Jan-March governing stocktaking report lists teachers' wage rise, red tape cut among accomplishments

The increase of the teaching staff wages and the cut of red tape for freelancers are among the measures implemented by the Cabinet in Q1, states the governing stocktacking report for January - March 2018, presented on Monday at the meeting of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) National Executive Committee by Premier Viorica Dancila.

The report mentions the enforcement of the Pay Law that has "regulated specific situations" and "the 20 percent increase of the teaching staff wages as of March 1 (the wages of this category advanced 40 percent since December)", also pointing out the twofold increase of the doctors' wages.

According to the stocktaking report, measures have been taken to keep incomes at the same level, following the transfer of the contributions for the personnel subject to income tax break (IT staff, research, development and innovation personnel, seasonal employees and the severely handicapped), reduce red tape for freelancers, simplify the refund of the auto tax and exempt from the payment of the health insurance contribution the recipients of child benefit, minimum guaranteed income and adoption leave allowance.

At the category of social measures, the report mentions the government's having conceived the bill on the combat of domestic violence and having referred it to Parliament for adoption.

Several other measures in support of the disabled persons are also mentioned, specifically: the submission of Form. No. 230 by NGOs as a file index, offsetting the decrease in NGO revenues following the cut of the income tax from 16 to 10 percent, expanding the range of companies that can sponsor NGOs, defining the criteria for assigning rare diseases to handicap categories. Another accomplishment is the increase, beginning January 1, 2018, of disability benefits by 30 percent on average.

In another thread, the stocktaking report presents the measures taken by the government in flood-stricken areas (15 km of commissioned dams, 49 aid-recipient families, 353,500 lei worth of disbursed aid, 57.8 ml lei allocated to the 9 counties hit by floods).

Regarding economic measures, the document mentions the implementation of the new electronic public procurement system - SICAP (worth 27 ml euro), stating that it is operational since April 2.

The launch of the public procurement procedure for works on the Pitesti - Craiova expressway is also specified, with the mention that the contracts for at least 2 of 4 lots will be signed in Q2.

Other actions taken by the government are listed in the report as follows: the transfer of the land plot for the Metropolitan Hospital under the management of the Bucharest City Hall; the completion of the legal framework for the tender for the Republican Hospital; the completion of the technical project for the expansion of the platform of the Henri Coanda Airport (the works are next to be tendered); and the approval of the technical and economic indicators for investment in the Steaua, Rapid and Triumphal Arch stadiums.

The report also mentions the investments under the National Local Development Program for: 308 km of water and sewage pipelines built in Q1 (300 km are estimated for Q2); 84 homes built in Q1 (100 homes are estimated for Q2); 419 km of county and commune roads in Q1 (520 km are estimated for Q2); 4 crčche and kindergarten units built in Q1 (28 units are estimated for Q2); the upgrading of 2 education facilities in Q1 (140 units are estimated for Q2).

As regards the development of the national corporations, the report mentions the Transgaz investment program (687 ml lei for the BRUA and Ungheni-Chisinau gas pipelines), the takeover by Transgaz of the Republic of Moldova gas operator VestMoldTransgaz and the acquisition of the Mangalia shipyard (the state becomes again a majority shareholder, controlling 51 percent of the company's equity).

The measures mentioned in the sector of agriculture include the irrigation program (new investments, 46 capacities approved, the preparation of the irrigation campaign for a surface of 1.2 million hectares and irrigation contracts concluded for 800,000 hectares).

Other implemented measures mentioned in the document are: the setting up of the Economic Programming Council, the setting up of the National Committee on the switchover to the euro, the institutional development aimed at increasing the performance of the national R & D institutes and of public universities (with a projected budget for 2018 - 2021 of 500 ml lei), the combat of tax evasion - the setting up of customs filter II (that funneled to the state coffers 195,000 lei and 515,120 lei worth of seized goods in its first week of operation). AGERPRES (RO - author: Madalina Cerban, editor: Florin Marin; EN - author: Simona Klodnischi, editor: Simona Iacob)