November 22, 2013 UPDATE
A roundup of domestic and international news
România Internațional, 22.11.2013, 20:12
BUDGET — In Bucharest the expert parliamentary committees continued, Friday, the debates on Romania’s draft budget for 2014 and on the amendments proposed by senators and deputies. The PM Victor Ponta says the parliament could give its final vote on the budget by mid December. The Romanian President, Traian Basescu, warned that he would not promulgate the draft budget law and send it back to Parliament if they did not eliminate the extra 7 cent excise duty on fuel. The PM claims that if the President rejects the draft budget, the effects of his action will be felt by the citizens, since measures such as the pensions’ index linking, the increase in the minimum guaranteed salary or the grants for resident physicians will be affected.
PROTESTS – Trade unions in the healthcare system will hold a new round of negotiations with Health Minister Eugen Nicolaescu on Saturday, on the medical staff’s demands. They are asking, among other things, for 6% of the GDP to be allotted to the healthcare system. After Thursday’s negotiations Minister Nicolaescu said the all-out strike announced for November 28 seemed rather unlikely, while, in their turn, unionists say protests will unfold according to the schedule. The education trade unions also demand 6% of the GDP for this sector. They are discontent with the 2014 budget bill and are collecting signatures to block the school year by calling an all-out strike next spring.
RATING – Standard&Poor’s revised the outlook onRomania’s junk credit rating to positive from stable and said it might upgrade it in the second half of next year depending on fiscal rigor and sales of state assets. The country’s long-term government bond rating was maintained at BB+, one level below investment grade and on a par with Croatia and Indonesia, S&P said Friday in a statement.
CULTURE – Over 100 book launches took place on Friday in the presence of their authors in Bucharest, on the third day of the Gaudeamus International Book Fair. Among them was the audio book collection of the Casa Radio Publishers, “The Golden Tape Library”. Also, those who want to donate books can do that as part of the a special programme. The books will reach Romanian schools in Valea Timocului, in Serbia. The Gaudeamus International Book Fair is organized by the Romanian Radio Broadcasting Corporation, which this year celebrates 85 years of existence. The fair consists of over 600 events proposed by around 400 exhibitors. The guest of honor this year is the Group of Northern Countries, made up of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden.
COMMEMORATION – The United States commemorated Friday 50 years since the assassination of president John Fitzgerald Kennedy, one of Americas most beloved leaders. Kennedy was shot dead on November 22 in Dallas, Texas, by Lee Harvey Oswald. Born in an influential family in Boston, Kennedy was the youngest US president in history and also the first Catholic president.
KIEV — The EU is ready to resume preparations for signing the association agreement as soon as Ukraine confirms its availability to resume its path towards political association and economic integration with the EU, said the European commissioner for enlargement and neighborhood policy, Stefan Fule. Kiev’s decision not to sign the association agreement with the EU at the upcoming Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius was motivated by economic issues. Previously the Ukrainian Parliament had rejected the law on the release from prison of the former prime minister Iulia Timosenko and her being treated abroad- a condition imposed by the EU with a view to signing the agreement. The Ukrainian opposition started to gather signatures for the impeachment of president Viktor Ianukovici and called for the organization of large scale pro-European rallies in downtown Kiev on Sunday.
IRAN— Iran’s negotiators present at the Geneva meeting with the great powers’ representatives said that progress was reported on the 3rd day of talks on the Iranian nuclear program. After his meeting with the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton, the Iranian foreign minister, Mohammad Zarif said that there were still unsolved issues, but that he was confident that they would reach an agreement. Teheran wants the western powers to lift economic sanctions against it as they are affecting its economy but the west is asking for guarantees that Iran is not developing nuclear weaponry. Iran claims that its nuclear program is a civilian program and refuses to give up its right to enrich uranium.
