Immigration From Crisis-Hit Europe Surges In Germany
Germany saw a surge in immigration from crisis-hit southern European countries like Spain, Italy and Greece, as more people moved to Germany from abroad in 2012 than any year since 1995, according to data from the Federal Statistics Office.
Data also show that 1.081 million people immigrated to Germany last year, up 13% from 2011 and the highest number of immigrants since 1995.
The number of immigrants coming from Spain, Greece, Portugal and Italy rose by 40% to 45% compared to 2011, although the total inflow from these countries remains well below that from Poland and Romania.
According to the Statistics Office, 42,167 Italians, 34,109 Greeks and 29,910 Spaniards moved to Germany in 2012, compared to 176,367 from Poland and 116,154 from Romania, the countries with the largest immigration flow.
Around 700,000 people moved away from Germany, resulting in a net gain of 369,000 German residents in 2012, the highest number since 1995, data also show. (Curentul)
EU Seeks To Help Migrant Workers
The European Commission has made public plans to improve the rights of workers who move to take up employment in another European Union state.
The EC plans to extend the length of time home states must support their own citizens seeking work in other EU countries.
Currently, people are entitled to payments for three months. The EC says this is not long enough for someone to get a job in a new country. It estimates that it takes an average of 16 months to find work in another country. Once the three-month period is up, people must return to their home country to reapply for unemployment support.
The EC’s proposal is one of 12 being put forward to encourage the free movement of labor within the EU. (Curentul)
Government To Notify Anticorruption Body Of Irregularities At Oltenia Energy Holding
The Romanian Government will notify the National Anticorruption Department of irregularities in the activity of energy producers Rovinari, Craiova and Turceni, as well as of coal mining company Societatea Nationala a Lignitului Oltenia (SNLO) between 2010 and 2012.
The irregularities were identified following checkups by the inspectors of the Government Control Body at the newly-established state-run energy holding Complexul Energetic Oltenia.
Checkups revealed that the value of public procurement contracts was illegally raised by over 20% of the initial value. Also, the companies in question concluded 76 sponsorship contracts worth over RON19 million in the mentioned period.
CE Turceni concluded 32 sponsorship contracts for RON458,949, CE Craiova signed ten 10 contracts for RON1.68 million and CE Rovinari sealed 34 deals for RON16.9 million. They had also signed 19 contracts for legal assistance services whereby RON1.1 million worth of payments were made until November 2012.
Oltenia holding was found in 2012 following the merger of coal mining company SNLO and energy producers Turceni, Craiova and Rovinari. (Curentul)
Romanians Spent Over EUR22M On Easter, May Day Vacation
The number of Romanians who celebrated Easter and May Day in local resorts increased 52% compared with 2012, the federation of employers in the Romanian tourism sector FPTR said Tuesday.
According to FPTR, they spent some 86 million lei (some EUR20 million) during their vacation.
Boarding houses in rural areas attracted over 65,000 tourists this year, while about 25,000 chose mountain resorts.
Some 16,000 tourists spent Easter on the Black Sea coast and 10,000 Romanians preferred spas. The number of tourists in the Danube Delta increased 2.5 times to about 2,500. (Curentul)
Romania To Amend Constitution With Venice Commission’s OK
Prime Minister Victor Ponta said the new amendments to Romania’s Constitution would be made only with the accord of the Venice Commission.
The parliamentary committee drafting Romania’s new Constitution will set off debates in this respect starting May 20 so that the revision report would be finalized by the end of the current parliamentary session, according to committee chairman Crin Antonescu.
Antonescu, who is also Senate chairman and co-president of the ruling Social Liberal Union, pointed out the national referendum to revise the Constitution would be held sometime in fall.
The Venice Commission is an advisory body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts in the field of constitutional law. (Curentul)