The commitment of the Foreign Investors Council (FIC) taken since 2013
to support the Romanian medical system continues through the project
“Leaders for Excellence in Healthcare” (LEH), which consists of courses
dedicated to the medical personnel from the top management of hospitals
in Romania. FIC finalized the third edition of the project “Leaders for
Excellence in Healthcare”, which was organized between 13 – 28 October
2022. The participants had the opportunity to learn new information
from areas of interest, interact with lecturers, share common
experiences, find solutions and answers to some problems they face in
their activity. 70 participants from 50 hospitals in Bucharest and in
the country, both large hospitals and smaller hospitals with various
specialties participated in “Leaders for Excellence in Healthcare”
2019-2022.The project was organized by the FIC in partnership with the
Ministry of Health of Romania, Maastricht University School of Business
and Economics and Sheffield Hallam University and with the support of
the Ministry of Investments and European Projects, the Health
Commissions of the Romanian Parliament (Chamber of Deputies and
Senate), the Presidential Advisor for Public Health, Dr. Diana Paun,
and Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Romania, E.S.
Roelof van Ees (Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Romania).
FIC is a permanent partner of the Romanian Government in finding the
most effective solutions and measures to attract foreign direct
investments. Attracting new FDI and also stimulating the investments
already present in Romania, is a solution to stabilize and constantly
increase the economy. FIC welcomes the adoption and publication in the
Official Gazette of the normative act that establishes the Romanian
Agency for Investments and Foreign Trade under the Government and the
coordination of the Prime Minister. This represents a first step in
aligning Romania to the good European practices for attracting foreign
investments by creating a dedicated body for promoting investments
(“one-stop shop”) whose main objective is to encourage investments in
Romania through companies with foreign capital and to stimulate trade.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations
announced on Friday, 4 November, that the global food price index had
decreased in October 2022, for the seventh consecutive month, despite
an increase in grain prices. The index fell to 135.9 points in October
from a revised 136 points in September. Despite its seven-month
decline, this index is still 2% higher than it was in October 2021.
Industrial production will decrease by 1.3% this year compared to 2021,
with an expected decline of 7.1% in electricity and heat production and
supply, according to the National Commission for Strategy and Prognosis
(CNSP). Mining industry is expected to fall by 4.5% and the
manufacturing industry - by 0.1%. For 2023, the CNSP estimates, in its
2022-2026 Autumn Forecast, a 0.5% increase in industrial production,
with advances in the manufacturing industry (+0.8%) and in energy
production and supply (+0.2%) and a 2.8% decrease in mining industry.
The number of foreign capital companies newly established in Romania
grew by 32.6% in the first nine months of 2022 compared to the same
period of 2021, to 5,523 units, according to data centralized by the
National Trade Register Office (ONRC). The 5,523 new companies had a
total subscribed share capital of USD 31.027 million, 6.2% lower than
the USD 33.072 million one of companies registered in January-September
2021.
On Friday, 4 November, the Ministry of Finance raised RON 60 million
from banks, in addition to Thursday’s auction, when it had borrowed RON
559.8 million at an interest rate of 9.43% per year through a benchmark
government bonds issue with 81-month residual maturity, according to
data published by the National Bank of Romania (NBR). The nominal value
of the additional issue was RON 60 million, and banks submitted bids
worth RON 210 million.
UniCredit Consumer Financing, part of the UniCredit financial group,
has launched an offer with reduced interest rates for non-mortgage
personal loans with fixed interest rate, valid during the period 4-11
November 2022. To be more exact, during the aforementioned interval,
clients can access UniCredit Consumer Financing products with fixed
interest rates, such as the Personal Achievement Loan, the Refinancing
Loan and the No-Mortgage Green Loan, benefiting from interest rate
reductions applied gradually, depending on the borrowed sums and the
fulfilment of certain conditions, starting from 0.5% per year reduction
for borrowed amounts between RON 100,000 and RON 150,000 and up to 2.5%
per year reduction for borrowed amounts between RON 1,500 and RON
19,999.
Banca Comercială Română (BCR), controlled by the Austrians from Erste
Group, recorded a RON 1.53 billion (EUR 312 million) net profit in the
first nine months of 2022, up by 34.8% year-on-year, thanks to the
improved operational performance, supported by the continuous advance
of lending. The operating result grew by 24.7%, to RON 1.966 billion
(EUR 398.5 million), from RON 1.57 billion (EUR 321.0 million) in the
first nine months of 2021, amid higher operating income, partly offset
by the rising operating expenses.
