1st August 2013
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Roxana Vasile, 01.08.2013, 16:43
Romania will be paying back 64.4 million euros in premium interest and commission to the IMF in August this year, on the stand-by loan contracted in 2009, the government in Bucharest has today announced. The payments are for the 20-billion euro bailout package Romania got from the IMF, the World Bank and the European Commission. In 2011 Bucharest signed another loan agreement of the precautionary type with international financiers of 5 billion euros, which was successfully completed in June 2013. The Romanian authorities, the IMF and the European Commission agreed upon another precautionary loan agreement on Wednesday.
A draft law on basic medical package will be subjected to public debates late this month when the government is expected to assume responsibility for it, Romanian health minister Eugen Nicolaescu has announced. According to him, the law has been drawn up in keeping with certain principles laying emphasis on the importance of prevention, the proper public funds management in a bid to find the right balance between people’s needs and resources. Nicolaescu has explained why he cannot set a deadline for the completion of a new list of subsidized and free medicines. Such a list was last revised in 2008.
The concert given by famous British singer Sting in Bucharest last night as part of the Back To Bass tour, was attended by 10 thousand people. That was the fourth concert Sting gave in Romania, including besides fresh songs several old hits like ‘Englishman in New York’ or ‘Roxanne’. The almost 100 million albums sold, single or with his group ‘The Police’ have also brought the artist 10 Grammy Awards a Golden Globe and an Emmy prize. Sting also boasts three Oscar nominations.
Three Romanian football sides are today playing in the Europa League third preliminary round. Romania’s vice-champions Pandurii Targu-Jiu and Cup-winner Petrolul will meet on home-turf Hapoel Tel Aviv from Israel and the Dutch side Vitesse Arnhem respectively. Astra Giurgiu will fly to Slovakia for a game against AS Trencin, while in the Champions League, Steaua Bucharest, which has secured a two-nil win against Georgian side Dinamo Tbilisi, stand good chances to make it to the competition’s play-offs.
