Press Review - May 28, 2015

05.28.2015 By Gabriela Stan

Romania’s Consolidated Budget Posts RON6B Surplus In January-April

Romania’s consolidated budget posted surplus of 5.96 billion lei (EUR1.35 billion) in the first four months of the year, compared with a RON1.88 billion deficit in the same period of 2014, Finance ministry data showed.

The budget surplus for January-April accounts for 0.85% of the gross domestic product estimated for the whole year.

The budget’s total expenditure increased just 0.5% year-on-year in the January-April period, to RON70.07 billion, the data showed.

Romanians Pay One Of Highest Energy Prices In EU By Purchasing Power Standards

Romanians pay one of the highest energy prices in EU in relation to the purchasing power, outranked by Germany, Portugal Cyprus, Spain, while Finland, Latvia, and Luxembourg pay the lowest prices, according to Eurostat data.

Eurostat used the purchasing power standards - PPS, an artificial common reference currency unit that eliminates price level differences between countries.

Thus, relative to the cost of other goods and services, in the second half of 2014, Romania registered an average price of 24.4 PPS/100 kWh of electricity, taxes included. In the same period, in Germany, electricity price stood at 28.5 PPS, in Portugal and Cyprus - 27.4 PPS, and in Spain - 26 PPS.

Electricity was the cheapest in Finland (12.4 PPS/100 kWh), Latvia (13.7 PPS), and Luxembourg (14.2 PPS). (Adevarul)

PSD President Victor Ponta: Liviu Dragnea Will Continue To Coordinate PSD

Liviu Dragnea quit his position as PSD executive president, but will continue to coordinate the party, according to PSD president Victor Ponta.

The PM also stressed that all the members of the Executive Committee consider that the suspended prison sentence for Dragnea in "Referendum" file was unfair and will be appealed.

"Dragnea will continue to be the coordinator of our National Program 2016-2020 and thus will fulfill all the tasks that the National Executive Council considers as necessary in terms of party organization and coherence between parties-government-parliamentary groups. Liviu Dragnea will continue to be my friend and partner," Ponta stated. (Romania Libera)

Renate Weber And Norica Nicolai Excluded From PNL

Liberals decided to exclude MEPs Renate Weber and Norica Nicolai from PNL, as they have not joined EPP, like the rest of their colleagues, but remained in ALDE, according to political sources.

The proposal for the exclusion of the two MPs will be submitted to the National Political Bureau that will vote it in the upcoming session.

Former PNL president Crin Antonescu stated that the decision was not a surprise as the party leadership has been trying to convince them for months to join EPP.  (Adevarul)

Indian Culture Festival Namaste India, On June 5-7 At Village Museum

The seventh edition of Namaste India, the Festival of Indian culture in Romania, will take place on June 5-7 at the National Village Museum in Bucharest.

Thus, the museum is inviting Romanians to discover the beauty and elegance of Indian classic and contemporary music and dance. Artist Parvathy Baul will sing and dance and play the traditional instruments Duggie, Ektara and Nupur. Namrta Rai, artist and professor at the Indian Cultural Institute in New Delhi, will perform the classic Indian dance style. The program will also include shows performed by Romanian artists.  (Evenimentul Zilei)