Dragnea: There Is No Bill Officially Presented For Pension System Reformation
Ruling party leader and Chamber of Deputies Speaker Liviu Dragnea said there currently is no official bill on reforming the pension system.Asked to comment on a series of sceptical statements made by foreign investors, according to which the reformation of the pension system lacks transparency, Dragnea said he respects any investor in Romania, but he also respects “the people who tell the truth and speak about the things that were done, and not about rumours”.
Non-observance of the calendar to raise contributions to private pension Pillar II to 6% of gross income has had an impact of EUR1.1 billion in terms of unpaid contributions, Romania’s association for private pensions APAPR said Wednesday.
The law regulating Pillar II included a calendar whereby contributions to private pensions were to grow gradually from 2% in 2008, when the system was introduced, to 6% in 2018. After various decisions by the government to freeze contributions, they reached 5.1% in 2016 but were cut back to 3.75% in 2018. (jurnalul.ro)
Romanian Filmmaker Lucian Pintilie Dies At Age 84
Lucian Pintilie, one of the most appreciated Romanian theater and film directors, died on Wednesday, May 16, at age 84. He had been admitted to the Elias hospital in Bucharest with serious health problems a few days ago and didn’t recover.
Lucian Pintilie was born in 1933 in Tarutino, Bessarabia. He graduated from the Theater and Cinema Institute in Bucharest and then started a long career during which he directed many theater, opera and film productions in Romania and abroad.
He is considered one of the biggest theater and film directors in Romania and he inspired the new generation of Romanian filmmakers, awarded at international festivals, including Cristi Puiu, Corneliu Porumboiu and Andrei Serban. He also worked with some of the biggest Romanian actors, such as Victor Rebengiuc, Maia Morgenstern, George Mihaita, Vladimir Gaitan, Dorina Chiriac and Mariana Mihut. (jurnalul.ro)
Palestinian Ambassador To Romania Recalled To Ramallah
Palestinian Ambassador to Romania Fuad Kokaly was recalled Wednesday to Ramallah for consultations, according to the Palestine Embassy to Romania.
The decision comes after Romania, alongside the Czech Republic and Hungary, last week blocked a joint statement of the European Union condemning the relocation of the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, while ruling party leader and Lower Chamber speaker Liviu Dragnea announced in April that the Government adopted a memorandum concerning the relocation of the Romanian Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a decision on which President Klaus Iohannis said he wasn’t consulted. (cotidianul.ro)
Constanta Ex-Mayor Radu Mazare Sentenced For Abuse Of Office
Judges from Constanta Court, southeastern Romania, on Wednesday sentenced former mayor Radu Mazare to six and a half years in prison for several abuse of office offences.
Judges found Mazare guilty in a case with an estimated damage of EUR1 million that revolves around plots of land in Mamaia, a seaside resort near Constanta, which Mazare helped sell at a very low price.
Constanta is one of Romania’s largest cities and the most important port at the Black Sea. The resort of Mamaia is the country’s most popular seaside resort and is administered by the Constanta City Hall.
The judges’ decision can be appealed within 10 days. (puterea.ro)