Tariceanu Seriously Thinking About Running For President Of Romania
ALDE head, Calin Popescu Tariceanu, said Thursday evening on cable news network Antena 3, that he is seriously considering running for President of Romania at this year’s elections.
Tariceanu criticized the fact that President Klaus Iohannis announced his presidential candidacy because one cannot say “for how long he will still be president and for how long he is candidate.“
Asked whether ALDE could endorse a presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Tariceanu replied: “We have all these matters at our disposal“. (romanialibera.ro)
Romania Central Bank Sees Inflation Declining in Next Three Quarters
Romania’s central bank expects annual inflation to decline further during the next three quarters to values even slightly below the ones previously anticipated before climbing and remaining slightly beneath the upper bound of the target band until the end of 2019.
In its board meeting Thursday, the central bank board examined and approved the February 2019 Inflation Report, which incorporates the most recent data and information available.
Uncertainties and risks related to the inflation outlook stem from the new set of fiscal and budgetary measures effective 1 January 2019, as well as from the still pending draft budget and hence from the future fiscal and income policy stance, the central bank said.
Also important are the uncertainties surrounding the pace of euro area and global economic growth, the international oil price developments, the monetary policy stances of the ECB and of central banks in the region.
The inflation rate continued to go down in December 2018 to 3.27% from 3.43% in November, moving deeper into the variation band of the flat target. Thus, the bank said it has fulfilled its objective of maintaining price stability over the medium term amid a carefully calibrated monetary policy stance.
Romania’s central bank targets inflation at 1.5%-3.5%. (evz.ro)
Romanian Central Bank Admits Intervention to Curb Currency Fall
Romania’s central bank intervened in the second half of January to curb the rapid depreciation of the Romanian leu to the euro, central bank governor Mugur Isarescu said Thursday.
“Any turmoil comes at a cost. That movement did not surprise us but it was very dangerous and happened overnight. (…) It was not an easy time. I admit. I can’t deny intervention because it is too obvious,” Isarescu said at a press briefing following the central bank’s monetary policy meeting.
In the second half of January, the Romanian leu lost 1.5% to the euro, to a record low of more than 4.76 lei to the euro. The local currency also depreciated against the US dollar and the Swiss franc. (romanialibera.ro)