SNIPPETS Communications ordinance sought to prevent budget deficit / Govt coalition seeks presidential candidate / Threats with protests in Health sector

The Communications Ministry in Bucharest argues that an ordinance aimed at allowing a 5G frequencies tender to take place is needed to prevent a budget deficit. Meanwhile, the governing coalition and a third party are discussing a possible common candidate for Presidency. And trade union members in the Health sector threaten protests.

• Romania’s Communications Ministry has initiated an emergency ordinance aimed at correcting issues caused by an ordinance late last year, which made the launch of a bidding for new 5G frequencies impossible. The ministry warns that unless the bill is adopted the money expected to be obtained from taking value out of mobile comm radio frequencies would not be there, so a budget deficit should be expected. The thing is, while the Communications Ministry is says the ordinance is urgent, the government cannot issue emergency ordinances when the Parliament is away on vacation. The parliamentary vacation has just started, but an extraordinary session is expected to take place this week – the last chance for the government to approve the piece of legislation. More on this in Romanian here

• Debates have intensified on a possible common candidate for Romania President for the governing coalition and a third party. Victor Ponta, a former PM and Social Democratic Party (PSD) leader who has formed his own party, Pro Romania, has suggested that his group, the PSD (which is the main member of the governing coalition) and ALDE, the minority member of the governing coalition, should table a common candidate in presidential elections due later this year. ALDE leader/Senate speaker Calin Popescu Tariceanu agreed on Monday that this would be „the best solution”. But PM Viorica Dancila, freshly elected president of the PSD, said that her party expects opinion polls before deciding what formula to embrace, while it cannot stop ALDE from talking to other parties. More on this in Romanian here

• Health sector trade unions are threatening „surprise protests” that might lead to a general strike, should the Health Ministry introduce performance indices for salaries, as stated by the Health minister recently. Meanwhile, minister Sorina Pintea assured stakeholders that employees in hospitals would not be cut. The of payment according to performance and the criteria for this sparked a lot of talks in recent weeks, as the sector is struggling with a lot of issues since many Romanian doctors have left for work abroad. More on this in Romanian here