Romania Sets Off 2013 Edition Of “Countryside Vacation” Program
The 2013 edition of Romania’s “Countryside Holiday” program, initiated and organized by the National Association of Rural, Ecological and Cultural Tourism (ANTREC) Romania, will be carried out between April 21 and June 15, 2013.
The program targets all categories of tourists and the prices of five-night holiday packages range from RON150 per person, at two-star boarding houses, to RON195 per person at three and four-star boarding houses. (Curentul)
Environment Ministry To Issue 20,000 Vouchers For 2013 Clunkers Program
Romania’s Environment Ministry will issue 20,000 scrapping vouchers within this year’s edition of the state-supported cash-for-clunkers program, Environment Minister Rovana Plumb said Sunday.
The minister said the draft act regarding the 2013 clunkers program will be launched for public debate Monday and all those interested have one week to submit suggestions and proposals.
The value of a scrapping voucher reaches RON6,500 (EUR1,500). The distribution of vouchers will no longer be equal for each administrative-territorial unit, but it will consider the number of vehicles older than ten years which make up the auto park of the respective units, Plumb also said.
In 2011, Romanians scrapped over 116,000 old cars, from 190,000 a year before, and the vouchers were used to buy some 40,000 new vehicles. (Curentul)
Government To Pay Compensations Of Only RON600,000 For Nationalized Property In 2013
Calculations made recently by the Romanian Government show that only RON600,000 will be paid from state budget funds this year as compensations to former owners of nationalized property.
According to calculations, RON501 million will be paid annually from the state budget in 2014, 2015 and 2016 for compensation claims already settled, whereas in 2017, when points can be changed into money, the government is expected to pay RON3 billion.
The government will seek a confidence vote in Parliament next week on a new bill regulating the restitution of property, which sets that former owners of nationalized homes in Romania who can’t get back their homes will receive points with a face value of 1 leu (EUR0.22), considering the value of the building, which they can use to buy other homes at auction or change them into currency after 2017.
Also, former owners whose claims have already been settled will receive cash compensation within five years starting January 2014, in equal annual tranches of at least RON5,000. (Curentul)
Minimum Wage Of Public Hospital MDs Might Exceed EUR1,000 Starting 2014
Romania might enforce a new law in its healthcare sector starting January 1, 2014, which will raise the minimum wage of doctors working in public hospitals from around EUR400 currently to over EUR1,000, Health Minister Eugen Nicolaescu said Sunday in an interview for PRO TV.
Nicolaescu said the new bill, which is being drafted by the Health Ministry, will tie doctors’ income to quality of care and will allow doctors to work part-time in both public and private hospitals. He added, however, that doctors working in private hospitals will no longer be allowed to transfer patients from public to private hospitals and vice versa. The minister pointed out that a system to keep track of patients will be developed in this respect.
According to Nicolaescu, upon enforcing the new law, which is also based on pay tied to performance criteria, a medical specialist’s minimum wage may exceed EUR1,000 per month. (Jurnalul National)
Robert Cazanciuc To Be Sworn In As Justice Minister Monday
Robert Cazanciuc will be sworn in as justice minister Monday evening, at the presidential Cotroceni Palace.
Cazanciuc, a former prosecutor, was nominated for the position last week by Prime Minister Victor Ponta. (Puterea)