Weather Report: The Week Starts With Low Temperatures
The start of the week brings cold weather, low temperatures and rainfall, according to weather authorities who updated on Monday a code yellow warning forecasting windstorms and snowfall.
The new warning is valid until Tuesday morning, in 17 counties.
Toward the middle of the week, temperatures will reach 15-16 degrees Celsius. Despite a clear sky in most parts of the country in the first part of Wednesday, rainfall is expected again in most regions at the beginning of the weekend. Sleet, rainfall and windstorms are expected in the mountains. (Adevarul)
Homeless People Commit More And More Crimes
A homeless man aged 47, from Valcea County, stabbed two women and a man.
Elena Welter, spokesperson of the Police Inspectorate of Sibiu County, said the man apparently has mental health problems. At first, the man stabbed a woman who was waiting for the bus in Sibiu, then, he got into a taxi and stabbed the taxi driver. After getting off the taxi, he hit another woman. The victims were taken to the Sibiu Emergency Hospital to get medical assistance.
Ten days ago, in Galati (eastern Romania), a homeless man set two of his “comrades” on fire, of whom one died on Saturday, October 29, at the Floreasca Emergency Hospital in Bucharest. (Evenimentul Zilei)
OMV Petrom, One Of Firms Exempted From Paying A Certain Number Of Green Certificates
A total 46 small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large companies were exempted from paying a certain number of green certificates, enjoying the state aid scheme established since the start of the program, in 2015.
„SMEs and large companies enjoyed agreements exempting them from paying a certain number of green certificates corresponding to the the mandatory renewable energy quota,“ said the Economy Ministry.
Some of these companies are as follows: OMV Petrom (the Petrobrazi refinery), Rompetrol Rafinare SA, Chimcomplex Borzesti, Azomures, Romcarbon SA, Lafarge Ciment Romania SA, Holcim (Romania) SA, Carpat Cement Holding SA, ArcelorMittal Galati, ArcelorMittal Hunedoara, Elsid SA, Saint Gobain Glass Romania, Linde Gaz Romania, Vimetco Extrusion SRL, Alro SA, Alum SA, Kronospan Sebes and Kronospan Romania.
In the summer of 2014, the Romanian Government decided that large electric power consumers will pay only 15%-60% of the green certificates quota, as part of a state aid scheme aimed at preventing these companies from losing their competitiveness because of the support granted to the renewable energy sector. Green energy producers in Romania receive a number of certificates depending on the generation technology they use and the amount of energy they produce. After that, they sell green certificates to energy suppliers who must ensure a certain amount of renewable energy for consumers. The number of green certificates they bought indicates whether they met their quota or not. The affair entails expenses for energy suppliers which transfer them to beneficiaries.(Adevarul)
Labor Minister Speaks About People’s Expectations
Labor Minister Dragos Pislaru on Monday said it is a sad time for Romania, a moment in which „the stake in the upcoming parliamentary elections allows politicians to play with people’s expectations and beliefs.”
The minister’s statement comes after lawmakers in the committees for budget and labor matters decided to amend emergency ordinance no. 20, so as to raise the wages of some categories of employees.
According to the minister, the amendments adopted by the committees have an impact of RON3-4 billion on the state budget. He also reminded of the fiscal-budgetary responsibility law which bans bringing any changes to wages 180 days before elections. (Puterea)
Canada Confirms Visa Lifting For Romanians And Bulgarians As Of December 2017
Canada’s Minister of Immigration, John McCallum, said Monday night that Canadian authorities planned to eliminate visas for Romanian and Bulgarian citizens starting December 1, 2017.
McCallum’s statement comes one day after Canada and the EU signed the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement, or CETA.
The Romanian Government said in a statement that it salutes the decision of the Canadian Government to completely lift visas for Romanian citizens, starting December 1, 2017, which is included in the declaration of the EU -Canada Summit.
„Following ‘intense’ talks over the last months between the prime ministers of the two countries, Dacian Ciolos and Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Government confirmed the commitment to completely lift visas for all Romanian citizens, starting December 1, 2017, after a first stage of partial liberalization as of May 1, 2017,” the statement also reads. (Adevarul)