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.
Ten non-governmental organizations in Romania have issued a joint letter criticizing the executive for the emergency ordinance adopted on Thursday, January 16, which provides sanctions, including a turnover tax, for social media giants that fail to obey rules regarding electoral ads. Another government measure under fire from the opposition limits voting in the diaspora according […]
Dacia, part of the French Renault group, will launch several electric models to compete with Chinese brands for the affordable EV car market in Europe. The first electric model will be the next Sandero, which will appear sometime at the end of 2027, the brand's director, Denis Le Vot, said on Thursday, according to Reuters. […]
Happy 2025, dear Insiders, may it be a good year! And let it start with classics, some universal, some underground. Italian director Federico Fellini is one of the biggest names in the history of the medium. To say he was very influential is an understatement. He has his own adjective (Fellini-esque) while scenes from his […]
Romanian national airline Tarom announced the establishment of a new company, Tarom Tehnic, dedicated to providing maintenance and repair services for civilian aircraft, specializing in Boeing, Airbus, and ATR models. The new company is expected to generate revenues of up to EUR 10 million in its first year of operation, according to estimates from the […]
Romania has been named the special guest country at the 2026 Cairo International Book Fair, the Ministry of Culture announced. The event will coincide with the celebration of 120 years of Romanian-Egyptian diplomatic relations. According to the ministry, the news was shared by Dr. Ahmed Fouad Hano, Egypt's minister of culture, during a press conference […]
Bucharest has started implementing a special recycling project that directly benefits stray animals. In Tineretului, Floreasca, and Circului parks, eco-friendly vending machines have been installed to provide food and water for stray cats in exchange for recycling bottles and aluminum cans. “Street cats lead a hard life, especially in winter. Food is essential for their […]
