The European Commission decided on Friday to open an infringement procedure by sending a letter of formal notice to Romania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Spain, Lithuania and Portugal for failing to communicate to the Community Executive the measures for the full transposition of EU Directive 2022/542 regarding value added tax rates. EU member states had to communicate the full transposition of the Directive into national law by 31 December 2024, the EC press release also said. The directive allows for a wider use of reduced rates, including zero rates for essential products such as food, pharmaceuticals or those used for medical purposes. “Member States may exempt supplies of goods and services carried out within their territory by taxable persons who are established in that territory and whose annual turnover at Member State level, relating to those supplies of goods and/or services, does not exceed the threshold set by those Member States for the application of this exemption. That threshold may not exceed EUR 85,000 or the equivalent in national currency. Member States may set different thresholds for different economic sectors, based on objective criteria. However, none of these thresholds may exceed the threshold of EUR 85,000 or the equivalent in national currency,” according to the directive. The European Commission has therefore decided to send a letter of formal notice to the eight EU Member States to complete the transposition and notify their measures to the Community Executive. The mentioned States now have two months to respond to the EC’s requests. In the absence of a satisfactory response, the European Commission could decide to issue a reasoned opinion.
Druid AI today announced it has secured USD 31 million in Series C financing to advance the global expansion of its enterprise-ready agentic AI platform under the leadership of its new CEO, Joseph Kim. The investment was led by Cipio Partners, with participation from TQ Ventures, Karma Ventures, Smedvig, and Hoxton Ventures. Kim has more […]
Drivers in Bucharest lose, on average, 12 working days annually due to congestion, according to Traffic Index 2025, an analysis carried out by the Institute for Visionary Cities. The index compares how much circulation slows down on working days compared to a free-flow regime, for the 41 county seat municipalities and Bucharest. According to the analysis, […]
Romania’s Senate and Chamber of Deputies held a moment of silence on Monday, September 15, for American conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead at a university event on September 10. The marking of Kirk’s death came at the initiative of the far-right party Alliance for the Union of Romanians, or AUR. Both Kirk […]
A mountain shelter is scheduled to open this fall in the Făgăraș Mountains' Curmătura Bratilei area following a EUR 60,000 investment. The shelter, located at an altitude of 2,100 meters, is built by the private ophthalmopediatric hospital Infosan in partnership with the non-profit Carpați Mountain Association and the Brașov Emergency Situations Inspectorate (ISU Brașov). The […]
The official trailer for The Yellow Tie/Cravata Galbenă, a major international production about the life of renowned Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache, has been released, with the film set to hit cinemas nationwide on November 14. The cast includes John Malkovich and Miranda Richardson, both double Academy Award nominees, along with Ben Schnetzer, Kate Phillips, Sean […]
The presidential elections held in November 2024 in Romania were influenced by a large-scale hybrid war orchestrated by Russia before they were cancelled, according to general prosecutor Alex Florența. Romania’s presidential election was annulled last December after declassified reports alleged Russian involvement in cyber activities aimed at undermining the integrity...
