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Romanian Mothers May Receive RON350 Stipend For Childbirth Instead Of Trousseau – Draft Ordinance

Romanian mothers could receive a stipend in the amount of 350 lei (EUR1=RON4.1679) per birth, even if the child was stillborn or died after birth, according to a draft emergency ordinance posted Friday on the Labor Ministry’s site.

Restricting Housing Program To New Buildings May Be State Aid – Competition Watchdog

The change of the government's housing program by granting state guarantees only for the acquisition of new buildings might be subject to state aid law, as it would favor only part of the market, according to Bogdan Chiritoiu, president of Romania's Competition Council.

Romanian Emission Tax Hiked 14%, On Currency Exchange Rate

The tax on vehicle exhaust emissions paid by Romanians when first registering a car is 14.2% higher as of January 1, owing to a different RON-EUR exchange rate set by the European Central Bank: RON4.26 to a euro, compared to RON3.73 to a euro in 2009.

National Energy Holdings To Guarantee Loans Of Absorbed Cos

The two national power holdings that Romania plans to set up will take over all the obligations of the absorbed state-owned companies, including the state-guaranteed loans, and will mortgage their assets to guarantee the loans’ reimbursement.

EXCLUSIVE: Romanian Govt Mulls Collecting Social Security Contributions From Freelancers

Romania’s government is planning to stop exempting people from paying social security contributions for income gained from copyright, royalties and various collaboration contracts, people close to the matter told MEDIAFAX.

Romania Registers 82 Deaths, 6,061 AH1N1 Infections

Romania registers 82 fatalities and 6,061 infections with the AH1N1 flu virus, as nine more deaths and 120 new infections have been reported over the past 24 hours.

Budget Amendments Entailing Additional Budget Expenses Won’t Pass – Romanian Fin Min

Romania’s Finance Minister Sebastian Vladescu said Friday he held no talks on adopting any amendments to the state budget, adding he believes amendments that entail additional budget expenses will not pass.

Romania’s Govt May Dissolve Privatization Auth, Include It In Econ Ministry – Sources

Romania’s government plans to dissolve the country’s privatization authority AVAS, either by merging it with the Economy Ministry’s office for state participations and privatization in industry OPSPI, or by setting up a new department within the ministry.

Romania’s Agriculture To Collapse Unless Agric Min Budget Gets Extra Money

About 70% of Romania’s agricultural exploitations will be closed and over 10,000 workers will be jobless unless the Agriculture Ministry’s budget is hiked from 9.87 billion lei (EUR1=RON4.1721) to RON36 billion, Agrostar union federation head Stefan Niculae said Friday.

Romania’s Agric Min Rejects Agrostar Unionists’ Request For State Aid Extension

Romanian Agriculture Minister Mihail Dumitru told a news conference Friday the request of the Agrostar union federation to extend state aid for at least one year based on derogation from the European Commission Regulation on the payment of state aid is not possible.

Romanian Justice Min Sent Draft Extradition Treaty To Syria, No Answer So Far

Romania’s Justice Ministry said Thursday evening it has forwarded to Syria a draft extradition treaty, adding the ministry has received no reaction from the Syrian authorities so far.

Romania Ranks Last In EU On Economic Sentiment Indicator

The economic sentiment indicator, or ESI, slightly rose in December in Romania to 64 points, from 62.1 points a month earlier, but the country continues to rank last among the European Union member states in the European Commission’s ESI classification.

Romania Not To Introduce New Taxes In Agriculture – Fin Min

Romania's Finance Minister Sebastian Vladescu said Thursday there are no talks on the introduction of new taxes in agriculture, but unregistered farms need to be taxed, so that budget revenues can be increased.

Romanian Regional Development Minister Wants 100,000 New Homes Built For Youths

Romanian Regional Development and Tourism Minister Elena Udrea told MEDIAFAX on Thursday that she plans to build around 100,000 new homes for young people through the National Housing Agency (ANL) over the next three years.

Low-cost Airliner Wizz Air Estimates 21% Hike In Passenger Traffic In Romania In 2010

Low-cost airliner Wizz Air estimates to carry nearly two million passengers to and from Romania in 2010, up 21% from 2009 when it carried 1.65 million passengers, considering the company's intention to launch new flights and extend its fleet.

Romanian Social Assistance Budget Could Push System Into Collapse – Official

Romania’s social assistance system risks collapsing because of recent budget and staff cut plans, the former secretary of state from the Romanian National Child Protection Authority, Ileana Savu, told MEDIAFAX Thursday.

Romanian Unions Urge Authorities To Raise Minimum Wage To RON705

Romanian unions call on authorities to raise the minimum wage for 2010 to 705 lei (EUR1=RON4.1721), which is the minimum salary set for public sector employees in the unitary pay law, which regulates public sector wages.

Romania’s Dec Unemployment At 7.8%, Highest In 6 Years

Romania’s unemployment rose for the 17th consecutive month in December, and the jobless rate hit an almost six-year high at 7.8%, from 4.4% a year earlier, official data showed Thursday.

Romania’s New Wage Law Could Delay Wage Paying In State Institutions

Paying wages in certain Romanian state institutions could be delayed as those who must apply the new wage law do not know how to do it, union leader Mihaela Neacsu said Thursday.

Budget Def Would Be 12%/GDP If All Ministries’ Needs Covered – Romanian Fin Min

The biggest weakness of Romania’s 2010 budget is the allotment of just 4% of the gross domestic product for investments, Finance Minister Sebastian Vladescu said Thursday, adding the budget deficit would surge to 10%-12% of the GDP if all investment needs of each ministry would be covered.

