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Romania New Car Sales Down 60% YY In February

New car sales in Romania decreased 59.9% on the year in February, to 9,082 units, and by 61.8% on the year in January-February, to 16,190 units, on a market that registered a similar decline, the Association of Car manufacturers and Importers (APIA) said Monday.

Bucharest Hosts Third World Summit Of Prosecutors General March 24, 25

Romania’s capital city Bucharest will host Tuesday and Wednesday, March 24 and 25, the third World Summit of Prosecutors General, Attorneys General and Chief Prosecutors.

Romanian President To Find Solutions For Austrian Investors On Local Mkt

Romanian president Traian Basescu said Monday morning that he is going on his official visit to Vienna determined to find solutions for Austrian investors on the Romanian market, to the best interest of both parties.

Romanian Public Sector Employees Protest Monday Against Scrapping Of Wage Bonuses

Romanian unionists in education, administration, healthcare and police affiliated to the "Cartel Alfa" union federation picket Monday the headquarters of the Ministry of Labor and of the parties making up the country’s governing coalition, demanding the government continue to grant them bonuses.

No Salary, Pension Cuts In Romania Following IMF Loan – Sources

The financial support package Romania and the International Monetary Fund are negotiating will not trigger lower basic salaries and pensions, government sources said Sunday.

Romania Hikes Taxable Pension Ceiling To RON1,500 – Sources

Romanian government will hike the minimum taxable ceiling for pensions to 1,500 lei (EUR1-RON4.2950) from RON1,000 until early next year at the most, people familiar with the matter said Sunday.

Romanian Upper House Speaker, U.S. Senator John McCain Hold Talks In Brussels

Romanian upper house Speaker, Mircea Geoana held talks in Brussels on Saturday with U.S. Senator John McCain and other American officials on the existing climate in Romania, the geographical and political evolutions in the region, as well as on the difficulties triggered by the economic crisis.

Romanian PM Says Debt Funds Blocked By Secondary Ordinators

Romanian Premier Emil Boc on Sunday requested prefects to present him by March 27 with a chart of payments made to companies for unbilled works in 2008, saying the government has information that the debts were unpaid by secondary credit ordinators.

EIU Sees Romania Prone To Social Unrest

Romania deals with a high-probability rate of social unrest in response to the economic crisis, British thinktank Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) warned in a report Friday.

Bucharest Authorities Crack Down On Uptown Building Ads

The Bucharest municipality plans to ban ads placed on buildings in central city, on art and historic monuments, on fences in cemeteries, public parks and gardens, as well as on road tunnel walls, sidewalks and trees, the municipality said in a draft decision.

Romanian Bucharest-Bacau Flights Temporarily Redirected

Flights between the Romanian cities of Bucharest and Bacau, handled by Romanian airline Tarom, will be redirected to Iasi, starting this Saturday and until April 12, due to the temporary closing of the “George Enescu” International Airport in Bacau.

Romania’s Rompetrol Raises Gas Pump Prices By RON0.07/Liter

Romania’s second-largest oil company Rompetrol, owned by Kazakhstan's KazMunaiGaz, rose Friday its gasoline pump prices by 0.07 lei (EUR1=RON4.2950) per liter, keeping the same price for diesel oil, the company said in a statement.

Romania May Get EUR4B From EC Out Of EUR19B Financial Package – Sources

Romania might get EUR4 billion from the European Commission’s bailout fund, as part of the EUR19 billion financial package discussed with the E.U. and the International Monetary Fund, government sources told MEDIAFAX on Friday.

Romanian Tourism Pack Prices Range From EUR90 To EUR1,500

Tourism agencies presented, in the Romanian Tourism Fair, their offers for Easter and the summer season, through which tourists can buy packs at prices ranging between EUR90 and EUR1500.

Employees Of Romania’s Disbanded PM Chancellery Get Layoff Notifications

Some 83 employees with the Romanian Prime Minister’s Chancellery, which was recently disbanded, received layoff notifications from the Government Secretariat General.

Two More Romanians Arrested In Rome Rape Case

Italian Police have arrested two more Romanians in the case of the teenage girl who was raped in Rome on February 14, within the investigation carried out in Romania, the online version of Italian newspaper La Repubblica said.

Romania To Decide In Next Period If Taking External Loan – Pres

Romania will decide in the next period if taking or not the external loan from the IMF and the E.U., and a conclusion will be drawn after the negotiations in which the country will be represented by the Finance Ministry and the central bank, President Traian Basescu said Friday.

Romanian U.S. DoD Hacker Has College Education

The Romanian young man accused of having hacked the US Department of Defense servers is a Banks and Financial Markets MBA student within the Economy and Business Management University in northeastern Romanian city Iasi, which prompted a univeristy committee to look at his case.

European Council Sets Financing For Nabucco – Romanian President

Romanian President Traian Basescu said Friday in Brussels that the European Council approved the financing for the Nabucco project, and for the interconnecting pipeline between Romanian and Hungarian gas transport systems.

Finnish Soprano Tarja Turunen To Play Bucharest On June 22

Finnish soprano Tarja Turunen, former vocalist of Nightwish, will return to Romania for a concert at Sala Palatului in Bucharest on June 22, part of her European tour "Summer Storm 2009", organizers ARTmania said Friday.

