Institute for Public Policies: One million Romanians abroad will not be able to vote de Radu Rizea HotNews.ro

Vineri, 14 noiembrie 2008, 13:04 English | Politics

The Institute for Public Policies in Bucharest gave an alarm on the fact that at least 10% of the Romanian electors will not be able to vote on November 30. The situation refers mostly to Romanians who will not be in their electoral districts. Most problems are with the students, the military personnel and the Romanians working or studying abroad who didn’t obtain the proper papers in the host - countries. The number of persons who do not fulfill the necessary conditions to vote is around one million, a press release of the institute indicates. According to the Romanian law, floating visas are not enough for electors to vote in their residence cities, instead they must travel to their legal place of residence.

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Romania president Traian Basescu: Romania must form a Government quickly after the elections de Radu Rizea HotNews.ro

Joi, 13 noiembrie 2008, 13:06 English | Politics

Romania must be "quick" in forming a Government after the elections on November 30, and the new cabinet should enjoy a solid support in the Parliament, in order to be able to manage the economic crisis effects, said president Traian Basescu during a conference with several French journalists, AFP informs. "|The economic crisis will act as a catalytic agent for the adoption of a fast solution, beneficial for the entire country", said Basescu. According to the head of state, the new cabinet will be called to efficiently manage the EU funds, which add up to 32 billion dollars until 2013. The priorities identified by Basescu are the road and railroad infrastructure, where the spending so far is zero, because of the lack of viable projects.

http://english.hotnews.ro/print?articleId=5137540

Romanian Education Unionists Call Of General Strike Set For Nov 18 Romanian unions in the education sector said Friday they called off the general strike they planned to start on November 18, but are set to resume protests unless the country’s future government applies the law which raises teachers’ wages by 50%.

Unionists had talks and concluded the strike needs to be postponed, Aurel Cornea, leader of the Federation of Free Unions in Education, told MEDIAFAX Friday. Unionists added they will resume protests unless the future government applies the law raising teachers’ wages by 50% as of October 1, 2008. "Romania’s president and political parties in Parliament, except those that make up the government, committed to apply the law immediately after general elections. There was a major risk that our planned general strike would have served as a political tool since politicians are campaigning,” Cornea said. Romania holds parliamentary elections on November 30. On Monday, the government annulled the decree postponing the wage hikes for April next year and issued a new decree, which overrides the old one and which stipulates average wage increases of 10%. The Constitutional Court ruled Wednesday that the government decree postponing a 50% raise in teachers’ wages was unconstitutional, even though the government had notified the court that it had repealed the decree. Unionists said they are confident the Constitutional Court would find something wrong with the government’s new decree. Romanian Education Unionists Call Of General Strike Set For Nov 18 Romanian unions in the education sector said Friday they called off the general strike they planned to start on November 18, but are set to resume protests unless the country’s future government applies the law which raises teachers’ wages by 50%.

MEDIAFAX http://www.mediafax.ro/printare/romanian-education-unionists-call-of-general-strike-set-for-nov-18.ht... 11/16/2008

Romanian Healthcare Unionists, Health Ministry Signed Wage Hike Agreement Romania’s Sanitas union federation of healthcare employees signed an agreement with the Health Ministry Friday stipulating wage increases of at least 10% in 2009 for employees in the system.

Union leader Marius Petcu said the agreement signed with health minister Eugen Nicolaescu will serve as a base a future government decree, to be drafted by December 15, that will stipulate raises for healthcare employees as of January 1, 2009. Petcu added that under the agreement, wages of staff in the healthcare sector will increase by at least 10% and a grid regulating wages for each category of healthcare employees is to be drafted by experts by December 15. "We haven’t yet completed the grid for each category, but the average wage increase will vary. Employees with low salaries will receive raises of at least 20%,” Petcu said. He added that prevention bonuses, which currently stand at 11% of the salary, will increase to 15% as of January, and loyalty bonuses, which are currently granted twice a year, will be granted three times a year. Healthcare employees will also receive a base salary as vacation bonus. Romanian Healthcare Unionists, Health Ministry Signed Wage Hike Agreement Romania’s Sanitas union federation of healthcare employees signed an agreement with the Health Ministry Friday stipulating wage increases of at least 10% in 2009 for employees in the system.

