A mission of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will visit Bucharest February 3-7, 2025, Geoff Gottlieb, IMF Senior Regional Representative for Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe, announced in a press release sent on Thursday."The Fund's team will meet with the representatives of the new Romanian Government and the National Bank of Romania to review recent economic and financial developments and update the macroeconomic outlook. The mission will be headed by Mr. Joong Shik Kang, who has replaced Mr. Jan Kees Martijn as Romania mission chief. Mr. Martijn has been assigned to a new post in line with the IMF's internal policies.'Joong Shik Kang, a South Korean national, is currently the head of the IMF mission in Romania and Greece. Previously, he was Head of the IMF Mission in Hong Kong and Deputy Head of the IMF Mission in China. Previously, he was Assistant Director of the Asia and Pacific Department and Head of the IMF Mission to the Marshall Islands. He studied economics at the University of Seoul and holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.Currently, Romania does not have an ongoing financing agreement with the International Monetary Fund, but the financial institution annually assesses the evolution of the Romanian economy based on Article IV consultations.The consultations are a supervisory exercise that is mandatory for all member states. The purpose of Article IV consultations is to examine the financial and economic situation at national level and to make general recommendations on monetary, financial and economic policies to be pursued in order to ensure stability and positive developments in the economy.
Janiva Magness, the winner of seven Blues Music Awards following 26 nominations, and nominated for a Grammy for a career spanning 17 albums, is set to perform at the 14th edition of the Brașov Jazz & Blues Festival, which will take place between August 14–16, 2026. Magness is one of the most valuable and influential […]
Auction house Artmark announced a major auction for this winter featuring an engraving created by Francisco Goya, the most important Spanish artist of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Romania's late communist leader Nicolae Ceaușescu received this gift from King Juan Carlos I as a gesture of diplomacy. The engraving entitled “The Engagement – Capricho […]
Authorities managing Romania's Bicaz Gorges–Hășmaș National Park has built a fish ladder system on the Bicaz River, which will allow protected species to migrate and reproduce. There are several bridges and small bridge structures in the Bicaz River that have a “bottom sill,” meaning small waterfalls. Fish that do not jump like the trout cannot […]
The far-right opposition parties in the Romanian Parliament are set to file a motion of no confidence against the government headed by prime minister Ilie Bolojan. The motion, authored by senator Ninel Peia of the Peace – Romania First group, is specifically aimed at the reformist party Save Romania Union (USR), and is entitled “Romania […]
Romania's iconic rock singer Adrian Pleșca, known as “Artan,” died on Tuesday, December 2, after a fatal stroke, at the age of 64. The artist founded the well-known band “Timpuri Noi” in 1982 and “Partizan” in 2001, and was popular on the Romanian rock scene. Over the years, he left and returned to the two bands. Several […]
Elon Musk's mother, Maye Musk, re-shared a post about the Craiova Christmas Market on X on Monday, December 1. She described the event as "beautiful" and included three emojis in her caption. The original post highlighted that the Craiova Christmas Market was taking place in a safe environment. "No concrete barriers. No armed guards. No […]
