Press Review - May 23, 2017

05.23.2017 By Oana Gavrila

Labor Minister: Local, County Councils Set Wages for Local Administration

Labor minister Olguta Vasilescu said Monday in Senate the wage bill has local and county councils establishing the wages of local public administration employees.

Public administration employees have announced protests starting Wednesday.

"The only change in structure is for local public administration, as a first step towards decentralization, setting a minimum, which is minimum wage, and a maximum level, which is the salary of the deputy mayor or vice-president of the county council.

Other salaries in the local public administration will be established hierarchically by decisions of county councils and local councils,” said Vasilescu.

Debates on the wage bill will continue in Senate Tuesday.

 

“Seaside for All” Program Starts This Week

Romania's tourism federation is running the “Seaside for All” program between May 22 and June 18, with prices up to 50% lower than during high summer season.

Prices start from RON159 per person for six nights in a one star facility.

Considering accommodation available, at least 5,000 tourists may benefit from seaside vacations at lower prices, the federation said.

Twelve hotels from all seaside resorts have joined the program.

 

19 Killed In 'Terrorist Attack' at Ariana Grande Concert in Manchester

At least 19 people were killed and 59 wounded in an explosion at the end of a concert by US singer Ariana Grande in Manchester Monday night.

British Prime Minister Theresa May said the incident was being treated as a terrorist attack.

If confirmed, it would be the deadliest militant assault in Britain since 52 people were killed in suicide bombings on London's transport system in July 2005.

Police responded to reports of an explosion shortly after 10.33pm at the arena, which has the capacity to hold 21,000 people.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but US officials drew parallels to the coordinated attacks in November 2015 by Islamist militants on the Bataclan concert hall and other sites in Paris, which claimed about 130 lives.

Two US officials who spoke on condition of anonymity said that initial signs pointed to a suicide bomber being responsible for the blast.

Manchester Arena, the largest indoor arena in Europe, opened in 1995 and is a popular concert and sporting venue.

 

EC Warns Romania on Risk of Missing Budget Deficit Target

The European Commission (EC) on Monday warned Romania that it may not meet its budget deficit target and urged the government to take action to avoid the opening of an excessive deficit procedure.

"Based on 2016 outturn data validated by Eurostat and the Commission 2017 Spring Forecast, in 2016 Romania's structural balance deteriorated from a deficit of 0.6% of GDP (i.e. above the medium-term budgetary objective (MTO) of a structural deficit of 1% of GDP) to a deficit of 2.6% of GDP, pointing to a significant deviation from the MTO," the European Commission said in a press release.

The growth of government expenditure, net of discretionary revenue measures and one-off measures, was well above the expenditure benchmark, also pointing to a significant deviation, the EU executive body added.

Based on the 2017 spring forecast, Romania's headline general government balance is projected to reach a deficit of 3.5% of GDP in 2017 and deteriorate further to 3.7% of GDP in 2018, thereby breaching the Maastricht Treaty reference value of 3% of GDP.

Romania's 2017 budget is built on projections for 5.2% economic growth and deficit equivalent to 2.99% of GDP.

 

Software Developer Zitec Opens Office in Brasov

Online app developer Zitec, with sales of EUR4 million in 2016, starts expanding in Romania with a first office outside Bucharest in Brasov, central Romania.

The company plans to hire over 20 people by the end of the year in its Brasov office, seeking all levels of experience, including entry-level, it said in a statement Monday.

The company currently has 130 employees in Bucharest, said company CEO and founder Alexandru Lapusan.