MEDIAFAX http://www.mediafax.ro/printare/romanian-healthcare-unionists-health-ministry-signed-wage-hike-agr... 11/16/2008

Romanian Pres Passes Law Approving Govt Ordinance On Former Secret Police Files Romanian President Traian Basescu Thursday promulgated the law adopting the Government Emergency Ordinance regulating the activity of the National Council for the Study of Securitate Archives, or CNSAS.

The head of state signed the decree approving Government Emergency Ordinance no. 24/2008 granting access to one’s own file from the communist era and disclosing the activity of former Secret Police Securitate, the Presidency said in a statement. The act stipulates CNSAS is to have a mere administrative role, without being allowed to pass ruling of political police. CNSAS can only observe the attribute of former worker or collaborator with the Securitate, the act noted. The act includes two amendments that stipulate CNSAS can no longer verify county secretaries of the former Communist Party, or PCR, and that priests are subject to verification only if the cult they belong to files an official request. Romania’s government adopted in March CNSAS’ new organic structure. “CNSAS’ role is only to observe, based on archive documents, if someone collaborated with former secret police Securitate or if he/she worked for the police and thus they contributed to limiting a person’s rights and freedom (…) while the court is the one that makes a biding ruling regarding the quality of collaborator or worker with Securitate police,” Marius Oprea, adviser to Premier Calin Popescu Tariceanu said at the time. Basescu signed also the decrees rejecting normative acts ensuring the continuity of the functioning of the council, between the moment when the old law was ruled unconstitutional and the moment when the new normative act was enacted. Romanian Pres Passes Law Approving Govt Ordinance On Former Secret Police Files Romanian President Traian Basescu Thursday promulgated the law adopting the Government Emergency Ordinance regulating the activity of the National Council for the Study of Securitate Archives, or CNSAS.

MEDIAFAX http://www.mediafax.ro/printare/romanian-pres-passes-law-approving-govt-ordinance-on-former-secr... 11/16/2008

Romanian Govt Reminds New Decree On Teachers’ Wages Is Effective The Romanian government said Wednesday it will wait for the Constitutional Court’s motivation on its ruling regarding the decree postponing a 50% pay increase for teachers, which the government had annulled in the meantime, government spokeswoman Camelia Spataru said.

Spataru added that the new government decree, overriding the one the Court deemed unconstitutional earlier in the day, is in effect. "We will not comment on the Constitutional Court’s decision, as it exclusively regards a decree that was cancelled. We will wait, however, for the Court to motivate its decision. In the meantime, the new government decree regulating teachers’ wages, adopted by the government Monday, is in effect,” Spataru said. Romania’s Constitutional Court ruled Wednesday that the government decree postponing a 50% raise in teachers’ wages was unconstitutional, even though the government notified the court Tuesday it had repealed the decree. The new government decree, which overrides the old one and increases teachers’ wages by an average 10%, was published in the Official Gazette Tuesday and the government said the Constitutional Court no longer has a decree to rule on. Romanian Govt Reminds New Decree On Teachers’ Wages Is Effective The Romanian government said Wednesday it will wait for the Constitutional Court’s motivation on its ruling regarding the decree postponing a 50% pay increase for teachers, which the government had annulled in the meantime, government spokeswoman Camelia Spataru said.

MEDIAFAX http://www.mediafax.ro/printare/romanian-govt-reminds-new-decree-on-teachers-wages-is-effective.h... 11/16/2008

More Than 30% Of Romanian Lawmakers Did Nearly Nothing In Past Mandate - Study The activity of more than one third of Romanian lawmakers was poor, even insignificant, over the past four years, according to a report issued Wednesday by the Romanian institute "Qvorum".

