Romania Economy Ready To Stand On Its Own, Isarescu Says
Romania has made sufficient progress to sustain economic growth without further help from its international creditors, central bank governor Mugur Isarescu said Thursday.
Speaking at the presentation of the bank’s quarterly inflation report, Isarescu said Romania has repaid most of its debt to the International Monetary Fund under a EUR12.95 billion loan taken in early 2009 and that the country is ready to “stand on its own feet.”
The eastern European nation has signed three successive loan programs with the IMF in the 2009-2014 period, but hasn’t drawn any funds except on the first aid package. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Deutsche Bank Opens Global Technology Center In Bucharest In EUR10M Investment
Deutsche Bank has opened Thursday in capital Bucharest, following an investment of EUR10 million, a global technology center which will develop software applications for the German bank’s treasury and loan risk management operations.
“By opening this center, Deutsche Bank strengthens its long-term commitment toward Romania. DB Global Technology will develop advanced software solutions for various operations of Deutsche Bank,” the bank’s representative in Romania, Mihai Ionescu, said Thursday.
According to Romanian Finance Ministry data, Deutsche Bank’s wage costs will have reached EUR39.24 million by the end of 2016, for nearly 500 people expected to be employed at the center. Of the total amount, EUR15.69 million will be covered by state aid. (Adevarul)
President Apologizes For PM’s Statements On Romanian Cultural Institute Activity
President Traian Basescu stated Thursday that he apologizes, in the name of the Romanian state, for the “unjust” statements of PM Victor Ponta related to the activity of the Romanian Cultural Institute.
Basescu added that he would offer support to any of the persons involved who decide to get justice in court over the PM’s accusations.
Prime Minister Victor Ponta stated he cannot countersign for awarding decorations to Horia-Roman Patapievici, Tania Radu, Mircea Mihaies and Dan Croitoru, former management of the Romanian Cultural Institute, saying that some of them expressed anti-Romanian or even fascist opinions, while a report of the Court of Accounts shows several irregularities in managing the funds at the Romanian Cultural Institute. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Bucharest Court Decided To Keep Adrian Nastase’s Sentence To Four Years In Prison
Bucharest Court decided that former PM Adrian Nastase should serve four years in prison, without adding a penalty increase following the merger of the sentences he received in the two bribery cases. The decision is not final.
The National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) had previously asked for a penalty increase of one year to Nastase’s sentence, as a result of the merger of the two sentences in the “Quality Trophy” and “Zambaccian” cases.
The court decided to deduct from the four-year sentence the period that Nastase has already spent in jail, namely June 20, 2012 – March 18, 2013, and January 6 to the present. (Romania Libera)
Over 300 Diseases No Longer Treated In Hospitals
The frame contract regarding medical care, that will come into force on June 1, will include several new issues, like the treating of over 300 diseases by ambulatory care instead of hospitals, while five chronic diseases will be managed by family physicians, according to Radu Tibichi, head of the National Health Insurance House (CNAS).
CNAS head stated that there will also be a list of diagnostics and services that will be only managed in day hospitalization, with different tariffs.
Tibichi said that the system was created to allow specialists and hospitals solve certain medical conditions by ambulatory care, adding that most of the mentioned diseases could also be found in the draft of former health minister Eugen Nicolaescu. (Jurnalul National)