Several Counties In Southern Romania Under Code Yellow Alert For Fog
Meteorologists on Monday issued a code yellow alert for fog in the counties of Ialomita, Giurgiu, Teleorman, Ilfov, Calarasi, Olt and Dolj.According to meteorologists, fog will affect the counties of Ialomita, Giurgiu, Teleorman, Ilfov and Calarasi, reducing the visibility to below 200 meters, locally, and to below 50 meters, in some areas.
The counties of Olt and Dolj will be affected by fog, drizzle and light rain. (romanialibera.ro)
Romania Posts Budget Surplus Of RON1.9B In January, Deficit Of RON5.5B In February 2018
Romania’s general consolidated budget posted a deficit of RON5.5 billion, or 0.59% of gross domestic product, in January and February 2018, finance ministry data showed Monday.
The general consolidated budget posted a surplus of RON1.98 billion in January 2018, or 0.21% of gross domestic product.
Revenues to the consolidated budget amounted to RON42.3 billion, accounting for 4.6% of GDP, and were 21.3% higher in nominal terms compared with the first two months of 2017.
Social security contribution collections rose 28.3%, tax collections on capital income increased 23.7%, property tax collections grew 18.7%, and tax collections from other taxes on goods and services climbed 22.9% on the year in January and February 2018. Value-added tax collections rose 7.8%, the data showed.
Budget expenditure stood at RON47.8 billion in the first two months of 2018 and was 38.5% higher than in the year-earlier period. Staff spending increased 18.8% on the year due to public sector wage hikes granted in 2017.
RON3.7 billion was allocated for investments in January and February 2018, four times more than in the same period a year before. (romanialibera.ro)
Schweighofer Sells Its Forests in Romania to Swedish GreenGold Group
Austrian timber giant Schweighofer Group is selling more than 14,000 hectares of forest land it owns to Romania to Sweden’s GreenGold Group for an undisclosed amount, the company said in a statement Monday.
Schweighofer is selling its local subsidiary Cascade Empire SRL and its forestry management division Ocol Silvic Cascade Empire SRL to GreenGold Group. The deal targets 14,283 hectares of forests in Romania.
Cascade Empire bought the forest land in question in the period 2003-2011 and currently has 19 employees, including the staff of its forestry management division.
Holzindustrie Schweighofer entered the Romanian market in 2003. It operates three sawmills and two wooden panel production units in Romania and has around 3.100 employees.
The Austrian timber company has been involved in a major scandal regarding illegal logging. In 2016, it acknowledged that there were irregularities and reported illegalities in the Romanian supply chain beyond its knowledge as well as logging operations infringing Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) policy by its Romanian forest land enterprise which had acquired in good faith reported illegally retroceded forests. (jurnalul.ro)
Opposition Party To Challenge Justice Bills Once Again
Romanian opposition party PNL will challenge once again to the Constitutional Court the three bills that overhaul the country’s judiciary, lawmaker Ioan Cupsa said Monday.
The party had challenged the bills in December, arguing that they violated the principle of bicameralism and that of the separation of powers and that they hindered judicial independence. The Court deemed certain provisions within the bills unlawful and sent them back to Parliament.
Cupsa argued on Monday that certain aspects of the bills which the Court had not deemed unlawful were modified in Parliament and therefore violate the Court’s decision.
”They added new sections. There are enough reasons to go to the Court again, in this reexamination procedure”, Cupsa said.
Senate chairman Calin Popescu-Tariceanu said Monday the senators are to give the final vote on the pieces of legislation later in the day.
The package of three bills overhauling Romania’s judiciary has been seen by the European Commission, the United States and thousands of Romanian magistrates as an attempt to undermine anti-corruption efforts and limit judicial independence. The European Commission in January urged Romania to reconsider its judicial reform in a joint statement by Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and First Vice-President Frans Timmermans. (cotidianul.ro)