ALDE Co-President Calin Popescu Tariceanu: I Was Blackmailed By Daniel Constantin
ALDE co-president Calin Popescu Tariceanu said that he was blackmailed by ALDE co-chair Daniel Constantin regarding certain colleagues who were to run for parliamentary lists.
“The relation, which functioned properly for a certain period, registered its first problems at the general elections, when I was practically blackmailed by Mr. Daniel Constantin regarding certain colleagues who were to run for the Parliament lists and I disagreed with it – not with their running, but with the positions,” Tariceanu said Sunday.
Tariceanu added that he had to make concession eventually, but he would no longer accept such a type of collaboration. (Romania Libera)
Statements Of ALDE Co-Chair Daniel Constantin
ALDE co-chair Daniel Constantin stated that he gave assurance to Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu that, irrespective of the situation in ALDE, everybody would support the government.
Constantin added that the support for Grindeanu Cabinet was imposed by the electorate through the vote on December 11.
“We don’t want to betray the trust of the people and we will continue to support this coalition,” ALDE co-chair said.
Daniel Constatin left the meeting of ALDE Standing Delegation on Sunday, together with a group of members, arguing that the meeting was non-statutory as they did not convoke all the members of the Standing Delegation, while other persons did not have the right to participate. (Adevarul)
Used Car Registrations Doubled In Romania In January-February
Used car registrations in Romania totaled 76,439 units in the first two months of the year, up by nearly 95% compared with the year-earlier period, according to the data of the Directorate for Driving Licenses and Vehicle Registration (DRPCIV).
In February alone, 68,731 used cars were registered, up over 200% compared with 22,857 units in February 2016. Most of the cars registered in January-February were Volkswagen (21,528 units, +92.45% compared with January-February 2016), followed by Opel (9,593 units, +47.34%), Ford (7,538 units, +65.60%), Audi (6,936 units, +124.10%), BMW (5,782 units, +97%), Mercedes-Benz (3,568 units, +131.24%), Skoda (3,177 units, +74.56%), Renault (3,096 units, +97.45%), Peugeot (1,569 units, +98.86%), Seat (1,435 units, +82.11%) and Suzuki (1,092 units, +202.49%). (Evenimentul Zilei)
Collective Bargaining Agreements To Become Mandatory Again
The Minister for Public Consultation and Social Dialog, Gabriel Petrea, stated that collective bargaining agreements will be mandatory again, both in public and private institutions.
“There is a request from all representative unions on a national level and we have to create a protection system for employees, to make sure their rights will be observed. The law should be amended to create the minimum conditions for observing the rights of the employees,” Petrea said.
According to the minister, the government made a mistake in 2011 when it removed collective bargaining agreements in the context of the financial crisis. (Adevarul)
Romania’s Agrifood Imports Reach Record High In 2016
Romania registered an agrifood trade deficit of EUR557.4 million in 2016, more than sixfold higher than EUR89.2 million in 2015.
In 2016, exports totaled EUR5.95 billion, up 3.8% compared with 2015, while agrifood imports grew at a faster rate, by 11.8%, to EUR6.51 billion, reaching a historical record, according to the data from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.
“The trade surplus with third-party countries, of EUR1.256 billion, was not high enough to offset the lack of performance of agrifood trade between Romania and other member states, while the record deficit registered with the EU was almost double versus the previous year, namely EUR1.814 billion,” according to Agriculture Ministry data. (Romania Libera)