Press Review - May 26, 2015

05.26.2015 By Gabriela Stan

IMF Delegation Held Talks With PM, Finance Minister

 The delegations of IMF, World Bank and European Commission held talks on Monday at Victoria Palace with Prime Minister Victor Ponta and Finance Minister Eugen Teodorovici.

The delegation came to Bucharest on May 19 for talks related to the Tax Code and the implementation of the measures included in the program with the international financial institutions.

The mission will end Tuesday and the next visit is scheduled for the end of June.

“It is a technical mission and I hope it will be a successful mission in the end, so we can talk again about the program with the IMF, the European Commission and the World Bank,” Teodorovici said ten days ago. (Puterea)

Social-Democrats To Discuss Resignation Of PSD Executive President

Social-democrats will meet Wednesday at 17:00 local time, for talks over the resignation of Liviu Dragnea, the executive president of the Social Democratic Party (PSD).

PSD president, PM Victor Ponta, said last Wednesday that the meeting of the PSD National Executive Council, in which they will discuss the resignation of Dragnea, will take place this week, adding that Dragnea submitted his resignation request. (Romania Libera)

Agriculture Minister Met Counterpart Ahmad Al-Hemaidi In Qatar

The Romanian Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Daniel Constantin, met his counterpart, Environment Minister Ahmad Al-Hemaidi, on Sunday in Doha, Qatar.

They held talks related to the setting up of a framework for a cooperation memorandum between Romania and Qatar, to start bilateral relations in agriculture sector. The future agreement will target the sectors of research, animal breeding, vegetal products, horticulture.

”Given that Qatar is importing nearly 90% of agri-food products, trade could represent a solution for the development of bilateral relations,” Constantin said, adding that Romania will send its first agricultural attaché to Doha.  (Curierul National)

Romania To Have New Royalties System In January 2016

Romania will have a new royalties system, that should be implemented on January 1, 2016, but authorities offer few details related to the change of the calculation system.

The Romanian state gets over RON1 billion annually from royalties, and the amount is higher and higher every year. State secretary in the Finance Ministry, Dan Manolescu, stated that the new royalties system will be based on a mechanism including the tax on natural resources, a profit tax and several deductions for investments in this sector.

„Romania should create a system that would allow it to obtain taxes in this sector similar with the taxes in the countries with the same type of resources,” Dan Manolescu stated. (Puterea)

Romanian Pharmaceutical Sales Rose 10.7% In 1Q

Sales of medicines in Romania stood at RON3.27 billion in the first quarter, considering distribution prices, up 10.7% on the year, according to Cegedim's Pharma & Hospital Report report.

The evolution of pharmaceutical sales in the first quarter compared to the previous quarter was better than expected due to over-the-counter (OTC) products, especially seasonal medicines.

Due to recently announced price decreases, Cegedim has revised its forecast for 2015 from a growth of 3.5% to a decline of 2.8% expressed in lei and warned about a considerable drop in the availability of cheap products in the second half of the year. (Adevarul)