isturiz, secretary general of the European People’s Party to which the
Romanian National Liberal Party is affiliated. The Romanian Prime Minister
began his working visit to Brussels on Tuesday and has so far held talks with
officials of the European Council, the European Commission and Parliament.

FORECAST The World Bank has revised up
to 3.9% its forecast for Romania’s economic growth in 2019, 0.3 % more than the
forecast in June last year, shows the Global Economic Prospects report
published on Wednesday. According to the same sources Romania is expected to
register a GDP growth of 3.4%, 0.1 % higher than the previous forecast. In
spite of improved performances, the World Bank believes the GDP growth will
significantly slow down to 3.1% in 2021 and 2022. The World Bank estimates a
slight economic growth all over the world in 2020, which is expected to reach
2.5% after the slowdown last year. The World Bank has cautioned about this
growth, which it described as fragile and subject to potential risks.

YO 35
athletes will be representing Romania at the 2020 Youth Olympics due in
Lausanne, Switzerland over January 9 and 22. According to a communiqué issued
by the Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee the Romanian athletes will be
competing in several disciplines, such as biathlon, bob-sleigh, ice hockey,
speed skating, sledge, ski-jumping, alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and
snowboarding. At the previous edition in Lillehammer, Norway, the first medals
in the history of Romania’s participation in such an event went to Eduard
Casaneanu, who walked away with gold from the ice-hockey event and Mihaela
Hogas, who won bronze in the speed skating race.

HANDBALL Romania’s national handball side is in Italy. There our handballers
are to take on Italy, Georgia and Kosovo over January 10th and 12th
in the first stage of their qualification for the World Championship in Egypt
next year. Coach Rares Fortuneanu, who is also coaching French side Saint
Raphael, has voiced optimism concerning Romania’s qualification for the final
tournament next year, the first attended by 32 sides. We recall that the
Romanian women’s representative had made it to the main groups of the World
Championship held last month in Japan.

UNEMPLOYMENT In November last year
Romania reported an unemployment rate of 4% the same level of October, data
released by the National Institute for Statistics on Thursday show.
Unemployment among men exceeded unemployment among women by 0.9%. The number of
unemployed among those with ages between 15 and 74 stood at 366 thousand people
in November last year. The number of unemployed with ages between 25 and 74
accounts for 70% of the total number of unemployed in November 2019. According
to the same sources, Romania registered a trade deficit of 15.5 billion euros last
year, 2.1 billion more than in the same period of 2018. Imports went up by 4.1%
while exports only by 1.7%

(translated by bill)