Health Minister Says Many Of Hospitals Under Bucharest Mayoralty’s Authority Are Elite Units
Romanian Health Minister Nicolae Banicioiu said Sunday, at a meeting with the managers of the 19 hospitals under the authority of the Bucharest mayoralty, that many of them are elite units curing people from all over the country.
He also said their classification will be discussed in 2015.
The managers of the 19 hospitals in Bucharest complained that the units they run are rated just like the hospitals in small towns and communes. (Adevarul)
EBA: 24 European Banks Fail Stress Test, Collective Capital Shortfall Reaches EUR24.6B
A check of banks across the European Union showed that 24 lenders, all from the euro zone, were too weak to withstand a three-year recession in a test aimed at drawing a line under the single currency’s area’s protracted debt crisis.
The European Banking Authority (EBA), the EU’s banking watchdog that coordinated the stress test of 123 banks, said the lenders that failed to maintain a core capital ratio of 5.5% at the end of the test, had a combined capital shortfall of EUR24.6 billion at the end of 2013.
The euro zone banks now have two weeks to come up with plans for plugging any capital holes uncovered by the stress test within nine months. (Romania Libera)
President Basescu Says South Stream Pipeline Will Not Carry Romanian Gas
President Traian Basescu has recently said that the planned South Stream pipeline project, which will pass through Bulgaria, will not carry “a single gram or cubic meter of Romanian gas.”
According to Basescu, Romania’s natural gas exports will be operated via the country’s gas transmission company Transgaz. Basescu said the European Commission’s recent Stress Test according to which Romania is prone to risks if Russia lowers its gas exports is “wrong.” He also said the countries that are not interconnected to the European system, such as Portugal, Spain and the Baltic countries, would be the most affected by a potential Russian gas supply disruption.
According to EC’s Stress Test, Romania’s natural gas needs might increase by 42% in case of a 6-month Russian gas supply disruption to Europe. In the last three weeks, Russian giant Gazprom reduced deliveries of natural gas to Romania several times, claiming technical malfunctions. Romania’s annual consumption stands at 12.5 billion cubic meters, of which around 11 billion cubic meters locally produced.
South Stream is a proposed gas pipeline that would transport Russian gas to Europe via Bulgaria, bypassing Romania. The project, slated for completion in late 2015, was considered a major rival to the now seemingly defunct Nabucco pipeline. (Puterea)
PM Ponta Says Romania Likely To Cut VAT On Vegetables, Fruit And Meat In 2015
Prime Minister Victor Ponta recently said Romania is likely to lower in 2015 its sales tax to 9% from the current 24% in other sectors, such as for vegetables, fruit and meat, which face high tax evasion and disloyal competition.
He said the VAT cut on bread had good results, which means the future government is likely to lower the VAT rate on vegetables, fruit and meat.
Romania holds presidential elections early November and the Cabinet is likely to change. (Adevarul)
Ponta Says He Is The One Running Social Democratic Party For The Time Being
Asked recently to comment on the Dragnea-Ghita tandem at the helm of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Prime Minister and PSD head Victor Ponta said he is the head of the party for the time being.
Social democrat lawmaker Sebastian Ghita has recently said that him and Liviu Dragnea will run for the positions of executive president and president of the Social Democratic Party within a “rapid congress” to be held “after Victor Ponta is elected President of Romania.” (Romania Libera)