Thursday, June 5th, 2014

The American Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, arrives in Romania

The American Secretary of Defense, Chuck Hagel, arrives in Romania, today, where he will have a meeting with his Romanian counterpart, Mircea Dusa. Mister Hagel will visit the USS Vella Gulf, which arrived in Constanta port on Tuesday. The ship was sent by the United States in the Black Sea as a result of the crisis in Ukraine and it will remain in Romania until Friday. "The American Secretary of Defense", said Pentagon spokesman, John Kirby, "will go to Romania, a valued NATO ally. This visit gives him the opportunity to meet with sailors aboard the American ship and to consult with the Romanian Defence Minister on ways to strengthen NATO's defense". John Kirby sayid that tensions in Ukraine should be an opportunity for European countries to increase their defense budgets. (RADIO ROMANIA reports)

Convergence Report published by the European Commission

Romania does not fulfill all the criteria for joining the euro area - is shown in the Convergence Report published yesterday by the European Commission. The report assesses the state of preparedness for eight member states in view of the adoption of the single currency starting January 1st, 2015 and notes that the progresses are uneven. Lithuania stands out from the group, fulfilling the convergence criteria. Romania has met the requirements on public finances and long-term interest rates, but not those of price stability and exchange rate. According to the European Union Treaty, every two years, or at the request of a member state wishing to join the euro area, the European Commission examines the fulfillment of conditions necessary for adopting the single currency. (RADIO ROMANIA reports)

Employees in the public system will receive holiday vouchers

Employees in the public system will receive holiday vouchers even this year, announces Minister Delegate for SMEs, Business, Environment and Tourism, Florin Jianu. The announcement comes after the Chamber of Deputies passed a project that requires that public institutions, autonomous administrations, companies and national companies can give employees holiday vouchers worth at most 6 minimum gross wage per economy. Service packs can be purchased with these, but only in authorized tourism facilities in the country. Minister Delegate for SMEs, Business, Environment and Tourism states that 1,180 employees are currently in the public sector and he expressed the hope that, at the beginning, at least a quarter of them to receive such vouchers, which will replace holiday bonuses, or rest tickets. (RADIO ROMANIA reports)

Adrian Strugariu

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