BRD-SocGen, the third biggest bank on the local market asset-wise,
ended the first nine months of 2022 with a net banking income of RON
2.44 billion, up 11.6% year-on-year, while its net profit grew by
12.5%, to RON 997.7 million. Net banking income at the level of the
entire BRD group reached RON 2.54 billion, up by 9.8% compared to the
similar period of 2021, while the net profit stood at RON 1.01 billion,
10.3% above the level recorded in the first nine months of last year,
leading to a return on equity of almost 17%, compared to the 13% level
reported for the same period of 2021, according to the institution’s
financial report.
The city of Piteşti will have a new stadium, and the value of the
investment amounts to RON 416 million. The need for a new stadium in
Pitesti came as a result of the fact that the current stadium has very
high maintenance costs and no longer meets UEFA conditions, according
to Pitesti City Hall representatives. The current stadium does not have
covered stands, the visibility of the playing field from the stands is
non-compliant, and the condition of the stadium at the moment is not
eligible for any UEFA standard.
The manufacturer and distributor of professional cleaning products
Misavan from Iasi has invested about EUR 500,000 from its own funds to
purchase five transport units (tractor unit plus semi-trailer), having
thus expanded its current fleet, according to a press release. The
decision is aimed at optimizing logistics operations and delivery
times. The new trucks will transport goods between the company’s 12
warehouses and the production facility, but transport services are also
available for Misavan partners.
Zimmer Biomet Holdings is to open a branch in Romania and to invest
more than EUR 3.5 million in Romania in 2023, according to a press
release. The investment will target logistics expenses (new office,
warehouse, etc.), the construction of a local team of at least 25
people and the securing of equipment stock. The company will move from
distributor representation to direct representation, and this change
will mean expanding its product portfolio, its medical education offer
and introducing a number of integrated digital and robotic technologies
onto the Romanian market.
On Friday, 4 November, President Klaus Iohannis promulgated the laws
that ban persons who have been sentenced to prison for crimes committed
with intent - unless rehabilitation, post-conviction amnesty or
decriminalisation has intervened – from running for and being elected
to the offices of senator, deputy, mayor, county council president
county councillor, local councillor. The normative acts amend Law
115/2015 on the election of local public administration authorities and
Law 208/2015 on the election of the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies.
On Friday, 4 November, President Klaus Iohannis promulgated the law on
the introduction of the subject "History of 1989 Revolution and of
Regime Change in Romania" into high-schools’ curriculum. The draft law,
initiated by Liberal MP Marilen Gabriel Pirtea, was adopted by
Parliament in May.
The Alliance for Romanians’ Unity (AUR) announced on Friday, 4
November, that it had submitted to the Senate a draft law banning the
sale of iodized salt for human consumption, for animal feed and for use
in the food industry. According to AUR, the consumption of iodized salt
has been mandatory in the human diet in Romania for more than 25 years.
"The concentration of iodine was the only one to have fluctuated over
this period, the same as the form in which iodine was used. In animal
feed, the use of iodized salt has gone from being mandatory to
optional," the party pointed out.
Save Romania Union (USR) Senators Anca Dragu, Claudiu Mureșan and
Narcis Mircescu have submitted a draft law proposing the elimination of
"abusive sanctions" by the National Agency for Fiscal Administration
(ANAF) for taxpayers who have not submitted their tax returns on time
due to Finance Ministry’s technical problems. Taxpayers who fail to
file their tax returns on time are currently fined thousands of RON
even if the delay was caused by technical problems at the Ministry of
Finance. The USR initiative eliminates these penalties, provided that
citizens file their returns within 30 calendar days after the initial
legal deadline, according to a press release.
A squadron of Rafale fighters will be sent to perform air policing
missions in the Romanian airspace, French Defence Minister Sébastien
Lecornu said during a meeting with Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae
Ciuca. The two officials discussed the concrete elements of the
Romanian-French Strategic Partnership, including the deterrence and
defense elements on the NATO agenda and the need for security in the
Black Sea region, according to a press release from the Romanian
government. France’s new leadership role in the NATO battle group
deployed in Romania has strengthened this partnership in recent months.
On Friday, 4 November, Family Minister Gabriela Firea wrote on Facebook
that the last 73 foster homes still operating in Romania would be
closed within the following two years, nine of them by the end of 2022.
According to the minister, about 1,900 children live in those centers.
Minister Firea recalled that 20 years ago, there had been more than 500
such institutions, where nearly 100,000 children had been cared for. In
her opinion, all children should grow up in families, which is why
conditions like in a family should be created for those in state care,
and these conditions can only be achieved in family-type housing, not
in large foster homes.
Ministry of Health has announced that several medicines will be added
to the list of medicines that are partially or totally subsidized by
the state starting from 1 December. The newly added medicines are used
for treating certain oncology disorders, heart failure, Parkinson’s
disease, endocrine and metabolic diseases as well as chronic lung
diseases. Upon the Health Ministry’s request, the government has
approved the introduction of 21 new molecules. It is the third time
this year when the list of partially or totally subsidized medicines
has been updated.