Pope Francis accepts invitation to visit Romania
Pope Francis has accepted the invitation launched by Romania’s President Klaus Iohannis to visit our country. The date remains to be scheduled through diplomatic channels, according to the Presidency. The head of the Romanian state has been received at the Vatican today by His Holiness. President Iohannis bestowed the Pontiff an engraving representing the city and fortress of Sibiu alongside a gold coin marking 2.000 years of Christianity and received, in his turn, an image of the Angel of Peace defeating Death and an Apostolic text. Then, the Romanian leader has met with the Cardinal Secretary of State and visited Saint Peter’s Basilica where he observed a moment of silence at the Tomb of Pope John Paul II. This evening, the President is going to meet students of pontifical universities in Rome.
Deputy Prime Minister Liviu Dragnea receives suspended prison sentence an resigns from all offices
Deputy Prime Minister and key Social Democrat leader Liviu Dragnea has announced today he is stepping down from all Government and political offices after receiving a one-year suspended prison sentence for fraud in the 2012 presidential impeachement referendum.
Liviu Dragnea: I consider myself innocent. However, I have officially taken note of the court’s decision today and forwarded my resignantion from the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Administration to the Prime Minister; I have also informed him about my intention to resign on Monday from the Executive President of PSD position. I have to admit I have no clue which will be the court’s motivation for today’s decision, but I respect the decision.
The Cabinet drops the tax on tips following talks with economic agents
The Cabinet will drop the tax on tips, according to an announcement made today by Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici after consultations with relevant market actors, including representatives of the home delivery segment or taxi service providers.
Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici: The idea of taxing tips came precisely from economic agents who had asked in 2012 for a solution to those situations when fiscal controllers would find supplementary amounts in their cash registers compared to official payments. We have agreed today, following very constructive talks, to eliminate the tax on tips from the emergency ordinance in order to avoid all inconsistency regarding its application. The mechanism is still into force until abrogation. We convened to eliminate it in Parliament until June 1st at the latest.
Prior to the announcement, the emergency ordinance had already been attacked at the Constitutional Court by Romania’s Ombudsman.
Romania sees 26% boost in energy exports
Romania’s energy exports increased in the first quarter of 2015 by 26% whilst imports have decreased by 17%, according to a report issued by electricity transmission system operator Transelectrica. The net energy production in the first three months of the year was approximately 5% higher against the similar time in 2014, due mainly to an increase in the production using renewable sources. At the same time, internal consumption has also risen by 2%, according to the above-mentioned report.
24 companies in Romania acceded to the United Nations Global Pact
24 companies in Romania have acceded today to a UN program that encourages them to adopt and sustain durable policies. The network numbers more than 10.000 members worldwide coming form 130 countries. The UN Global Pact is the most revered strategic political intitiative dedicated to representatives of the business, NGO and academic environments. The 24 companies in Romania have pledged to adapt their strategies to 10 universally-accepted principles regarding human rights, environment and anti-corruption matters. The companies need to support and abide by internationally proclaimed human rights, to encourage the recognition of colective negotiation rights and to eliminate all forms of forced labor. They also need to support and carry out activities that promote environmental protection. The Global Pact is a practical framework meant to develop and implement sustainability policies by giving its affliate companies managment instruments and resources, good practice guidelines, all destined to help create responsible business.
Bianca Ioniţă