The institute said “the quality analysis of the lawmakers’ activity showed a situation completely different from that depicted by the strictly quantitative analyses unfolded so far, namely the number of Parliament activities (such as speeches, legislative initiatives) do not necessarily indicate efficiency in activity. According to the study, on a national level, 174 lawmakers (35%) had poor, very poor and even insignificant activity in their mandate, while 154 lawmakers had an average activity. However, 159 lawmakers (32%) had good or outstanding activity, according to the criteria used in the study. More Than 30% Of Romanian Lawmakers Did Nearly Nothing In Past Mandate - Study The activity of more than one third of Romanian lawmakers was poor, even insignificant, over the past four years, according to a report issued Wednesday by the Romanian institute "Qvorum".

MEDIAFAX http://www.mediafax.ro/printare/more-than-30-of-romanian-lawmakers-did-nearly-nothing-in-past-ma... 11/16/2008

Romanian Const Court Deems Unconstitutional Annulled Govt Decree Romania’s Constitutional Court ruled Wednesday that the government decree postponing a 50% raise in teachers’ wages was inconstitutional, even though the government notified the court Tuesday it had repealed the decree.

The government notified the Court Tuesday that it annulled Monday the emergency decree postponing until April next year the law raising teachers’ wages by 50%, and the act was sent to be published in the Official Gazette. The new government decree, which overrides the old one and increases teachers’ wages by an average 10%, was published in the Official Gazette Tuesday and the government said the Constitutional Court no longer has a decree to rule on. Romanian Const Court Deems Unconstitutional Annulled Govt Decree Romania’s Constitutional Court ruled Wednesday that the government decree postponing a 50% raise in teachers’ wages was unconstitutional, even though the government notified the court Tuesday it had repealed the decree.

MEDIAFAX http://www.mediafax.ro/printare/romanian-const-court-deems-unconstitutional-annulled-govt-decree.h... 11/16/2008

Romanian PM Accuses Leftist Parties Of Double-Speak Romanian Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu told ministers in the Cabinet meeting Wednesday that he would sent political parties a letter inviting them to sign the agreement of the law regulating public sector wages, adding leftist parties use double-speak and make ungrounded promises.

He said the signature of parties on the agreement would be a guarantee for unions that the law would be voted some time after general elections on November 30. "Romanian leftist parties use one rhetoric in public and act completely differently when it comes to facts. It is unfortunate that they resort to double-speak, as this clearly proves they are unreliable parties that make promises they won’t keep,” Tariceanu said, cited in a government press release. On Tuesday, Tariceanu invited representatives of political parties unions and employers to sign an agreement on the basic principles of a future law to regulate wages in the public sector. Leaders of the leftist Social Democratic Party, the Conservative Party, the Democratic Liberal Party and the far-right Greater Romania Party refused to sign the agreement. The agreement was signed by the prime minister, the ministers of finance, labor and interior, the ruling Liberal Party, the minority Hungarian Party (which is part of the government), four employers’ associations and a single union federation. Romanian PM Accuses Leftist Parties Of Double-Speak Romanian Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu told ministers in the Cabinet meeting Wednesday that he would sent political parties a letter inviting them to sign the agreement of the law regulating public sector wages, adding leftist parties use double-speak and make ungrounded promises.

MEDIAFAX http://www.mediafax.ro/printare/romanian-pm-accuses-leftist-parties-of-double-speak.html?6966;348... 11/16/2008

All But One Romanian Unions Refuse To Sign Public Sector Pay Agreement With Govt Romanian Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu today invited the unions and Parliament party representatives to sign an agreement on the base principles for the public sector salary law.

