*Controls at sea and air borders with Romania and Bulgaria to be lifted as of March 31, https://www.politico.eu/ informs. EU member countries reached agreement Saturday on removing air and maritime internal border controls with Bulgaria and Romania, but the two countries’ full entry into the bloc’s passport-free Schengen zone remains subject to further discussions. Controls at sea and air borders with Romania and Bulgaria vill be lifted a? of March 31, the Council of the EU, which represents EU countries, said in a statement on Saturday. “A further decision should be taken by the Council to establish a date for the lifting of checks at internal land borders,” according to the statement. The European Commission said talks on removing controls at land borders will continue în 2024. “A decision by the Council on this matter is expected to be taken within a reasonable time frame,” the EU executive said in a statement. Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called Saturday’s decision “a historic moment for Bulgaria and Romania.” “This is a major step forward for both countries and for the Schengen area as a whole,” von der Leyen said in a statement. Romania and Bulgaria, both EU members since 2007, were passed over for entry into Schengen when Croatia was admitted a year ago. The Schengen area, which comprises 27 countries, grants free movement to more than 400 million EU citizens. Austria had opposed the inclusion of Romania and Bulgaria in the Schengen zone due to concerns over illegal immigration. But in mid-December, Austrian Interior Minister Gerhard Karner announced a softening of Vienna’s stance, offering passport-free travel by plane from those countries în exchange for tighter border security mesasures. Romanian Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu last week announced a „political agreement” on Schengen entry. He expressed optimism about an eventual agreement on land borders, saying he was “convinced” those talks would produce a result in 2024. The Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU hammered out the final agreement late on Saturday, just before the government in Madrid passes the baton to Belgium.
Sales of second-hand clothes, shoes, and other products have doubled in the last five years, reaching RON 1 billion (EUR 200 million), according to statistical data provided by the Bridge to Information platform based on official statistics, as quoted by Ziarul Financiar. The market may...
Romania's former president, Klaus Iohannis, has been ordered by the National Agency for Fiscal Administration (ANAF) to return nearly EUR 1 million in rent, penalties, and interest linked to properties in Sibiu that he lost in court, Digi24 reported on August...
The magistrates recipients of the so-called "special pensions" or technically "service pensions" not entirely based on past contributions will have to retire at the standard age (65 years currently) and have a minimum length of service of at least 35 years, with the net amount of the pension being limited to 70% of the net […]
Romania’s Finance Ministry on August 14 published the measures to be included, besides the measures targeting the local administration and the state-owned enterprises, and possibly the special pension law, in the second package of reforms aimed at budgetary consolidation. The Ministry of Development also published the chapter on local administration. The measures proposed by the […]
The current account (CA) deficit contracted by 39% y/y to EUR 1.9 billion in June, driven by a 7.9% smaller deficit in the trade in goods (EUR 2.5 billion), according to data published by the National Bank of Romania (BNR). The CA gap in rolling 12 months decreased to EUR 31.8 billion in June from […]
Romania's industrial production volume index, adjusted for seasonality and workdays, increased by +1.8% q/q in Q2, marking the third consecutive growth of positive dynamics according to data published by the statistics office on August 14. Compared to the same period last year, the output was 0.3% lower (-3.7% y/y in Q1) while it lagged by […]
