December 20, 2023
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Newsroom, 20.12.2023, 13:55
Budget – The Romanian Parliament meets today in a joint session to debate and vote on the state budget and the state social insurance budget, supported by the government majority made up of the Social Democratic Party — PSD and the Liberal Party – PNL. The social-democratic PM Marcel Ciolacu argued that the budget for next year is one of development and balance, a budget based on investments and which provides the necessary sums for the promised pension and salary increases. The opposition says that the budget is built on unrealistic figures, which will not ensure economic development.
Evasion — The Romanian Chamber of Deputies adopted new measures to combat tax evasion. Failure to withhold taxes and contributions, the accounting documents for fictitious expenses, keeping double accounting records or the use of cash registers that are not connected to the National Information Control System will be considered crimes. Punishments, which range from one to ten years in prison, are harsher for repeat offenders.
Timisoara – The western Romanian city of Timişoara marks today 34 years since it declared itself the first city free of communism in Romania. To celebrate the victory against communism, several events are taking place today, including screenings of short films and documentaries, as well as a marathon tour at the Brâncuşi exhibition at the Art Museum. 34 years ago, after the bloody repression of the uprising that started on December 17, the big factories went on strike, and the workers lined up and gathered in the center of the city. In front of the crowd, the army withdrew to the barracks, the people arrested were released and the Romanian Democratic Front was established. Started in Timisoara, the people’s revolt against the regime led by the dictator Nicolae Ceauşescu extended to several cities of the country. In the violent events that took place then, over 1,000 people lost their lives and around 3,000 were injured.
Energy – The European Union extended several measures that should ensure the stability of energy prices and the supply of consumers. The European Commission says that the decision was made even if the member states have stored enough natural gas to avoid problems over the winter. The first measure refers to energy solidarity between EU countries, the second aims to shorten the deadlines for the approval of renewable projects, and the third imposes a temporary mechanism to correct possible high gas prices. The Commissioner for Energy, Kadri Simson, said that the measures are taken preventively and that the market is currently stable.
Odorhei – The administrator of the company that was undertaking works on the foundation of the boarding school in Odorheiu Secuiesc (central Romania), where the collapse of a wall on Sunday resulted in the death of a 17-year-old student and the injury of three others, was detained, on Tuesday, for 24 hours. He is being investigated for the crimes of manslaughter and bodily injury. The Prefect’s Office and the Education Ministry also ordered the start of investigations in the case of the building that housed almost 100 students, owned by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Alba Iulia and rented by the local public authority. The doctors are reticent regarding one of the victims, a 17-year-old student, seriously injured. She is in Intensive Care in critical condition. The other two injured girls are now better and will receive psychological counseling.
Gaza – The UN Security Council postponed, again, for today, the vote on a new resolution on the war in Gaza, at the request of the US, dpa reports. The draft resolution presented by the United Arab Emirates calls for the suspension of hostilities in the Gaza Strip to facilitate more deliveries of humanitarian aid. Previously, several resolutions calling for a ceasefire failed in the UN Security Council, because the US opposed it. So far, the Council has adopted only one resolution with a humanitarian focus, a few weeks ago. On the ground, the Hamas terrorists resumed rocket launches from the Gaza Strip at Israeli targets. On the other hand, the Palestinian death toll reported in Gaza since the outbreak of hostilities in October has risen to 20,000. We remind you that the war broke out after the attack committed by Hamas against Israel, resulting in over 1,200 deaths, mostly civilians, and hundreds of kidnappings. (LS)
