Liberals Prepare Back-up Plan For No-Confidence Motion On Correspondence Voting
The National Liberal Party is working on a back-up plan in case the Social Democratic Party and Prime Minister Victor Ponta approve the bill regarding the correspondence voting for Romanians working abroad and thus make its planned motion useless.
Ponta said he did not believe the liberals would file the no-confidence motion on June 5, as planned. (Evenimentul Zilei)
MEPs Want Healthier Eating Habits In Schools
A majority of MEPs recently backed the European Commission’s proposals for the EU’s merged fruit and milk scheme in schools, in order to promote healthier eating habits among young people.
MEPs want to add milk products, such as cheese, curd and yoghurt to the list of foodstuffs eligible for EU funding (provided they are not flavored and do not contain added fruits, nuts or cocoa), with priority to go to local and regional products.
They also said that EU member states should earmark 10-20% of the EU funding for educational activities, in order to promote healthy eating habits and fight food waste, including farm visits and occasional distribution of local specialties. (Puterea)
World Bank: All EU Economies Set To Expand For First Time Since Crisis
The World Bank estimates that all the economies of EU member states are set to expand this year for the first time since the financial crisis as a combination of cheap oil, the weaker euro and aggressive monetary easing by the European Central Bank buoy hopes of a broad-based economic recovery.
A rise in real wages and cheap energy prices is expected to spark strong growth in household spending across Europe, according to the World Bank forecast seen by the Financial Times, although consumption will not return to pre-crisis levels for some time.
Poland, Romania and other central and eastern states, which navigated the 2008 crisis and its aftermath better than their western peers, will continue to outperform other European economies over the next two years. They are expected to post more than 2.4 per cent gross domestic product expansion in 2015, based on strong consumer demand, the gradual return of investment, and continued export growth.
The World Bank’s report forecasts growth of 1.5% for 2015 and 1.8% for the following year in the euro area. Its projections for the whole of the EU were for growth of 1.8% this year and 2% in 2016. (Puterea)
Association: Spirits Sales In Romania Total EUR700M, Tax Paid On Just 25%
Romanians buy EUR700 million worth of spirits annually but the state collects taxes and excises for just 25% of the amount sold because of tax evasion, according to data released Thursday by the Spirits Romania association.
“We considered average shelf prices for spirits and calculated 39% is the excise, then 19% VAT, and around 5% in other taxes and financing cost, leaving 37% of the shelf price for producers and distributors to cover their costs. 65% of the price goes to the state budget,” said association president Florin Radulescu.
He said the black market grew considerably after the government raised excises on pure alcohol in 2013 by 40%. The excise is currently EUR1,065/hectoliter.
Taxed production was 32% lower last year compared to 2012 and the state collected EUR2 billion less from excises, despite the higher rate, the association said.
The excise in Romania is nearly double the minimum recommended by the EU directive regulating alcohol excises, of EUR550/hectoliter. (Adevarul)
President Iohannis Meets PM Ponta And Central Bank Governor Isarescu
President Klaus Iohannis met Thursday, at the presidential Cotroceni Palace, with Prime Minister Victor Ponta and central bank governor Mugur Isarescu, for talks on Romania’s planned accession to the euro-zone.
Iohannis said he will organize consultations with parliamentary parties to get a consensus on the issue.
“Considering the complexity of the accession process to the euro-zone, President Klaus Iohannis launched consultations on the issue so that Romania can be as ready as possible and the planned euro adoption to be to the advantage of all citizens,” the presidential administration said in a statement.
Talks between the president, Ponta and Isarescu were aimed at identifying the main stages in the process of joining the euro-zone and switching from the leu to the single European currency, as well as Romania’s economic and institutional obligations in accordance with the commitments undertaken by the Romanian Government in the 2015-2018 convergence program. (Puterea)