The Government reminded that the conclusion of an agreement was convened upon in principle on October 17, within a consultation meeting approaching this topic, and that the draft agreement was discussed and negotiated within the workgroup created in this purpose. Tariceanu said Monday that most union leaders understood dialogue is the only way in which problems could be solved, referring to the fact that, late last week, talks ended between the Government and the unions on the base principles of the public sector salary law. These principles refer to fitting the ratio between the base minimum wage on economy and the highest base salary up to the level of 1 to 15, a new hierarchy of base salaries among sectors and within the same sector, differentiated salary increases between 2009 and 2013, the enactment of the draft law within six months. Based on this law, salaries will be firstly granted to public sector employees with low incomes, mainly young people. The leader of the National Union Bloc, Dumitru Costin, said Tuesday he signed the principle agreement, but added there are wide discrepancies between these principles and the manner in which the salary policy was conceived for 2009. Costin said upon exiting the Government building, where the meeting took place between unions, employers and the Government, that, even though he signed the agreement, he wrote on the document that there are very wide discrepancies between the Government’s will to support the single salary principles and the manner in which the salary policy was conceived for 2009. "The salary police revolves around bosses, many bosses, which will receive high pay. There is no political party that would rejoice at changing the salary policy," Dumitru Costin said. In his turn, Cartel Alfa union vice president Romulus Nita said he requested a postponement in agreement signing, so that he might convince all parties involved in the electoral campaign to accept it. "The Prime Minister asked us to sign regardless, but in this context we cannot be sure the two large parties that will form the next Government will agree to this document," Nita said. The President of CNSLR Fratia, Marius Petcu, left the meeting announcing his organization will not sign an agreement with the Executive. The Federation of Free Unions in Education did not sign either, according to union President Aurel Cornea. The Romanian Government Monday approved a 28% wage hike for staff in education, to be applied gradually based on existing income, Premier Calin Popescu Tariceanu said. Tariceanu said the pay hike will be operated in two stages, on March 1, 2009 and September 1, 2009, respectively. “This is the best solution Romania’s budget can handle. Our decision is intended also as an invitation to dialogue for unions,” Tariceanu said. He said other public sectors, such as healthcare and justice, will see similar wage increases as well.

MEDIAFAX http://www.mediafax.ro/printare/all-but-one-romanian-unions-refuse-to-sign-public-sector-pay-agree... 11/16/2008

Romanian Social Democrats’ Campaign Bus Hit In Alleged Shooting The windshield of the bus carrying Romanian social democrat leader Mircea Geoana was broken Sunday evening near Bucharest, and the driver said the bus was shot at.

Party vice-president Gabriel Oprea said investigations will establish Monday whether a gun was fired at the bus. The incident occurred Sunday evening in Otopeni, near Bucharest, as social democrats were returning from a visit to Prahova county. Passengers said the windshield was hit at one point and cracked, but the bus didn’t stop. Geoana said at the time it was probably children throwing stones. The driver, however, said Monday that the windshield was cracked by four compressed air gun shots and he didn’t stop for fear of additional shooting. Vice-president Oprea said the driver did the right thing by not stopping. He added an investigation would clear the circumstances of the incident Monday and the party will decide whether or not to submit a complaint the competent authorities. Romanian Social Democrats’ Campaign Bus Hit In Alleged Shooting The windshield of the bus carrying Romanian social democrat leader Mircea Geoana was broken Sunday evening near Bucharest, and the driver said the bus was shot at.

MEDIAFAX http://www.mediafax.ro/printare/romanian-social-democrats-campaign-bus-hit-in-alleged-shooting.ht... 11/16/2008

Romanian Prosecutors’ Office Closes File On Communist Police Crimes And Abuse Romania’s General Prosecutors’ Office closed the file on the crimes and abuse committed by Romania’s communist, in which 67 former activists, psychiatrists and police employees had been indicted. Prosecutors said the file had passed its statute of limitations.

