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Romanian Lawmakers Allow Govt To Pass Decrees During Parliament Recess

Romania’s Chamber of Deputies Monday adopted the draft law regulating the Government's ability to issue decrees during the Parliament’s recess.

Romania’s Chamber Of Deputies Ratifies Small-Scale Border Traffic Treaty With Moldova

The Romanian Chamber of Deputies Monday adopted the law ratifying the Agreement on Small-Scale Border Traffic between Romania and the Republic of Moldova, which stipulates visa-free access for both countries' citizens.

Romanian Independent Lawmakers Group To Vote For Draft 2010 State Budget

Romania’s Defense Minister Gabriel Oprea said Monday that the independent group of lawmakers in Parliament will vote for the draft budget for 2010.

Romanian National Minorities Parliament Group To Vote For 2010 State Budget

The national minorities group in the Romanian Parliament will vote for the 2010 state budget and deputies representing minorities “will do everything in their power” to annul all the measures which led to economic depression, group leader Varujan Pambuccian said Monday.

Romanian Democrat Liberals To Vote For Draft 2010 State Budget

The Romanian Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) parliamentary groups will vote for the 2010 state budget, PDL deputy Nicolae Bud said Monday, adding that the draft is not perfect, but is in accordance with the International Monetary Fund and European Commission loan agreement.

Chinese Chery Automobile’s Romanian Mkt Entry Postponed For Sept

The Romanian market entry of Chinese carmaker Chery Automobile, planned for the beginning of this year, has been postponed for September pending its Euro 5 models and certification that the Chinese cars are compatible with European standards.

Romanian Healthcare Unionists Urge Health Min To Grant Overtime Pay To Doctors

Romanian union confederation Cartel Alfa and the Romanian Doctors’ Federative Chamber urge the Health Ministry to grant overtime pay to doctors, threatening protests.

Romanians With Income Exclusively From Copyright To Pay Social Security Contributions – Labor Min

Romanian Labor Minister Mihai Seitan said Monday that, under the draft pension law, people whose income comes exclusively from copyright would no longer be exempt from paying social security contributions, but that the measure would not apply to those who also have labor contracts.

Romania’s High Council Of Magistrates Elects New President

Romanian judge Florica Bejinaru Monday was unanimously elected president of the High Council of Magistrates, defeating the two other contenders, namely judge Ana Labus and deputy general prosecutor Liviu Dascalescu.

Erste Sees Romanian Bourse Soaring In 2010 On Lower Risk Aversion

Romania will lead the way for stock market growth among Central and Eastern European nations in 2010, on further reduction in risk aversion, according to a report from Erste Bank.

Romania 6-Mo Econ Outlook Brightens On Stronger Markets – Survey

Romanian economic outlook for the next six months brightens up, with analysts expecting both financial and stock markets to improve in the first part of 2010, according to a survey of the ZEW German institute.

Romania’s Hungarian Minority Party Lawmakers To Vote For 2010 Budget – Party Leader

The leader of the Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania, Marko Bela, said Monday the party’s lawmakers will vote for the draft budget for 2010, despite it being austere.

Romanian Social Democrats To Vote Against Draft 2010 State Budget

The National Standing Office of Romania’s Social Democratic Party on Monday decided that social democrat lawmakers will vote against the draft state budget and the draft social security budget for 2010.

Romanian Leu Up Vs Euro, Exch Rate Hits 8-Mo High At RON4.1383

The Romanian leu extended early gains against the euro in mid trade Monday, amid a positive sentiment in the region, and the central bank’s reference rate advanced to RON4.1383 per euro, the strongest level in the past eight months.

Romanian Transporters Say Hungarian Road Control Bodies Fine Them Illegally

Romania’s National Union of Road Transporters (UNTRR) said Romanian drivers are "discriminated against" in Hungary, which, the union says, "obtains funds by illegally fining Romanian transporters."

Romania’s Nov Avg Net Salary Dn 0.7% MM To RON1,366

Romania’s net average salary was 1,366 lei (EUR1=RON4.2062) in November, down 0.7% from October, the National Institute for Statistics said Monday.

Romania Jan-Nov ’09 Trade Gap Narrows To EUR8.7B

Romania’s trade deficit narrowed to EUR8.7 billion in January-November 2009, from EUR21.94 billion in the same period the year earlier, the National Statistics Institute said Monday.

Romanian Parl Commissions Vote To Eliminate Min Tax, Cut Building Construction VAT To 5%

The Romanian Parliament commissions for budget and finance adopted Sunday morning a series of amendments to the draft state budget, including ones that eliminated the minimum tax, applied a lower VAT to building construction and a 3% tax on micro-enterprise revenue.

Romanian Lawmakers Adopt Draft 2010 State Budget With Amendments

The Romanian Parliament commissions for budget and finance adopted Sunday morning the amended draft state budget for 2010, with 26 votes “for” and 15 votes “against”.

Romanian Unions, Govt To Discuss Plan To Collect Social Security Contributions From Journalists

Romanian journalists union MediaSind and Press Employers’ Association ROMEDIA announced they would meet next week with the government in order to stop its plan to remove exemptions from the payment of social security contributions for income gained from copyright and royalties.

Romanian Health Ministry Orders Two Institutes To Join AH1N1 Vaccination Campaign, On High Demand

The Romanian Health Ministry ordered the “Cantacuzino” Institute and Public Health Institute to join the “Matei Bals” Institute in the AH1N1 vaccination campaign, as demand for the vaccine in Bucharest has grown significantly over the past week.

Oil Slick Discovered On Romanian Section Of Danube Naturally Dispersed

Officials of the Romanian Water Management System Mehedinti County and border police officers went on alert Saturday morning after an oil slick was discovered on the river Danube, near the port of Drobeta Turnu Severin, however it later dispersed naturally.

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.