Calin Popescu Tariceanu Quits Liberal Party After Coalition Breakup
Calin Popescu Tariceanu resigned from the Liberal Party Wednesday after criticizing the party’s decision to withdraw from the ruling coalition.
Tariceanu, a former prime minister, said he resigned from the party after insisting party president Crin Antonescu reconsider the decision to pull out of the government and meeting with a negative response.
Tariceanu said he would set up a new liberal party and that he is considering running for president later this year, adding he is confident he could beat Antonescu in the election. (Adevarul)
Ponta Asks UDMR To Join Cabinet After Coalition Split
Prime Minister Victor Ponta said Wednesday he would go to Parliament with a new Cabinet structure next week.
He added he has talked with leaders of the Hungarian minority party UDMR to join the Cabinet and continue the program started under the Social Liberal Union. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Romanian Leu Stable Vs Euro After Coalition Breakup
Romania’s leu was rather stable against the euro during early trading hours Wednesday, showing limited reaction to the Liberal Party’s decision to withdraw from the ruling coalition.
“The only novelty is that the split up is now a certainty for the international players as well, because the local market has factored in the move for a few weeks now,” said one dealer.
The leu opened at 4.519 per euro, from 4.512/4.5145 per euro at Tuesday close. It closed at 4.5175/4.5195 per euro.
“The financial markets had a mild reaction to the breakup, but it’s important the upcoming government continues structural reforms and adopts a prudent approach in implementing new fiscal policies,” said Mihai Patrulescu, senior economist with UniCredit Tiriac Bank. (Adevarul)
Gas Prices In Romania To Be Higher Than In EU After Liberalization
The price of gas on the Romanian market will be aligned to import prices at the end of the liberalization period but Romania imports gas at higher prices than other EU markets, said Bruno Ribo, chief executive officer of steel plant ArcelorMittal Galati.
“The Romanian market is not ready for liberalization. Our import prices are higher than in other EU markets as we only have one source for imports,” said Ribo, adding other European markets have secured alternative import sources before deregulating their gas markets. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Rodica Stanoiu Was A Political Police Collaborator, Court Decides
Romania’s High Court of Justice passed a definitive ruling establishing that former justice minster Rodica Stanoiu was a collaborator of the communist secret police Securitate.
The trial ended after seven years, the longest case involving the National Board for the Study of Securitate Archives. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Damage Claims Following Accident In Montenegro Exceed EUR5M
Insurance claims following the June 2013 accident in Montenegro, which left 18 people dead and 29 injured, exceed the maximum law-required reserve of EUR5 million.
The tour bus involved in the accident was insured with Omniasig VIG. (Romania Libera)