Antonescu Says He Has No Reason To Resign As Senate Chairman
Senate Chairman Crin Antonescu said Thursday he has no reason to resign this position following his party’s withdrawal from the ruling coalition.
He added, however, that he would resign if any of the political organizations that supported him for Senate chairmanship required it. (Evenimentul Zilei)
European Parliament Lifts Moldova Visa Regime
The European Parliament, meeting in Strasbourg, has voted to lift visa requirements for citizens of Moldova.
The vote came after the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs Committee recommended the move earlier this month.
The European Commission had also recommended the lifting of visa requirements for Moldovans.
An initiative to ease the visa restrictions was announced at an Eastern Partnership summit in Vilnius in November, when Moldova initialed an Association Agreement with the European Union. (Jurnalul National)
Telecom Operators To Apply Lower Termination Rates As Of April 1
Telecom operators in Romania will apply, as of April 1, termination rates reduced from EUR0.307/minute to EUR0.096/minute for mobile calls and from EUR0.067/minute to EUR0.014/minute for landline calls, Romania’s telecom market regulator ANCOM said Thursday.
ANCOM said it received the European Commission’s approval for lowering termination rates, which are rates paid for communication between users of different networks.
The lowered termination rates will be mandatory for all major telecom operators in Romania. (Romania Libera)
Romania Could Cut Inter-bank Card Fees In Two Steps
Romania is considering a two-step reduction of inter-bank fees for card payments, following a series of appeals to the Finance Ministry from businesses and card processors, who requested a new assessment of proposed fee levels or even a delay of the reduction process.
“We have been asked to consider an intermediary stage for the process,” said Dan Manolescu, a state secretary with the finance ministry.
“We are waiting for proposals regarding a possible level of the inter-bank commissions and a potential timeframe,” Manolescu said after a public debate on the ministry’s bill regarding the limitation of inter-bank fees charged on debit and credit card transactions.
In January, the ministry announced plans to cap the interbank fees charged on debit and credit card transactions to 0.2% and 0.3% on each transaction, respectively. This would translate into a reduction of 50% to 90% of the current interchange fees. (Curierul National)
Public Pressure Targeting Prosecutors Escalated In 2013
Romania’s chief anticorruption prosecutor Codruta Kovesi said Thursday public pressure targeting prosecutors increased in 2013.
At the presentation of the Anticorruption Department’s activity report for 2013, Kovesi said the department changed its central structure management team and appointed two new chief prosecutors for regional structures.
“It was also the year when public pressure targeting prosecutors increased considerably. It is, however, encouraging that the situation met with unprecedented show of support from civil society and international observers,” she added. (Adevarul)