Ruling Party Clashes Over Leader’s Proposal For Vacant Cabinet Office – Sources
A top brass meeting of Romania’s ruling Social Democrat Party (PSD) on Tuesday evening was marked by arguments over who the Government should propose for the vacant office of transports minister, political sources told MEDIAFAX.
According to the sources, party leader Liviu Dragnea proposed MPs Daniel Suciu for the regional development office and Razvan Cuc as new transports minister, with the second proposal sparking disagreements among those present at the party’s executive committee meeting.
The argument started from the fact that Cuc, who was elected MP in 2016 after running in Giurgiu county and being nominated at the time by the local PSD Giurgiu branch, recently transferred to the party’s Neamt county affiliate, which supported his nomination on Tuesday.
Dragnea told journalists before entering the meeting that the MP was indeed supported by PSD Neamt for the role and that he had transferred to that organization two weeks ago.
There is no information currently of significant opposition to the nomination of Suciu, who is currently the group leader of PSD MPs in the Lower Chamber.
The two cabinet offices have been embroiled in a dispute between Prime Minister Viorica Dancila and President Klaus Iohannis for more than two months, with the latter refusing several nominations for the offices since December 2018. (puterea.ro)
INS: Number Of Vacant Jobs Up 7.6% To 58,800 In 2018
The job vacancy rate grew by 0.07 percentage points in the fourth quarter of 2018, compared with the same period in 2017, and the number of vacant jobs rose by 7.6% (some 4,150), to 58,810, according to data released by the country’s statistics board Tuesday.
In the fourth quarter of 2018, the job vacancy rate was 1.2%, lower by 0.10 percentage points versus the previous quarter, with the number of vacant jobs dropping by 4,900 compared with the previous quarter.
In the fourth quarter of 2018, the higher job vacancy rates were registered in the sectors of services activities (3.35%), public administration (2.86%), healthcare and social assistance (2%). The processing industry accounted for nearly a quarter of the total number of vacant jobs (14,900 vacant jobs), and the job vacancy rate was 1.26%.
The public sector accounted for nearly 29% of the total number of vacant jobs. Thus, 7,900 vacant jobs are registered in the public administration, 6,800 vacant jobs in healthcare and social assistance and 2,600 in the education sector, respectively. (puterea.ro)
Sorana Cirstea Reaches Budapest Quarterfinals
Sorana Cirstea, 108th WTA, has defeated Hungary’s Anna Bondar, 223rd WTA, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4, the beneficiary of a wild card, and thus qualified for the quarterfinals of a WTA International-level tournament held in Budapest.
Cirstea will be competing against Serbia’s Aleksandra Krunici, 57th WTA and 4th seeded.
Irina Begu, 72nd WTA, also participates in this tournament and will compete against Germany’s Mona Barthel, 80th WTA, on Wednesday, in the first tour. (romanialibera.ro)
Government Approves RON2B Guarantee Budget for 2019 First Home Program
Romania’s government on Tuesday approved a guarantee budget of RON2 billion this year’s state-guaranteed First Home program for first time homebuyers.
Banks granting state-guaranteed mortgage loans within the program are BRD, BCR, Banca Transilvania, CEC Bank, ING, Raiffeisen Bank, OTP Bank, Banca Romaneasca, Unicredit, Garanti, Piraeus Bank, Marfin, Credit Agricole, and Leumi Bank.
In 2018, the state granted RON1.9 billion in guarantees under the program. (adevarul.ro)