Press Review - October 25, 2017

10.25.2017 By Oana Gavrila

Eurostat: Romania Posts Highest Budget Deficit In EU In 2Q/2017

Romania registered the highest budget deficit in the European Union, in the second quarter of 2017, of 4.1% of the gross domestic product, followed by the UK, with a deficit of 3.4% of GDP, according to seasonally adjusted data released Tuesday by Eurostat.

The biggest budget surpluses were reported by Malta (2.3%) and the Czech Republic (1.9%), in the second quarter of 2017.

In the first quarter of 2017, Romania’s budget deficit reached 3.6% of GDP, the highest in the EU.

Romania is followed by France (3.2%) and Luxembourg (2.9%). Budget surplus was also recorded in Malta (2.7%) and Hungary (2.4%).

Romania reported a budget deficit of 0.77% of GDP in the first half of 2017.

 

Passengers Stranded On Romania’s Craiova Airport Due To Heavy Rain

Passengers who were supposed to fly to Bologna and Rome from Romania’s Craiova Airport were left stranded Tuesday morning due to heavy rain and low visibility.

Airport manager Mircea Dumitru said the aircraft that would have taken the passengers to their destinations had been unable to land the night before to due bad weather.

The aircraft were redirected to nearby Timisoara Airport, where they were awaiting permission for take-off towards Craiova.

 

Nearly 380,000 Used Cars Registered In Romania in Jan-Sept

Used car transactions in Romania hit a record high between January and September 2017, reaching 378,424 units, according to an analysis by car sales platform Autovit.ro, based on public data provided by the country's vehicle registration department.

In January-September 2016, the used car market reached 222,859 units. New car transactions grew by 16%, from 67,992 in 2016 to 78,769 cars during the January-September 2017 period.

Used car transactions on the local market (re-registrations) reached a record high in the first nine months of 2017, of 360,635 units. From 2013 until 2016, re-registrations amounted to less than 200,000 units.

 

Romanian Miners, Engineers On Hunger Strike

Forty Romanian miners and engineers of energy holding CE Oltenia went on hunger strike Tuesday, demanding higher pay and a bonus fund to tackle wage inequities.

A union representative said protesters demand equal salary increases regardless of their position within the company.

Workers decided to go on hunger strike after wage negotiations with the company's board failed earlier in the day.

 

Romania To Open 150 km of Highway in 2018, Says Transport Minister

Romanian transport minister Felix Stroe said at least 150 km of highway will be open to traffic in 2018.

Stroe inspected works on a section of the Lugoj-Deva highway in central-western Romania.

The minister added contractors would no longer be allowed to take on more than they can deliver.

Over the past 25 years, Romania was promised 10,000 km of highways by various transport ministers but less than 750 km have been built.