Tuesday, March 14th

EU commissioner for regional policy on a visit to Romania

EU’s commissioner for regional policy starts a visit to Romania on Wednesday. The visit of Commissioner Corina Creţu will focus on issues concerning Europe’s future and the country’s absorbtion of European funds. Ms. Creţu is expected to attend a joint meeting of Senate and House commissioners for European affairs on Wednesday before meeting Romanian Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu, and his deputy, Ms. Sevil Shhaideh, on Thursday. The EU commissioner is also expected to meet students of Romania’s National School for Political and Administration Studies in the capital Bucharest later on Wedesday.

INS report

The average number of pensioners in the last quarter of 2016 was of 5, 245 million people, 6,000 down a similar number in the previous quarter of the year, according to a report issued by Romania’s National Institute of Statistics (INS) on Tuesday. The total ratio between the average number of state social insurance pensioners and employees was 9 to 10 with significant changes at territorial level, from only 5 pensioners to 10 employees in Bucharest, and 17 pensioners to 10 employees in Romania’s southern Teleorman county. The monthly average state social insurance pension shows significant territorial disparities, with a gap between the minimum and maximum value of over RON 400 (RON 750 in the country’s southern Giurgiu county as compared to RON 1183 in the capital Bucharest).

Romanian officials on a visit to Italy

Romanian Prime Minister Sorin Grindeanu has approved a three day visit to Italy by officials of the country’s Ministry for Romanians Abroad and Interior Ministry. Starting on Wednesday, the visit will focus on issues raised by Romanians living and working in the Italian southern provinces of Calabria and Sicily. Romania’s delegation will include minister Andreea Păstârnac, and a representative of the country’s Interior Ministry. Italian agriculture has for many years been heavily reliant on migrant labour. The number of Romanian women travelling to work in Sicily has increased hugely over the past decade, according to a report in Britain’s „The Guardian” newspaper.

Alexandru Danga