Health Minister Voices Out Stand On Accusations Against Education Minister
In a Facebook post on Tuesday, Health Minister Vlad Voiculescu said the purpose of the accusations against Education Minister Mircea Dumitru regarding the latter’s possible collaboration with the communist secret police Securitate is to compromise him.
Voiculescu said Dumitru is accused of having collaborated with the Securitate, although the latter received a certificate nine years ago, which clearly shows he never had anything to do with the Securitate.
Dumitru, in turn, said on Tuesday that he would take to court all those making slanderous statements regarding his collaboration with the Securitate. (Puterea)
Poll Shows Victor Ponta Stands High Chance To Become PM Again
A poll ordered by the National Liberal Party (PNL) shows that Victor Ponta is more popular than Dacian Ciolos as to becoming Romania’s future prime minister.
44.5% of respondents said the technocrat government is a good solution for Romania, while 43% think it is a bad solution.
Political results, however, show a greater balance than previously announced: PSD – 38%, PNL- 30%, according to a poll conducted by the Political Rating Agency at the request of PNL
According to a sociologic analysis, PNL is the main supporter of the current technocrat government led by Ciolos. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Transporters Ready New Protests
Employers’ associations in the Romanian road transport sector are now accusing the country’s Financial Supervisory Authority (ASF) of resorting „again to tricks” and „manoeuvres” when it comes to establishing RCA tariffs.
The „truce” between insurers and authorities (ASF), on the one hand, and transporters, on the other hand, did not last for so long.
Transporters threaten to stage protests again and are calling for the urgent implementation, under the form published in the Official Journal, of the emergency ordinance regarding mandatory car insurance policies (RCA) for damages caused to third parties through car and tramway accidents.
Transporters in Romania repeatedly accused multinational insurance companies and ASF of planning to throw them into bankruptcy by boosting RCA prices. Calculations presented by the Confederation of Romanian Licensed Operators and Transporters (COTAR) show that prices of RCA insurance policies are two up to fourfold higher than they should. (Puterea)
Government Puts Several State Companies Up For Sale
The most important state-run companies, with annual revenue of billions of lei, will be included in a project aimed at selling minority stakes.
The government published a memorandum whereby it announced its strategy of attracting private investors to state-run companies such as Hidroelectrica, Complexul Energetic Oltenia (CEO), CFR Marfa, CN Aeroporturi București or Constanta Maritime Port Administration.
The government will also reduce its stake in Rompetrol and will fully sell its stake in Sanevit 2003 and other 22 companies proposed by the Administration of State Domains (ADS). (Evenimentul Zilei)
Romania’s Forested Area Rose To 6.8 Million Hectares
Romania’s forested area rose from 6.4 million hectares in 1990 to 6.86 million at the end of 2015, the highest level since 1929, according to a PwC Romania study.
The study also shows the forested area available for exploitation has decreased by 18% since 1990. The share of forested areas destined to exploitation out of the total forested area was of 67% in 2015 (compared to 88% in 1990).
At the same time, Romania ranks 20th in the EU regarding the level of forest coverage – at the end of 2015, the forested area represented 29% out of the total land area of the country, an increase of 2% compared to 1990.
In Romania, the wood production (15.1 million cubic meters) was above the EU average (14.5 million cubic meters), while only a small proportion of raw wood harvested was exported (0.5 million cubic meters). The direct contribution of the wood industry to the GDP was relatively constant in the past decade (varying between 1.1% and 1.5%), according to the study. Adevarul)