|
RRI newsletter subcription
(e-mail address):
|
 |
Archives:
|
|
| RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION 13/03/2009 |
| (2009-03-13) |
| Last updated: 2009-03-16 14:29 EET |
After several years of significant economic growth, Romania took a downturn at the end of last year on account of the global crisis. The economic growth recorded over the year's last weeks was a mere 2.9 percent, compared to the 8.9 percent experienced over January and February of 2008.
Overall, the average level of economic growth recorded over the entire year was 7.9 percent. As the crisis started to settle in over the Romanian economy, authorities increased their efforts to fight its effects, but with no results so far. Furthermore, with each month, predictions made by Romanian authorities become more and more pessimistic. In the most recent public announcement, Minister of Finance Gheorghe Pogea spoke of an estimated economic growth level for 2009 somewhere between minus 1 and minus 1.5 percent.
This is the first time an official has admitted that fact that Romania might go into a recession. Pogea reminded that most international institutions have made as much as 3 different predictions each over the past months, and that this is a consequence of the crisis evolving, hence the need for constant updates on various estimates. Authorities in Brussels, quoted by European Commissioner for Multilingualism Leonard Orban, have recommended that the Romanian Government adopt a more cautious budget policy and review their initial estimates regarding this year's level of economic growth. Here is Leonard Orban.
“The European Commission have provided countless warnings regarding the possibility of various budget risks. A more cautious budget policy is required.”
Orban also said that authorities in Brussels believe that Romania has the highest levels of taxation of all EU-member countries, and have demanded that authorities in our country make significant decreases in these levels. According to the European official, some taxes cost more to collect from the people than the profit they bring to the Romanian state. Romanian citizens pay a total of 558 different taxes, of which 74 are of a fiscal nature.
Minister of Finance Pogea admitted that there is an absurd number of taxes, and said that the Government recently reached an agreement on diminishing taxation levels. Furthermore, Prime Minister Emil Boc mentioned the possibility of the EU penalizing Romania for its failure to maintain the budget deficit within acceptable levels. Should a penalty be applied, our country will receive less non-reimbursable community funds from the Union. Following these statements, economists say that Romanian authorities have finally gotten their heads out of the clouds, and can make more realistic negotiations regarding a foreign loan, should the need arise.
|
|
| |
WMA |
|
64kbps : |
1
2
3
|
|
|
128kbps : |
1
2
3
|
| |
MP3 |
|
|
64kbps : |
1
2
3
|
|
|
128kbps : |
1
2
3
|
| |
AAC+ |
|
|
48kbps : |
1
2
3
|
|
|
64kbps : |
1
2
3
|
 Historical mascot of
RRI |
| |
© 1999 - 2011 Copyright Radio Romania International |
|
2025-04-03
Print
Listen again