Finance Minister Viorel Stefan Close To Being Reshuffled
Finance Minister Viorel Stefan is close to being reshuffled after being blasted by Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu and social democrat head Liviu Dragnea.Stefan was criticized during talks on Tuesday regarding the 2017 draft budget. Talks also targeted his possible reshuffling.
Stefan was accused of failing to observe the provisions of the governing program drafted by the Social Democratic Party (PSD), but a decision in this respect will not be made in the upcoming period. (Puterea)
European Commission To Present New CVM Report For Romania
The European Commission will present on Wednesday its latest report regarding Romania’s progress within the Cooperation and Verification Mechanism (CVM).
According to the agenda published on the Commission’s website, the report is on the agenda of the reunion of the College of European Commissioners, scheduled for Wednesday, at 10 a.m..
After getting green light from the College, the report will be made public within a press conference to be held on Wednesday at the headquarters of the European Commission. (Puterea)
Wages In Romania May Rise Significantly In Upcoming Period
Salaries in Romania may see a significant increase in the upcoming period.
The European Commission wants all EU member states to introduce minimum wages and incomes for their workers and unemployed, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said on Monday, in an effort to combat growing social inequality and poverty.
“There should be a minimum salary in each country of the European Union,” Juncker told a conference on social rights in Brussels, adding that those seeking work should also have a guaranteed minimum level of income.
Juncker, a former prime minister of Luxembourg, said each state should be free to set its own minimum wage, but added: “There is a level of dignity we have to respect.” Juncker urged companies to adopt a minimum wage to help counter “social dumping” – a term that describes the employment of cheaper labour, sometimes involving migrants or moving production to lower-wage countries. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Imobiliare.ro: Old Apartment Prices Higher That New Apartment Prices
In some big cities in Romania, such as Cluj-Napoca and Brasov, the sale price of old apartments exceeded that of new housing units, with the difference reaching nearly EUR100 per square meter.
Old apartments in some cities in the country are in greater demand than new ones, therefore, their prices rose significantly over the last year, exceeding those of newly-built housing units, according to an index calculated by web portal Imobiliare.ro.
The biggest price difference between new and old apartments is registered in Cluj-Napoca, the city with the most expensive apartments in Romania. The average price of an old apartment in Cluj-Napoca reached EUR1,279 per square meter at the end of 2016, after an increase of over 11% over the last year, according to Imobiliare.ro. (Adevarul)
Poor Fund Allocation For Education Ministry Triggers Negative Reactions
The budget allocated to Romania’s Education Ministry for 2017 is 7.9% lower than the budget spent in 2016.
Despite pledges for wage raises of up to 15%, the budget allocated to the Education Ministry was also cut for “staff expenses.”
All these measures triggered negative reactions by teachers who want the Education Ministry to get 6% of the gross domestic product (GDP). (Evenimentul Zilei)