The inflation that is currently affecting the global economy will be temporary because the factors causing it are just short-lived, International Monetary Fund senior advisor Liviu Voinea declared at the Bucharest Forum 2021 organized today by the Aspen Romania Institute."Overall, the global economy is in a better place than it was a year ago. But a major challenge has arisen - inflation. Inflation is rising rapidly around the globe and could slow the economic rebound and determine tighter monetary and tax conditions that could impact the most vulnerable social groups. If we look at the factors that drive this rise in inflation, they are of a transitory nature: the decline in inflation in the previous year, the recovery of demand - which wasn't caused by higher incomes but by higher income availability - the congestion of supply chains, the delay in deliveries - all these are not permanent - but also by the major increase in energy prices, especially for gas. Another argument for the transitional nature of inflation is the very success of fiscal support packages, which have helped limit economic losses much faster than in previous crises; thanks to these support packages, the surplus savings accumulated during the crisis now turn into consumption, but this phenomenon won't have long-term effects, as the amount of savings is limited. Therefore, the inflation growth rates are expected to only be temporary," Liviu Voinea explained.On the other hand, the IMF representative pointed out that the uncertainties regarding the fiscal projections, Romania's included, remain unusually high.The IMF senior advisor said that fiscal support measures intended to limit the economic effects of the pandemic cannot be granted indefinitely, so that such support measures should be better targeted to those who really need them.According to the cited source, a return to the pre-pandemic debt level would require more serious fiscal balances than those before the pandemic.
Romania was formally designated the 43rd country to join the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP) on Friday, January 10. According to the Romanian ambassador to Washington, Andrei Muraru, Romanian citizens will be able to travel to the US without the need for a visa starting March 31, 2025. "Romania becomes the first country in the […]
Cluj-Napoca, the city in Romania with some of the highest rents and a fast-growing IT industry, is closer to banning smoking in playgrounds and parks after mayor Emil Boc expressed his support for the measure. The mayor cited the prioritization of public health as the reason behind such a ban. He mentioned that he has […]
Romania's Sibiu County Emergency Clinical Hospital will receive a robotic system to prepare cytostatic drugs needed by cancer patients, along with other equipment, after the County Council obtained funds from the European Regional Development Fund. With an estimated value of EUR 1 million, the "Robotic Composition System for Sterile Preparations of Cytostatic Drugs" is among […]
Romania’s government adopted in its January 10 meeting a decision granting an extra day off to public sector employees at the beginning of May. Thus, Friday, May 2, will be an official day off for public sector workers, linking the legal holiday of May 1 (Labor Day) with the weekend (May 3-4). This...
The Ministry of Environment announced that 2024 was the hottest year in the history of Romania's meteorological records. Red alerts for heat waves began in June of 2024, with the longest consecutive periods of persistent and intense heat waves, six consecutive days, between July 13-18 and August 15-20. "The year 2024 is the hottest year...
Supporters of former presidential candidate Călin Georgescu gathered outside the Parliament Palace in Bucharest, which houses the Constitutional Court, on January 10, demanding a rerun of the second round of the presidential elections. The protest, dubbed "The Great Judicial Union," was initiated by Georgescu, who called on his supporters to challenge the election annulment, as […]
