Biden Reassures Romania Of U.S. Support
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Bucharest Tuesday aboard Air Force 2 for a two-day official visit that includes meetings with President Basescu, Prime Minister Ponta, and the civil society.
Biden addressed Romanian and American soldiers saying the United States have a sacred duty to stand by Romania and other NATO allies.
“You can count on us, we do what we say,” Biden said. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Basescu: Journalists And Social Democratic Party Members Have Been Threatened By Sebastian Ghita
President Traian Basescu said there are a lot of people, journalists and members of the ruling Social Democratic Party, have been threatened by social democrat MP Sebastian Ghita, whom he described as “a mobster”.
Basescu said in an interview for a local television station in Iasi the people allegedly threatened should come out and press charges.
“If it’s true, then this man is a greedy mobster who wishes to gain privileges from being a social democrat MP and a friend of [Prime Minster] Ponta,” said Basescu. (Romania Libera)
Government Eliminates 27 Para-Fiscal Taxes
The Romanian government passed two normative acts during its meeting Tuesday, eliminating or merging 27 para-fiscal taxes.
The government said 65 such taxes will be regulated by orders of ministers and presidents of institutions involved. Authorities said the taxes eliminated raked in less than RON100,000 last year. (Jurnalul National)
Farmers May Submit Financing Applications Starting Tuesday
Romanian farmers may submit financing applications under the 2014-2020 national rural development program starting Tuesday.
The financing program targets modernization and available funding amounts to EUR150 million.
Online applications are expected between May 20 and July 18. Around EUR35 million of the available funding is earmarked for family farms.
The 2014-2020 national rural development program benefits from total funding of EUR9.6 billion, of which EUR8 billion from the European Union and the rest from the state budget. The previous edition of the program, for the period 2007-2014 had available funding of EUR9.3 billion, of which 70% has been absorbed so far. (Adevarul)
Four Suspects Detained In Prescription Drug Fraud
Four people were detained Tuesday in a case involving fake medical prescriptions that defrauded the system of EUR3.5 million, judicial sources told MEDIAFAX.
The case targets 13 doctors and pharmacists suspected of issuing false prescriptions for cancer medicines, defrauding the reimbursed medicine system. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Four Bucharest Court Judges Arrested On Corruption Charges
Four judges of the Bucharest Court have been arrested on charges of corruption.
They are accused of receiving money and goods from insolvency practitioners, liquidators and judicial administrators in exchange for favorable verdicts. (Romania Libera)