Senate Speaker Says 1.5% – 2% Inflation Is Beneficial For Economic Growth
Senate Speaker Calin Popescu-Tariceanu believes a slight inflation of 1.5% – 2% is beneficial for economic growth and that the central bank’s decision to raise its benchmark interest rate “is not worrisome at the moment”.
Romania’s central bank on Monday raised its benchmark interest rate to 2% a year from a previous record low of 1.75% and raised the interest for deposit facilities to 1% and that for lending facilities to 3%.
The central bank had not raised the key rate since May 2015. (romanialibera.ro)
Interior Minister Demands Dismissal Of Romanian Police Head After Agent Is Suspected Of Pedophilia
Romanian interior minister Carmen Dan on Tuesday said she sent to Prime Minister Mihai Tudose the request to dismiss head of Romanian Police Bogdan Despescu citing poor explanations from him in the case of a police agent suspected of pedophilia.
Despescu will be replaced by Catalin Ionita, the current head of the General Anticorruption Directorate.
The minister also demanded the resignations of the Homicide and Internal Control Services within the Traffic Police Brigade and requested for the whole psychological assessment procedure within the system to be changed.
Dan’s announcement comes after Bucharest Police on Monday detained a traffic police officer suspected of sexually aggressing on Friday two children aged five and nine, respectively, in the elevator of an apartment block in the Romanian capital’s Drumul Taberei neighborhood. (cotidianul.ro)
Code Yellow Alert For Strong Wind And Fog In Eleven Counties
Meteorologists on Tuesday issued a code orange alert for strong wind and fog affecting eleven counties across Romania.
Caras-Severin County will see strong wind, with gusts expected to exceed 60 – 70 km/hour and even 90 – 100 km/hour in mountainous areas. Visibility will also be reduced.
Fog will affect the counties of Cluj, Bistrita-Nasaud, Gorj, Olt and Valcea, reducing the visibility locally to below 200 meters and even below 50 meters in some areas.
Fog and drizzle will prevail in some localities in the counties of Alba, Harghita, Arges, Prahova and Dambovita. (puterea.ro)
Mariana Gheorghe Resigns As OMV Petrom CEO
The supervisory board of Romania’s oil and gas company OMV Petrom (SNP.RO), controlled by Austria’s OMV, appointed Christina Verchere as the new CEO and board president, after Mariana Gheorghe waived her mandate.
Gheorghe was appointed CEO in 2006. Her waiver shall become effective on the date when her successor takes office, but in any event on May 20, 2018, at the latest.
“After twelve tremendously intense years with OMV Petrom I consider it is the right time to leave and for Christina Verchere and a new generation of leaders to continue to build a great company. I am honored to have been involved in the transformation of OMV Petrom and developing its growth potential,” said Gheorghe.
Verchere 46, and Gheorghe will work closely together over the next months to ensure a smooth transition, the company said. Verchere started her career in 1993 and has spent the last four years as regional president of British Petroleum. Before that, she was president and CEO of BP Canada Energy Group. (puterea.ro)