Romania Fin Min Says Fast Food Tax Is Just An Idea

Romania’s Finance Minister Sebastian Vladescu on Thursday said no final decision has been made as to applying a tax on fast food, adding it is only an idea and it remains to be seen whether or not the tax will be applied.

EU Conditions Kraft’s Acquisition Of Cadbury On Divestment Of Polish, Romanian Businesses

The European Commission cleared the proposed takeover of UK-based candy producer Cadbury by US food and beverage company Kraft Foods, upon the divestment of the Polish and Romanian chocolate confectionary businesses of Cadbury.

Romanian Fin Min Threatens To Resign If Parliament Lowers Social Security Contributions

Romanian Finance Minister Sebastian Vladescu said Thursday, before debates in the Parliament's budget commissions, that he will resign if the Parliament approves amendments that lower social security contributions.

Romanian Citizen Dies In Car Crash In N Hungary

A Romanian citizen died and other two people were severely injured in a car crash in Orhalom, northern Hungary, after a vehicle collided with a police car, Hungarian news agency MTI informed, citing local officials.

Romania’s Govt Decides To Lay Off About 3,000 Social Workers

Romania’s Government decided Wednesday to lay off about 3,000 employees in social assistance units, after applying cost standards meant to reduce costs by 37% compared to 2009 and save 350 million lei (EUR1=RON4.1620) of the state budget.

Romanian Leu Soars Vs Euro, Unlike Regional Currencies

The leu extended gains against the euro Wednesday, bucking the regional trend, on foreign players' high demand for the local currency, despite the unexpected key rate cut announced Tuesday by Romania's central bank.

Romanian Lawmakers Approve Social Security Contribution Reduction

Romanian parliament commissions for labor and health Wednesday approved an amendment to the social security budget for 2010, according to which employees’ and employers’ social security contributions will be reduced, although the draft budget stipulated they would remain at the last year’s level.

Econ Min Sees All Romanian Localities Connected To Electricity Network By 2012

Economy Minister Adriean Videanu said Wednesday that he wants all localities in Romania to be connected to the electricity distribution network by 2012, a target that should have been reached since 2006, according to authorities' plans.

Romanian ’09 Apartment Prices Dn 17% YY – Survey

The prices asked by apartment owners in the main six Romanian cities, including the capital city Bucharest, fell by an average 17% last year, according to data provided by imobiliare.ro website.

Romanian Fast Food Tax To Lead To Higher Prices, MNC Withdrawal – Food Industry Official

The tax on fast food which the Romanian Government plans to introduce will lead to higher prices and compel many multinational corporations to move to other countries, resulting in more imports, Food Industry Federation president Dragos Frumosu told MEDIAFAX on Wednesday.

Romania’s OMV Petrom Buys New Oilfield In Kazakhstan

Romania’s largest oil company OMV Petrom (SNP.RO) on Wednesday said it acquired at the end of last year Kazakhstan’s Korned LLP, which owns the exploitation license for local undeveloped oilfield Kultuk, for an undisclosed amount.

Romania’s Hungarian Minority Party To Abstain From Vote On Social Security Budget Over Pensions

Lawmakers of Romania’s Hungarian minority party UDMR, which is part of the government, said they will abstain from a vote on the 2010 social security budget because they cannot agree with freezing public pensions.

Romania’s Senate Allows Govt To Pass Decrees During Parliament Recess

Romania’s Senate adopted Wednesday with 60 to ten votes and one abstention the draft law regulating government’s ability to issue decrees during the Parliament’s recess.

Minimum Tax Cleaned Romania’s Economy, Closed Inactive Cos – PM

Over 73% of the Romanian companies closed down after the introduction of the minimum tax were inactive or used for illicit deals, so that the tax seems to have reached its goal due to its curative and cleaning effects over some economic fields, Prime Minister Emil Boc said Wednesday.

Romania To Apply Fast Food Tax As Of March 2010

Romania will apply a tax on fast food starting March 2010 to economic operators that produce or import fast food, pastry, cakes, snacks, chips and fizzy drinks, and the quantum of the tax will be established after negotiations with the respective operators.

Romania Won’t Renegotiate IMF Deal – Fin Min

Romania will not renegotiate the agreement with the International Monetary Fund, but will try to increase the funds allotted for public investments, Finance Minister Sebastian Vladescu told MEDIAFAX.

Romanian Court Says It Released Soldiers In Weapon Heist Case As They Couldn’t Influence Trial

Seven soldiers placed under preventive arrest in the trial of the weapon heist at Romanian military base Ciorogarla were released on December 23, 2009, as they could no longer interfere with the investigations, the court explained its ruling Tuesday.

Romania Expects New Wave Of Swine Flu Infections End January – State Secretary

Romania expects a new wave of infections with the A/H1N1 flu virus end January, Romanian Health Ministry state secretary Adrian Streinu Cercel said Tuesday, calling on people to get vaccinated.

Romanian Health Ministry Mulls Introducing Fast Food Tax

The Romanian Health Ministry plans to introduce a tax on fast food, in order to support national health programs.

Romania’s Tourism Minister Plans To Built Golf Course Near Bucharest

Romania’s Tourism and Regional Development Minister Elena Udrea said Tuesday she plans to build a golf course in Snagov, near capital city Bucharest, adding the Snagov City Hall offered to provide the land needed to carry out the project.