Romania’s Institute Investigating the Crimes of Communism said Sunday it contests the prosecutors’ decision to close the file which indicted 67 former activists, psychiatrists and police employees, denounced by Vasile Paraschiv. Early July, the manager of the Institute Investigating the Crimes of Communism, Stejarel Olaru, and Paraschiv filed a criminal complaint against 67 former activists, psychiatrists and police and prosecutors’ office employees, saying there is evidence they kidnapped and tortured Paraschiv. Romanian Prosecutors’ Office Closes File On Communist Police Crimes And Abuse Romania’s General Prosecutors’ Office closed the file on the crimes and abuse committed by Romania’s communist, in which 67 former activists, psychiatrists and police employees had been indicted. Prosecutors said the file had passed its statute of limitations.

MEDIAFAX http://www.mediafax.ro/printare/romanian-prosecutors-office-closes-file-on-communist-police-crimes... 11/16/2008

081113 Agerpress Press review

Bucharest, Nov 13 /Agerpres/ - Romania’s national dailies of Thursday give main coverage to Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu unveiling a package of measures to weather the effects of the external crisis; the general election of November 30 and the possible compositions of the future government; the effects of the ongoing world financial crisis; former Romanian Justice Minister Monica Macovei being elected Europe’s Woman of the Year.

Ziarul financiar informs that the Government has unveiled its first package of measures to weather the effects of the external crisis, mentioning that Prime Minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu unveiled the package on Wednesday. This is the first decision of the Romanian Government to cushion the effects on the Romanian economy of the world credit crisis, given that one month ago the Romanian state officials were optimistic that the financial turmoil will not affect Romania.

The Government intends to double housing appropriations in 2009, allow the carrying out of thermal rehabilitation of housing exempted from VAT and to cancel the pollution tax levied on new motor vehicles. As from January 1, 2008, a tax bonus of 5 percent of due tax will be awarded when taxes are paid on schedule.

Business standard remarks that Tariceanu are shooting anti-bullets in the air, quoting Tariceanu as saying he will invest 10 billion euros in Romania’s economy in the following four years. The first measures adopted by the Tariceanu Cabinet on Wednesday include the earmarking of 220 million euros for social housing; subsidising interest rates on mortgage loans; cutting social security contributions by 10 percent; increasing state aids in 2009 to 1 billion euro; boosting the employment of the unemployed by grating 1,000 euro for each job that goes to an unemployed, the paper reports. The paper also quotes Tariceanu as promising to raise the cap on the SMEs Guarantee Fund and the Rural Credit Guarantee Fund by 100 million euros and to reward taxpayers servicing their debts on schedule by a 5-percent of the due tax bonus.

Cotidianul remarks that the leaders of the main political parties have started sketching up their versions of the future government.

One of the versions around for securing a 50-percent majority would be the creation of a two-party coalition of the three major parties running in the general election - the opposition Democratic-Liberal Party (PD-L), the opposition Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the ruling National Liberal Party (PNL). This is the possibility discussed by the PNL campaign chief Bogdan Olteanu, who argues that in order to pass Parliament, the future government will need such a majority. The paper notes that Olteanu omits to say that the incumbent minority PNL Government was voted in with the PSD support, without the PSD becoming part of the Government. PSD leader Viorel Hrebenciuc is quoted as saying the future majority will have to be formed in line with the principle of preserving the game between the Power and the Opposition. The paper says there is also a version of a trans-partisan Government. The paper quotes Olteanu as telling it in a statement that there is the possibility of a post-partisan political majority, but in his opinion such version will not observe the decision of the electorate.

The paper quotes presidential adviser Cristian Preda as saying a parliamentary majority is possible to build to support the Government, but it all depends on the capability and finesse in negotiations and the political intelligence of those who will get to form the future Government.

Deputy Chairman Crin Antonescu of PNL is quoted as having told a news conference on Wednesday that he believes President Traian Basescu would like to see a PD-L- PNL Government led by an independent technician and that in the future Legislature Basescu will no longer advocate early elections but he will seek the most convenient solution.

Gandul remarks that Governor of the National Bank of Romania (BNR) Mugur Isarescu is rumored to become a crisis premier, but it quotes him as saying that he does not rule out a comeback in politics, yet he has not been proposed to become prime minister and he does not believe he will be.

