187 Stray Dogs In Bucharest Euthanized Since Wednesday
A total 187 stray dogs held at Bucharest city hall pounds have been euthanatized since Wednesday, February 19.
Razvan Bancescu, project coordinator at Bucharest’s animal welfare association ASPA, said the respective dogs had been held in pounds for more than 100 days and he decided they should be killed so that nobody can accuse him of illegally spending public money.
In September 2013, the Romanian Chamber of Deputies approved a bill allowing for stray dogs to be euthanized if they are not adopted in 14 days after being sent to pounds. The lower house had the final say on this bill, which was approved with 266 to 23 votes and 20 abstentions. (Romania Libera)
Integrity Agency Checks Labor Minister For Possible COI
Romania’s National Integrity Agency (ANI) started checkups, following a notification from the Media Investigations Center, to see whether Labor Minister Mariana Campeanu is in a conflict of interest (COI).
Conflicts of interest can be defined as any situation in which an individual or corporation (either private or governmental) is in a position to exploit a professional or official capacity in some way for their personal or corporate benefit. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Romania Ctrl Bank Chief Says Bucharest Ready To Join The Eurozone
Romania’s capital Bucharest and its surrounding area are economically fit to join the euro area as early as tomorrow, but the rest of the country still has a lot of catching up to do, central bank governor Mugur Isarescu said Thursday.
“If we were to look only at Bucharest and the surrounding Ilfov county, they could join the euro area very quickly, as they are as developed as Lisbon or Berlin. However, if you travel 100 kilometers further, there are less pleasant places,” Isarescu said.
The central bank’s chief said joining a monetary bloc entails a multitude of factors, including reaching a homogeneous level of economic and social development.
He said Romania would be theoretically ready to participate in the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) II as of this summer, once the annual inflation rate decelerates to the required level. However, there are other factors to consider before joining the euro area besides meeting the Maastricht criteria. (Adevarul)
MPs Propose Conversion Of Foreign Currency Loans Into Local Currency Free Of Charge
A group of MPs from several political parties, including the Chamber of Deputies Speaker, proposed that loans denominated in foreign currency should be converted into local currency or other foreign currencies, free of any additional charges, costs or guarantees.
According to the legislative proposal, when the value of the initial loan exceeds 20%, the banks will have to inform the consumer, who can opt for the conversion of the loan into any other currency considered more advantageous.
The MPs behind the proposal said non-performing loans and debts to the banks became a social issue in Romania as debts to the banks rose tenfold between 2008 and 2012, according to statistics. (Curentul)