IMPORTANT DEVELOPMENTS
- FOREIGN POLICY. Prime Minister Victor Ponta sent letters of condolences following the plane crash of Malaysia Airlines.
- FINANCES. Victor Ponta: If we do not reduce the CAS now, it means that we will never do it.
- EUROPEAN POLITICS. Ponta discussed with Juncker about Romania’s proposal for the European Commissioner.
- ROMANIAN POLITICS. Victor Ponta will announce on Tuesday, July 29, his candidacy to the presidential elections.
- FOREIGN POLICY. Victor Ponta – favorite to win the presidential election.
Prime Minister Victor Ponta sent letters of condolences following the plane crash of Malaysia Airlines
Prime Minister Victor Ponta, PSD President, sent letters of condolences to his counterparts in the Netherlands and Malaysia, following the crash of the Malaysia Airlines passengers’ plane in eastern Ukraine.
According to a press release from the Press Office of the Executive remitted on Friday, July 18, 2014, Prime Minister Victor Ponta expressed his deep sympathy and solidarity of the Romanian people and conveyed condolences to the bereaved families, on his behalf and on behalf of the Government of Romania.
According to the statement, in the letters of condolence the Prime Minister stressed that „in these times when the international community is shocked by the tragedy in which innocent people lost their lives, the conditions and causes of the crash of the aircraft need to be clarified, as soon as possible„.
Victor Ponta: If we do not reduce the CAS now, it means that we will never do it
Prime Minister Victor Ponta, PSD President, said Wednesday, July 16, 2014, that the CAS must be reduced now, when there is economic growth and additional budget revenues. According to the Prime Minister, if this move will not be done now, it will never be done.
„Strictly in terms of sustainability, I especially looked, once again, over the entire data, we have 2.6 billion in additional revenue from the increased excise duty, 1.5 billion from the special tax in construction and I checked now, compared to last year, on current income, in the first six months we have 3 billion lei extra. When it comes to accounting, we cover the accounting; only the economy is not just accounting, but also brains. We also have the Insolvency Code, 41 billion lei have to be recovered from insolvent companies (…) and we have a 4% economic growth, which implies what we have to charge to the budget. From these points of view and according to all figures, if we do not reduce now the social security contributions, it means that we will never do it, it means that in Romania we will never be able to reduce any significant tax if now with economic growth, with additional revenues and with certain incomes we are not doing it, then we will never do it”, said Victor Ponta, in the beginning of the Government meeting.
The PSD President added that such contribution reductions can only be made in a favorable context and assured all Government members that the reduction of the CAS is a sound and sustainable measure, and for this reason it has been put on the political program of the USL, all other political forces supporting it.
„We discussed this reduction of the CAS with the business environment and we have the full support of the business environment, with the National Bank of Romania, with our international partners, with all those who have said that Romania is going in the right direction, but we have one point where we are not competitive, namely labor taxation. From this point of view, reducing social security contributions should help us precisely in what is most important, namely creating taxed job, that means also new jobs, and especially jobs that exist now but are not taxed because the social security contributions are too high”, said Victor Ponta.
Ponta discussed with Juncker about Romania’s proposal for the European Commissioner
Prime Minister Victor Ponta discussed with Jean-Claude Juncker, the elected President of the European Commission, about Romania’s proposal for the position of European Commissioner, saying that the first option is the Agriculture portfolio, and officials in Brussels took note of this proposal.
EC President informed Ponta that he will discuss with all prime ministers in the EU in order to receive all proposals on the composition of the future European Commission. Subsequently, Juncker will submit his proposals to the Member States on their respective portfolios in the forthcoming Commission, the Government informs.
The Executive also states that, according to the law, all related procedures must be conducted strictly by the Government, with the informing of the Parliament.
„After the announcement, according to the law, the Government will follow all necessary procedures, including informing the Parliament of Romania. According to the Lisbon Treaty, and according to Law 373/2013 on cooperation between Parliament and Government in European Affairs, the Government is to carry out all these procedures and will act accordingly”, the Executive added.
Prime Minister Victor Ponta said that the Government’s option is to keep the Agricultural portfolio in the EC and to nominate Dacian Cioloş. „As you know, the European Council has not reached a conclusion on the appointment of the President. The Government of Romania’s option is to keep the portfolio of Agriculture and to nominate Mr. Cioloş, but cannot make a nomination until talking with the European Commission President […] When we have President Juncker’s confirmation that Romania can regain this portfolio, the nomination will shortly follow”, said Ponta.
Victor Ponta will announce on Tuesday, July 29, his candidacy to the presidential elections
PSD leaders emphasized that the time and place of the event are symbolic: 2 years since the dismissal of Basescu by 7.4 million Romanians, with an overwhelming vote in favor of the resignation in Oltenia!
July 29 is the way in which Victor Ponta and us, the PSD, will send a signal to the entire Romania: our country is entitled to a different kind of President, a true President of all Romanians, a President who respects and listens to the Romanians, stressed PSD leaders. The President of Romania really has to be of all Romanians, both of those who vote, and of those who are not present to vote, both of those of the left, and of those of the center or the right, have shown the same voices. Candidates who call themselves „right-wing”, who promise to lead the country only for the „right” do nothing more than announcing a continuity line of a divisive social vision promoted by President Basescu, said PSD leaders.
They showed that, in 2014, Romania faces two major options: Romania may choose to continue the Basescu model, through the one who will assume the priorities and the policy ways of Traian Basescu. That means that people who created the Basescu regime will return to lead the country and take the same decisions – they are the same people with the same vision! Another option, PSD leaders highlight, is a complete fracture from what Traian Basescu meant in politics – disunity, rancor, social hate, mockery of citizens – and the election of a president to represent Romania with honor and good training both in the country, and especially abroad!
Victor Ponta – favorite to win the presidential election
According to a survey conducted by CSCI on a multistage cluster sample of 1050 people, validated based on the INSSE 2011 data and the 2002 census, with a 3% tolerated margin of error, at a probability level of 0.95, Victor Ponta is the most trusted politician by the citizens: 35% of the respondents trust Victor Ponta, followed in this ranking by Calin Popescu Tariceanu (32%), Klaus Iohannis (29%), Mihai Razvan Ungureanu (21%), Traian Basescu (20%), Cristian Diaconescu (16%), Elena Udrea (15%), Crin Antonescu (14%) Catalin Predoiu (13%).
In terms of voting intentions for political parties, the PSD+ UNPR+PC Alliance would receive 41% of the votes, followed by the PNL+PDL Alliance, with 29% of votes. PP-DD would get the votes of 6% of the respondents, as well as PMP, while UDMR would be voted by 5% of the citizens.
In the first round of the presidential elections, Victor Ponta would be voted by 41% of respondents, while Klaus Iohannis (from PNL+PDL) would receive only 28% of the votes. In a possible confrontation in the second round of elections PM Ponta would prevail, being preferred by 55% of the voters. However, Klaus Iohannis is considered the best candidate of the right wing by 38% of voters, followed by Mihai Razvan Ungureanu (20%), Crin Antonescu (13%), Catalin Predoiu (8%), Cristian Diaconescu (7%), respectively Elena Udrea (5%).