Ziarul financiar reports that he Constitutional Court in Wednesday ruled as unconstitutional a Government decision that postpones until April 1, 2009 the implementation of a law under which teachers’ pay is increased by 50 percent.

In theory, the outcome should compel the Government to enforce the pay increases as from October 1, as Parliament decided. The Government foresaw the ruling of the Constitutional Court and on Monday evening abrogated the postponing ordinance, replacing it with an ordinance under which teachers’ pay will be increased by up to 29 percent, yet from March 2009.

Most of the Romanian papers comment on the world credit crisis and its effects on the Romanian economy. Business standard reports that analysts predict 30,000 redundancies in the first half of 2009.

Romania libera, Cotidianul and Ziarul financiar indicate that Kraft Foods will close its factory in Brasov in 2009. Kraft Foods Romania, with a 2007 business turnover worth 137 million euros, will close by the end of 2009 its chocolate factory of Brasov, which employs 440 people. Kraft is making its Poiana and Africana chocolate brands in Brasov. Part of the chocolate business from Brasov will be taken over by the group’s subsidiary in Bulgaria.

Romania libera and Cotidianul reports that Romania’s former Justice Minister Monica Macovei has been named ’Europe’s Woman of the Year’ by a panel of MEPs and journalist. The prize was handed in to Macovei by President of the European Parliament Hans Gert Poettering.

At the award ceremony, Poettering said he is proud of Monica Macovei, commending her for her courage displayed while a justice minister in the fight against corruption. Poettering said he has never seen another personality fighting against corruption based on democratic principles as Macovei did.

Macovei, currently a special consultant to the Government of the Macedonia Republic in corruption fighting affairs and a European Commission expert in training specialist staff from EU candidate countries in the area of judicial reform, was designated Romania’s candidate for the prize on June 16 by a panel of 25 civil society officials and Romanian journalists.

Romania libera reports that UEFA President Michel Platini will be in Romania today and tomorrow to inspect the works on the National Stadium of Bucharest, the place likely to become a venue in 2012 for the UEFA Europe League final. The visit to Romania of the UEFA delegation, which ends tomorrow with a news conference, is part of a comprehensive tour of Platini in Eastern Europe. AGERPRES

Redactori: /cor/cor | ID: 871346 | Data: 2008-11-13 09:59:32 | Slug: MEDIA ste/nct

081112 Agerpress Press review

Bucharest, Nov 12 /Agerpres/ - Romania’s national dailies of Wednesday give main coverage to recent televised statements by President Traian Basescu, problems facing Romanian exporters, the rise in pay for starting teachers, price rises as a result of the local currency having devalued, the state of motorways.

Ziarul financiar carries some statements by President Traian Basescu aired on a televised show on Monday on the B1TV commercial channels in which he reiterated that after the November general election he will not nominate either national leader of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) Mircea Geoana or incumbent Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu of the National Liberal Party (PNL) to be the next prime minister of Romania, but he also promised nothing about his old partner Theodor Stolojan of the Democratic-Liberal Party (PD-L). He also alluded to the political class intending to suspend him from office, an attempt he called a ’coup d’état’ that would allow the parties to impose a prime minister.

Basescu’s statements came in response to several statements by party chiefs that the head of state is compelled to nominate the prime minister from among the members of the parties that manage to pull together a parliamentary majority The paper says Basescu and the parties are on different pages when it comes to interpreting the Constitution, with Basescu pointing strictly to the articles in the Constitution allowing him to name the head of the Government, while the parties, with the exception of the opposition PD-L, close to Basescu, arguing that the President must observe the willing of the people, and consequently name the prime minister they deserve, because they would be entitled to do so if the election outcome indicates they can pull together a majority. The paper says the office of the prime minister in the Government to ensue from the November 30 general election is targeted by Calin Popescu-Tariceanu of PNL, Mircea Geoana of PSD and Theodor Stolojan of PD-L. Basescu argues that its aim is to recommend to Parliament a prime minister he can trust, mentioning Tariceanu and Geoana among the ones he does not trust. Asked what about Stolojan, he said he trusts him but that does not mean Stolojan is the only solution.

