President Klaus Iohannis Disagrees With Amending Criminal Code
Romanian President Klaus Iohannis stated Monday that he disagrees with the amending of criminal laws by MPs, adding he will refuse to promulgate such laws.
“The President’s mission is to promulgate laws adopted by the Parliament. I have decided that, when important laws come to me for promulgation, I will make statements regarding the decision to promulgate them or not. (…) I disagree with the amendments brought to the Criminal Code. I won’t agree with the MPs making amendments to their own benefit,” the President stated. (Adevarul)
Gas Pump Prices Surge Above EU Average In January-May
The pump price of gasoline rose in the first five months above the EU average (11%). Despite the gas price hike, Romania’s leading oil company Petrom posted a 68% lower profit in the first quarter.
According to “Oil Gas Journal” publication, Romania’s crude oil reserves place the country on the fourth position in Europe. At the same time, it ranks first by the fuel price increase.
Asked by Romania Libera newspaper about the reasons for the fuel price surge, Petrom officials did not comment on the issue. Under similar circumstances, Petrom officials had previously said that the price hikes were triggered by the international juncture and they have even covered part of price hikes from their own funds. (Romania Libera)
Romanian Agriculture To Get EUR8.12 B EU Funds Via National Rural Development Program
Romanian agriculture will get EU funds worth EUR8.12 billion through the National Rural Development Program, plus $1.34 billion from the state budget.
Agriculture Ministry announced that it will open, as of June, all financing lines through the National Rural Development Program (PNDR) 2014 – 2020.
Agriculture Minister Daniel Constantin said a few days ago he wants more agricultural cooperatives in Romania, so that farmers would be able to purchase certain assets together or work together and sell their production easier. (Adevarul)
Save The Children Organization Wants The Doubling Of Child Benefit
Save The Children Organization has asked the Labor and social protection commission within the Chamber of Deputies to approve the bill on doubling children’s allowance, from RON42 to RON84.
The debates in this respect will be resumed on Tuesday in the Labor and social protection commission.
According to the organization, the current child benefit represents an amount of money insignificant for a Romanian family. In Romania, there are 3,742,418 children at a population of 19,947,311. Around 48% of Romanian children are at risk of poverty or social exclusion, compared with the European average of 27.7%, according to Eurostat data. (Puterea)
300 Infertile Couples To Get One Free In Vitro Fertilization Procedure
As much as 300 infertile couples will benefit from one in vitro fertilization procedure (IVF) paid by the Romanian state after authorities decided to resume the national IVF subprogram.
The subprogram will become operational in June, after it only existed in papers for two years due to the lack of financing. Meanwhile, infertile couples who wanted children had to adopt one or pay the high costs of a IVF procedure (up to RON10,000).
According to non-governmental organizations, this is a step forward and represents a chance for the couples who cannot have children. (Adevarul)