Education Minister: Bucharest University Has 900 Budgeted Vacant Seats

Education Minister Valentin Popa said on Monday, after talks with students, that the Bucharest University has 900 budgeted seats that have not been distributed, which could be offered to students who pay full tuition fees.   The Bucharest University said last week it will look for solutions for students who will be affected by the allocation of seats, by granting scholarships or financing from employers to keep students from dropping out of faculty.   A week ago, minister Popa said the allocation of seats at universities was not done based on political criteria, adding the current distribution is preliminary and the definitive distribution will be carried out in the fall. (mediafax.ro)   Eurostat: Romania Ranks Third Among EU States With Highest Government Deficit To GDP Ratio In 2017  

Romania ranks third among European Union Member States regarding the government deficit to GDP ratio in 2017 (2.9% of the GDP), after Spain and Portugal, Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union, said in a press release on Monday.

In 2017, Romania registered a gross domestic product of RON858.3 billion and a budget deficit of RON25.01 billion, or 2.9%, which is the upper limit agreed upon through the Maastricht Treaty. Expenditure stood at 33.4% of the GDP and revenue at 30.5% of the GDP. According to Eurostat, two Member States had deficits equal to or higher than 3% of GDP: Spain (-3.1%) and Portugal (-3.0%).

In 2017, Malta (+3.9%), Cyprus (+1.8%), the Czech Republic (+1.6%), Luxembourg (+1.5%), Sweden and Germany (both +1.3%), the Netherlands (+1.1%), Denmark (+1.0%), Bulgaria (+0.9%), Greece and Croatia (both +0.8%) and Lithuania (+0.5%) registered a government surplus, while Slovenia reported a government balance.

The lowest government deficits as a percentage of GDP were recorded in Ireland and Estonia (both -0.3%), Latvia (-0.5%) and Finland (-0.6%). Two Member States had deficits equal to or higher than 3% of GDP: Spain (-3.1%) and Portugal (-3.0%). In the euro area the government deficit to GDP ratio fell from 1.5% in 2016 to 0.9% in 2017, and in the EU28 from 1.6% to 1.0%. (mediafax.ro)

Iohannis Says Will Try Mediation Between Government And Central Bank

President Klaus Iohannis said on Monday he would try to mediate between the Government and the National Bank of Romania (BNR), and that he would call them to the Cotroceni Presidential Palace to that end in the upcoming days.


“I decided to try a mediation between the Government and BNR, and in the coming days I will invite both sides to Cotroceni,” said Iohannis.


He mentioned that “some have gone too far with quite stinging claims lately.”  (mediafax.ro)

Iohannis Says There Is No Conflict Between Presidency And Government   President Klaus Iohannis on Monday said there is no conflict between the presidency and the government, following the latter’s notification at the Constitutional Court after his refusal to dismiss chief anticorruption prosecutor Laura Codruta Kovesi.   Romanian justice minister Tudorel Toader on Monday said the Government’s notification regarding Kovesi’s dismissal will reach the Constitutional Court later in the day.   Toader had said the previous week he will challenge at the Court Iohannis’ refusal to dismiss Kovesi. In turn, Iohannis had said Toader’s reasons for the dismissal were “unconvincing”.

The minister had called for the dismissal of Kovesi in February citing facts and acts which are “intolerable to the rule of law”. Kovesi has been chief anti-graft prosecutor since 2013.

The minister’s proposal led to thousands of people rallying across Romania after the announcement to support Kovesi and the European Commission said it might reassess the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM) report on Romania following the minister’s call. The latest CVM report, released on November 15, concluded that Romania has made progress, but that challenges related to judicial independence have been “a persistent source of concern”. (mediafax.ro)

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