Food Safety Authority Warns Of Risk Of African Swine Fever In Romania
Romania’s National Sanitary Veterinary and Food Safety Authority (ANSVSA) is warning that the African Swine Fever (ASF) is posing risk to Romania, according to Mediafax.
After Lithuania, a second country in the European Union has now confirmed an outbreak of ASF. For the first time, the virus also killed a wild boar in Eastern Poland.
ASF has been rampaging the Russian pig herd for several years now, after having been discovered in Georgia and Armenia prior to that. Recently, the disease also showed up in Belarus, Ukraine and Lithuania.
Until now, there has not been a vaccine for ASF. (Romania Libera)
Romanians Prefer To Work In Germany
Despite a large number of job openings in Great Britain, Romanians still choose to work in Germany.
Romania is witnessing a rise in unemployment rate. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Petrom: Gas&Power Demand In Romania To Remain Subdued In 2014
Romania’s largest oil and gas company OMV Petrom (SNP.RO) expects domestic demand for natural gas and electricity will remain subdued this year, after declining 8% and 5% year-on-year in 2013, respectively.
“In Romania, gas and power market demand is anticipated to remain under pressure,” Petrom said in its 2013 financial report Wednesday.
It said the government’s gas price liberalization calendar for 2014 includes four domestic gas price increases for both households and non-households.
“In the power market, prices are expected to be under pressure due to supply dynamics, with additional capacity coming on stream from renewables, as well as low electricity demand, which reflects, in part, prospective energy efficiency measures,” the report noted. (Romania Libera)
PM: Government To Spend Over RON4B On Car Tax Refunds
Prime Minister Victor Ponta said the Government plans to return the car tax to car owners who had sued Romanian authorities over the tax.
Ponta did not say when and how the car tax collected illegally will be refunded. He did say, however, that the Government will have to spend over RON4 billion on car tax refunds.
The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled definitively that the car tax introduced by the former Boc Cabinet breaches EU laws. (Curierul National)
S&D Could Become Leading Political Group In EP After EP Elections
The Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) could become the most important political group in the European Parliament (EP) after the EP elections to be held in May this year, according to a survey by VoteWatch Europe.
S&D is expected to increase its numbers in the EP to a total 221 MEPs, while the European People’s Party (EPP) is likely to have only 202 representatives in the EP, the survey shows.
This year’s EP elections will take place between May 22 and May 25, 2014 in all 28 European Union member states. (Evenimentul Zilei)