Editorialist Armand Gosu says in an article carried by weekly 22 that there is no hope from the current political class. ’It is increasingly more evident that the current political class has burned out its potentials. The big achievement of this generation of transition politicians was they did not make major mistakes that would have stymied the way of Romania to the West, given that NATO and the EU were firmly supporting Romania’s membership. Things are getting complicated now. It is about a long-going process for the deep modernisation of the country, for which this elite has no design and no capability of understanding its stakes. This is a tired generation that has overcome its condition. Its attempt to save itself by an injection of fresh blood has failed, because the younger politicians have proved nothing more than clones of their older colleagues.’

Gandul remarks that pauperised by the crisis, Europe has left Romanian exporters without customers, reporting that Romanian companies manufacturing for export markets will be severely damaged by the world crisis because they will lose most of their business orders. In the next months alone, demand for Romanian exports is expected to drop by 10 percent, according to data with the Export Council. The Romanian companies manufacturing exporte-bound goods will have to shrink or halt business and in the end lay off employees in an attempt to avoid bankruptcy.

Romania libera notes that Romanians are hit in their pockets by a drop in the value of the local currency, the leu (RON). It reports that prices for imported services and foods have increased, but the prices that include transport costs have not dropped with the drop in the oil prices. The paper quotes Chief Economist for Raiffesien Bank Ionut Dumitru as saying he expected seasonal price increases for vegetables, but he did not expect the prices for meat, cheese and milk to follow suit. Pressure on the price rises, he says, is kept on because of a tenacious demand surplus amidst wage and pension rises. Although consumption is shrinking in developed countries, in Romania there is still exuberant spending. Consumption, he says, should slow down, but not significantly, and there is no foreseeable dropping now.

Romania libera remarks that motorways should be the most important priority of Romania. Poor road infrastructure is one of the thorniest problems facing Romania that is slowing down the economic and social development of the country. According to a ranking drawn up by the World Economic forum, Romania has one of the world’s poorest roads. Road quality in Romania is seen as worse than in Cambodia, Tanzania, Zambia, Albania and Burundi, at number 123, far behind Hungary (64), Kyrgyzstan (104) or Bulgaria (105). The paper notes that the medium-term objectives of all the parties are ambitious: 250 km of motorways an average a year in 2009-2012, although only 5 km of motorways were built in 2008. With all the Government plans, reality is that big infrastructure works are unfolding at a snail’s pace. AGERPRES

Redactori: /cor/cor | ID: 869511 | Data: 2008-11-12 10:06:47 | Slug: MEDIA mcl/nad

081110 Agerpress Press review

Bucharest, Nov 10 /Agerpres/ - The Romanian dailies on Monday carry reports, commentaries and analyses on economic and financial issues mostly, like the consumer lending market, the commercial centers to be built next year, a rise seen in the foreign investment and financial aid to state-owned companies.

’The PD-L is five percentage points ahead of the PSD’, reads a headline in Cotidianul reporting the results of the most recent pre-election survey conducted by Insomar pollsters on Oct. 30 - Nov. 3.

When asked about ’the candidate of which party would you vote for if parliamentary elections were held next Sunday’, 36.6 percent of the respondents said they would vote for a candidate of the opposition Democratic Liberal Party (PD-L), 31.9 percent would vote for the candidate of the opposition alliance of Social Democrats (PSD) and Conservatives (PC), 17.5 percent would cast their vote for the candidate of the ruling National Liberals (PNL) and 5.5 percent for the candidate of the Hungarian Democratic Union of Romania (UDMR, a junior ruling coalition partner). Below the 5 percent threshold there are the opposition Greater Romania Party (PRM) with 4.7 percent and the non-parliamentary Christian Democratic New Generation Party (PNG-CD) with 2.8 percent.

