The Government is set to freeze, for the moment, the minimum wage at 1,050 lei (approximately 235 euro), even though the former cabinet promised to increase the wage to 1,200 lei (approximately 270 euro) from January 1, 2016."We will analyze the impact an increase in the minimum wage would have and, eventually, we will recommend increases that can take place. From January 1 it will not increase, because we cannot make this estimation on the economy and we would say for naught that we want to stimulate the economy with such a generous fiscal package that we made a great effort to include in the budget if we were to take a measure that could destroy the business environment. We cannot make this increase overnight, because this measure can significantly affect the competitiveness of Romania", said, on Friday, the Minister of Public Finance, Anca Dragu. She mentioned that the analysis regarding the impact is underway, but that the measure must be analyzed especially in the private area, because the public sector yields no wages under the minimum wage, given the increases approved this year for various categories, such as workers in healthcare, education and local administration, but also the 10 percent increase for all public sector workers decided upon recently. Furthermore, the Minister claims that such a measure can determine a migration of personnel from the fiscalized white area to the gray or black area of the economy. The Ponta Government had scheduled in its governing programme the increase of the minimum wage to 1,200 lei from January 1, 2016, and the former PM had promised additional increases to 1,300 lei until the midpoint of 2016 and 1400 lei from January 1, 2017.
Romania took the presidency of the Central European Initiative (or CEI) on Wednesday, November 26, according to a press release from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE). The organization is a regional intergovernmental forum established in 1989, following the fall of the Berlin Wall. It gathers 17 Member States in Central, Eastern, and South-Eastern Europe […]
Trade between Romania and Poland continues to grow, with annual bilateral exchanges in goods now valued at more than EUR 12 billion, according to figures presented by the Polish-Romanian Bilateral Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PRBCC). The data was released during a reception in Bucharest marking Poland’s Independence Day and Romania’s National Day. Polish investments […]
As Romania moves closer to implementing the EU Pay Transparency Directive, local employers are preparing for one of the most consequential shifts in workplace regulation in over a decade. The directive, set for transposition by June 2026, introduces strict new rules on salary disclosure, pay reporting, and equal-pay verification, aiming to close persistent gender gaps […]
A young Romanian has developed a new system that allows people to return entire bags of recyclable packaging at once, replacing the traditional method of inserting bottles one by one into reverse-vending machines. The concept, called IZI, was created by Ștefan Parascanu, who returned to Romania after studying and working in the United Kingdom. The […]
JTI, the global owner of both Winston and Camel, announced on Thursday, November 27, a plan to build a new, state-of-the-art factory in Ștefăneștii de Jos, Ilfov County. Designed to replace the current Bucharest production site, which is operating under space constraints, the facility is scheduled for completion in 2027. Ground works at the new […]
The City Hall of Oradea, in northwest Romania, has begun installing new smart parking meters as part of its ongoing modernization and digitalization of the municipal parking system. The first batch of devices has already been placed in central areas, and the entire system is expected to become operational by the end of the year. […]
