Prime Minister Ponta Has No Plans To Quit Cabinet
Prime Minister Victor Ponta said Thursday he has no plans to resign from the Cabinet as long as the ruling coalition backs him, adding he fully trusts Liviu Dragnea and the leaders of other parties in the coalition.
Asked whether he plans to stay on as prime minister until 2016, Ponta said he would stay as long as he has the coalition’s support.
“If I lose that, I’ll obviously resign, but from what I’ve see, Mr. Dragnea, Mr. Oprea, Mr. Daniel Constantin, Mr. Tariceanu, Mr. Pambuccian, I haven’t seen any of them hesitate,” Ponta said on Romania TV, denying any intention of resigning his position. (Adevarul)
President Iohannis To Attend UN Summit in New York
Sandie Blanchet, UNICEF representative in Romania, said Thursday Romanian President Klaus Iohannis will attend the UN summit in New York, where he will give a speech on September 27.
The United Nations summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda will be held from 25 to 27 September 2015, in New York and convened as a high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly.
More than 150 world leaders are expected to attend the summit, the agenda of which will serve as the launch pad for action by the international community and by national governments to promote shared prosperity and well-being for all over the next 15 years. (Puterea)
Retail, Construction And Imports Drive Romanian Economic Growth
Retail, construction and imports, which saw dramatic declines in 2009-2011, are now on the rise but net investments in the Romanian economy are at low rates, especially involvements by the state.
Sectors that depend on domestic consumption, retail and constructions, are again the drivers of economic growth after a long period of decline and stagnation that started with the world economic crisis.
Official data compiled by the statistics institute show the country’s gross domestic product grew 3.7% in the first half of the year, retail rose nearly 5%, industrial output rose 2.3% and imports grew 3.6%, which means the economy is again driven by domestic demand. (Adevarul)
Romanian Parliament Adopts Tax Code
Romania’s lower house of Parliament on Thursday adopted the country’s new tax code, which lowers the general value-added tax rate, eliminates extra excises and lowers taxes on dividends.
The bill was adopted with 279 votes in favor, eight against and five abstentions.
The tax code was adopted by the Senate earlier this week and only needs the head of state’s signature to become law, a mere formality since the president may only veto a bill once.
Under the new tax code, Romania will cut its value added tax rate from the current level of 24% to 20% as of January next year and further to 19% as of 2017.
It also eliminates a tax on special constructions as of 2017, lowers taxes on dividends from 16% to 5%, and eliminates an extra charge on fuel excises. (Puterea)