The Democrat Liberals have fallen in the electorate’s options from July when they had 38.5 percent and from 39.4 percent in Sept. The Liberals also plunged in the surveys from 19.9 percent in Sept., but they are credited with more votes than in July when they had 16.1 percent. The Social Democrat candidate had 26.4 percent in the July survey and 24.7 percent in Sept., Insomar said.

Bursa daily carries the results of a separate survey conducted by the Centre for Monitoring the Parliamentary Elections as showing that 29 percent of the eligible-to-vote Romanians would prefer an alliance of the PSD-PC-PNL-UDMR to rule the country.

Next in the voters’ options comes an alliance of the PD-L-PSD-PC-UDMR with 26 percent, an alliance of the PD-L-PNG-UDMR with 25 percent and PSD-PC-PNG-UDMR with 14 percent.

The Bursa-carried survey also shows just 43 percent of the Romanians would turn out to vote in the Nov. 30 parliamentary elections.

The Romanian consumer lending posted a 2008-record jump in Sept. at more than 5 percent, being mainly fuelled by the dynamic of the forex borrowing, that climbed nearly 10 percent, Ziarul financiar reports.

Such growth stabilized at 52 percent in Sept., thus putting an end to six consecutive months of slowdown. ’Romanians rushed to borrow before the financial crisis hit’, Gandul says.

The total area of the commercial centres to be opened next year will be by 700,000 square meters smaller than predicted, Cotidianul announces, explaining that the global financial circumstances has prompted the consultants to revise downwards the prognoses related to the area of the commercial centres built in Romania.

There are currently 53 commercial centres in Romania, with another 22 to begin being built next year.

Evenimentul zilei also focuses on the domestic real estate market and reports that thousands of apartments currently being built have no funds at present. ’The developers who have just opened the building sites or have announced plans to build now have decided to suspend their plans due to the financial crisis’, the daily explains.

The mutual funds market, already seeing under-development, is getting severe blows due to the steep fall of the shares on the Stock Exchange, Ziarul financiar writes; it reports that the investors in October withdrew a record 23.3 million lei (some 6.3 million euros) from the Romanian share funds, having been scared by one of the most dramatic falls suffered by the Bucharest Stock Exchange (BVB).

’Romania keeps on attracting investors’, says Adevarul in a headline to an item reporting that the net foreign capital injection will go higher than 8 billion euros this year, after the foreign investments in Romania last year totalled 7.25 billion euros.

The sectors have drawn the highest foreign investment volume this year are industry and the financial brokerage and insurance services.

As regards industry, the most attractive branches were the processing industry, steel-making and food industry, the Bucharest-based daily adds.

’Crisis aid worth 100 million euros to be granted the state-owned firms’, announces Romania libera in a headline; it reports that the State Assets Realization Authority (AVAS) is drafting a normative act to extend rescue aid, in a move meant to back the Romanian enterprises hit by the financial crisis.

There are two companies that will get such state aid, the daily says, citing Oltchim chemical plant based in Ramnicu Valcea (southern Romania) and Celrom pulp and paper plant in the southwestern Drobeta-Turnu Severin city.

The financial aid scheme totalling 100 million euros will be assented by the Fair Competition Council and notified to the European Commission.

The Romanian print media on Monday carries a report published in the British press saying that executive director of U.S. firm Hyperion, John Deal had said ’Romania will be the first country where a mini-nuclear power station will be installed’.

’From science fiction to reality in five years: Romania will be the first EU country to have a neighbourhood nuclear power station’, Gandul writes. However, the Romanian National Commission for the Nuclear Activity Control stressed it received no application to authorise the setting up in Romania of such mini-nuclear power stations that can provide electricity to 20,000 houses, adding it knows nothing of such project. AGERPRES

Redactori: /dfl/dfl | ID: 865948 | Data: 2008-11-10 10:06:41 | Slug: MEDIA-REVIEW dan/nad