Romanian SMEs No Longer Welcome Holiday Tickets

Romania’s Council for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) on Friday announced they have reconsidered the opportunity of holiday tickets for employees, arguing the move will put 20% of the SMEs out of business.

Moody’s Affirms Romania At Baa3, With Stable Outlook

Moody's Investors Service affirmed Friday the Baa3 local and foreign currency ratings of the Romanian government, with a stable outlook, citing the moderated public debt burden, though it expects Romanian economy to contract in 2009.

Romanian Railway Union Unhappy With Plans To Fire 12,000 People, Threaten Major Strike

The program of restructuring of the Romanian railway sector does not offer any form of social protection for laid-off personnel, according to the documents received Friday by the railway workers’ union, who stated they oppose the dismissal of some 12,000 people.

Moody’s Sees EU, IMF Aid To Romania EUR20B Over 2 Yrs

Moody's Investors Service expects Romania to obtain extraordinary financial assistance from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund to ease the adjustment as its economy deteriorates, with a total support package of more than EUR20 billion over two years.

Romanian Social Democrats Voice Out IMF Loan-Related Principles For A Solid Ruling

Ovidiu Dontu, vice-president of the Suceava branch of Romania’s Social Democratic Party (PSD), said Friday that the social democrats considered seven conditions with respect to a potential IMF loan, which, if observed, will allow them to keep an open relation with their democrat liberal partners.

Romanian Ctrl Bk OKs Regulation Allowing Provisions Cut For Loss Loans

The Board of National Bank of Romania approved the regulation allowing the banks to reduce provisions booked for "loss” loans by 25% of the guarantee value, the central bank said in a statement Friday.

Three Romanians Aboard Ship Seized By Somali Pirates

Three Romanians are reported to be aboard Greek cargo ship pirates captured Thursday evening in waters off Somalia, CNN reported.

Romanian Folk Artist Ion Dolanescu To Be Buried Sunday In Bucharest

Romanian folk artist Ion Dolanescu will be buried Sunday at 2 pm, local time, in the Bellu Cemetery in Romania’s capital city Bucharest, his son, Ionut Dolanescu, told MEDIAFAX Friday.

German Ship „Deutschland” Opens Cruise Season In Romanian Black Sea Port

German cruise ship "Deutschland" which carries over 400 tourists from Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the United States of America, opens Saturday the cruise season in Romania’s southeastern Constanta harbor.

Romanian Police Detain Group Of ATM Thieves

A criminal group specializing in theft from ATMs was caught Thursday night in the eastern Romanian county of Bacau, in an action coordinated by organized crime prosecutors with the help of the Romanian intelligence service SRI.

Romania Ex-PM, Crin Antonescu Fight For Liberal Leadership

Romanian liberal leader, former premier Calin Popescu Tariceanu and fellow party member Crin Antonescu will draw swords at the party’s Extraordinary Congress on March 20 and March 21, respectively, as liberals are to elect new leadership.

EIB May Partly Assume Bucharest-Ploiesti Highway Financing – Romanian Pres

Romanian President Traian Basescu said Thurday, after meeting the management of European Investment Bank, that EIB might partly take over the financing of the highway linking the capital city Bucharest to the southern city of Ploiesti and of their beltways.

Romanian Govt Agrees EIB’s Proposed Capital Hike – PM

The Romanian Government approved in principle a hike of European Investment Bank's capital, through reducing the institution’s reserves, in order to permit granting more funds to member states, the Prime Minister Emil Boc said Thursday.

Romanian Pres: EIB To Allot Romania EUR1B Each Year

The European Investment Bank will assign Romania around EUR1 billion each year in the next few years, Romanian President Traian Basescu said Thursday after meeting EIB management in Luxembourg.

Romanian Pres: EIB To OK EUR400M Loan For Ford End-April

Romanian President Traian Basescu said Thursday in Brussels the European Investment Bank would approve by end-April a EUR400 million loan for Ford, while a EUR200 million loan for Renault is seen approved in the second half of 2009.

Romanian Folk Artist Ion Dolanescu Dies At 65

Famous Romanian folk artist Ion Dolanescu, 65, died Thursday afternoon of heart attack at his home in capital city Bucharest.

Romanian PM Adviser Names Categories Allowed To Have Pension-Wage Cumulus

The ceiling equal to the average gross wage which bans cumulating pensions and salaries in the public sector will not be applicable to people appointed to public offices, said prime ministerial adviser Mihai Seitan Thursday.

Romanian Agriculture Min Sacks 60 Paying Agency Managers Over Delayed Subsidy Payments

Romanian agriculture minister Ilie Sarbu sacked Thursday 18 managers of the central structure of the country’s Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture (APIA) and 42 local managers, saying they failed to observe deadlines to start payments to farmers.

Romania’s Agric Payment Agency Mgmt To Be Dismissed – Sources

The central and local management of Romania’s Agency for Payments and Intervention in Agriculture (APIA) will be dismissed, sources within the country’s Agriculture Ministry said Thursday.

Bucharest Bks Fined Over Improper Security Services

Bucharest police announced Thursday they have fined 22 bank offices and headquarters for failure to ensure proper security services against potential break-ins.