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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.

Romania Ctrl Bk Cuts Key Rate By 50 Bps To 7.5%

Romania's central bank on Tuesday decided to lower the key monetary policy rate by 50 basis points, to 7.5% on the year, and to maintain the current levels of minimum requirements on both foreign currency-denominated and leu-denominated liabilities.

Romanian Meteorologists Issue Advisory For Rain, Wind, Frost In 14 Counties

Romanian meteorologists issued a code yellow weather advisory forecasting rain, wind and frost in 14 counties in the western and southwestern part of the country, valid Tuesday evening through Wednesday evening.

Romanian Leu Ends Up Vs Euro On Positive Intl Sentiment

The Romanian leu closed the first trading day of the year stronger versus the euro, on a positive sentiment on the regional markets.

Romanian ELCEN Hikes Heating Tariffs By Up To 10% In Bucharest, Constanta

Romanian thermal power producer ELCEN rose the heating tariffs in the capital city Bucharest and the southeastern city of Constanta by 9% and 10%, respectively, as of January 1, following a decision of the country’s energy watchdog ANRE adopted at the end of last year.

Romania Might Enforce Mandatory Home Insurance Law As Of End-March ‘10

The law forcing Romanian homeowners to insure their homes against natural disasters might be enforced toward the end of the first quarter of 2010 if PAID, the company issuing mandatory home insurance policies, manages to conclude a reinsurance contract, PAID head Marius Bulugea said Monday.

Romanian Farmers To Be Included In Country’s Future Single Pension System

Romanian labor minister Mihai Seitan said Monday there will no longer be a special pension system for agriculture and farmers will be included in the single pension system.

Romanian Carmaker Dacia Sees Biggest Sales Increase Of 51.4% On French Market In ‘09

Registrations of Romanian new Dacia cars and light commercial vehicles in France registered the biggest increase in 2009 of 51.4%, to 65,956 units, according to the Committee of French Automobile Constructors (CCFA).

Romanian Co Metrorex To Spend Up To RON60M On Subway Line Extension Works

Bucharest subway company Metrorex will pay an estimated 59.5 million lei (EUR1=RON4.2282), VAT not included, to finalize construction works on subway sector 1 Mai-Parc Bazilescu, part of mainline IV, the company said Monday.

Romanian Leu Slightly Up, Exch Rate At RON4.2265 Vs Euro

The Romanian leu slightly strengthened against the euro in the first trade of the year, and the central bank computed an indicative of RON4.2265 to the euro.

Romania Forex Reserves Fall Slightly In December To EUR28.3B

Romanian foreign exchange reserves fell EUR434 million in December to EUR28.303 billion, according to central bank data released Monday.

Romanian Transelectrica Hikes Pwr Transport Tariff By 5.4%

Romania’s state-owned power grid operator Transelectrica (TEL.RO) raised, on January 1, the average tariff for electric power transport service by 5.4%, from 16.13 lei (EUR1=RON4.2265) per MWh to RON17/MWh, the company said Monday.

Romania’s Petrom Hikes Pump Prices By RON0.06 Per Liter

Romania’s largest oil company Petrom SA (SNP.RO) raised Monday the gasoline and diesel oil prices by 0.06 lei (EUR1=RON4.2282) per liter, following the international oil price increase, the company said in a statement.

Romanian-Built Car Dacia Ranked Third Most Reliable – French Study

French people consider Romanian-built Dacia one of the most reliable cars, ranking it third after Daihatsu and Lexus in a study ordered by consumer group UFC-Que Choisir.

Romania Drops Plans To Buy France’s AH1N1 Flu Vaccine Surplus

Romania ultimately declined to buy France's surplus of vaccine against the AH1N1 virus, after two months of negotiations, while several other EU states (including Germany, the Netherlands and Spain) are desperately trying to sell off at least part of their surplus, Le Parisien reported.

Bucharest Electoral Auth Declares Lawmaker Seat Candidacies Final

The Bucharest Electoral Bureau on Sunday declared the candidacies of Honorius Prigoana and Radu Stroe for a seat in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies as final, without waiting for the Constitutional Court’s ruling regarding Remus Cernea’s complaint.

Turkey’s Private Hospital Network Medicana Eyes Romanian Mkt

Medicana Hospital, one of Turkey’s leading private healthcare provider networks, plans to expand overseas to countries like Romania and Bulgaria, and seize the opportunities provided by the healthcare tourism industry in the European Union, according to publication Today's Zaman.

Fewer Romanians Spent New Year’s In The Country Or Abroad

The number of Romanian tourists who spent the New Year’s in boarding houses or hotels countrywide was down 8% on the year, to 95,400 people who spent 124.5 million lei (EUR1=RON4.2282), down 13% from 2008, according to Romania’s Federation of Tourism Employers’ Associations (FPTR).

Code Yellow Warning Of Snow, Blizzards In S, SW Romania

Romanian meteorologists on Saturday issued a code yellow warning forecasting snow and blizzards in southern and southwestern Romania on Sunday, between 3 a.m. and 10 p.m.