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Romanian Interior Minister Resigns

Romania’s Interior Minister Liviu Dragnea said Monday night he is resigning, after just ten days in office, saying the ministry received too little money in draft state budget for this year.

Romanian Senate Rejects Telecom Watchdog Setup

Romanian senators on Monday rejected two government ordinances turning communications regulator ANRCTI into National Communications Authority ANC and bringing the telecom authority under the premier’s control.

P&G Begins Constructing Its Second Romanian Factory In Feb

Giant consumer goods Procter&Gamble will begin this month the construction of its second factory in Romania, in the country’s southern town of Urlati, Prahova county, in an investment initially estimated at $50 million, the company announced Monday.

Romanian Medicine Prices Up 10-20% Starting Feb 1

The price of compensated medicine in Romania grew, starting February 1, by 10% for foreign products and 20% for local ones, according to the recalculation of the prices at an exchange rate of RON4 to the euro.

Romanian Public Servants Threaten To Go On Gen Strike As Of Feb 27

Members of Romania’s National Union of Public Servants threaten to go on general strike as of Feb 27 and demand wage increase of 50%, the protection of public servants in control institutions and public office stability.

C Romania Armed Robbery, Double Homicide Suspect Has Alibi

Ninel Ianculescu, sparring partner of Romanian armed robbery and double homicide suspect Serghei Gorbunov, told MEDIAFAX that on the day of the armed robbery, between 16.30 and 18.20 local time, Gorbunov was in k-boxing training, with at least ten other people.

Romania Needs Law Regulating Retailer-Supplier Relations – Producers

The Code of Good Practice signed in July last year by Romanian retailers and producers hasn’t changed taxes and practices of large stores and the retail sector needs a law in this respect, representatives of producers in the Romanian food industry said Monday in a press conference.

Romanian Authorities Pull Down Illegal Constructions In Mamaia Seaside Resort

Romania’s Dobrogea Litoral Water Administration (DADL) started Monday morning to pull down all illegal constructions on the beaches of Mamaia resort on the Black Sea coast, following recent talks between environment minister Nicolae Nemirschi, hotel owners and local authorities.

Romania’s Forex Reserves Dn EUR211M In Jan To EUR26B

Romania’s foreign exchange reserves decreased by EUR211 million in January to a total of EUR26.009 billion, the central bank said in a statement Monday.

Romania’s Petrom Hikes Gas, Diesel Oil Pump Prices By RON0.09/Liter

Romania’s largest vertically integrated oil company Petrom (SNP.RO), owned by Austria’s OMV (OMV.VI), hiked Monday its gasoline and diesel oil pump prices by 0.09 lei (EUR1=RON 4.2775) per liter, due to the international oil price increase, the company said in a statement.

Romanian Dacia To Launch Fuel-Efficient Sandero on Local Mkt In 1H ‘09

Romanian carmaker Dacia, the local unit of French Renault, will launch in Romania, in the first half of the year, the Logan Sandero model equipped with a fuel-efficient 1.2- liter gasoline engine, which develops 75 HP.

At Least 10-15% Of Jobs In Romanian Food Industry To Be Scrapped This Year – Union

At least 10-15% of the 175,000 - 190,000 employees in the Romanian food industry could lose their jobs this year, said Monday Dragos Frumosu, head of the national food industry union federation.

Romanian RAFO Onesti Resumes Ops To Complete Equip Upgrade Program

Romanian refinery Rafo Onesti resumed operations Monday, to carry out the equipment upgrade program, and almost 900 of its 1,300 employees returned to work, two weeks after the return of its first 350 employees.

Romania’s Chemical Plant Azomures Resumes Ops

Romania’s chemical plant Azomures (AZO.RO) resumed operations Monday and its approximately 2,500 employees put on technical unemployment in December returned to work.

Romania’s ’09 Budget Is Illegal, Immoral, Top Secret – Opposition VP

Romanian Liberal Party vice-president Eugen Nicolaescu said Sunday during a press conference that the 2009 state budget draft was illegally approved, is immoral because it doesn’t keep promises made during elections, and is also top secret.

Romanian PM Chancellery To Cut 40-50% Of Jobs

The organizational chart of the Romanian Prime Minister’s Chancellery will be reduced to 144-154 employees from the current 304, and the government will restrict the employees’ mobile phone calls and lower their gas consumption for government cars.

Romania Estimates To Collect RON13.44B In Tax Per Pft This Year

Romania estimates to collect 13.445 billion lei (EUR1=RON4.2775) this year from the tax per profit, up 3.19% compared to 2008, and banks will contribute RON750 million, 6.95% more than last year.

Romanian Farmers May Sell Milk, Eggs In Mkts As Of Feb 1 Only If Registered With Sanitary Auth

Romanian farmers who want to sell food products such as milk and eggs in markets need to be registered with the sanitary veterinary authority and observe hygiene and labeling conditions as of Feb 1, and will be checked in the upcoming period.

Romania’s Budgets Always Included Unpaid Bills Of Previous Year – Ex Fin Min

The payment of bills left over from the previous financial year has always been a constant in Romania’s state budgets, said Sunday former finance minister Varujan Vosganian, adding the current government is partly to blame for the 2008 budget deficit, which doubled in December.

Agencies, Authorities Coordinated By Romanian PM Could Be Transferred To Govt Secretariat, Deputy PM

Agencies and authorities coordinated by the Romanian prime minister are being evaluated by performance and budget and some, such as the Sanitary Veterinary Authority and the Anti-doping Authority, could be transferred to the Government Secretariat General or the deputy prime minister.

Romanian MEP Rares Niculescu To Be Appointed Govt Spokesman

Romanian MEP Rares Niculescu is the spokesman for the Romanian Government, Niculescu told MEDIAFAX Sunday.

Romania’s Financing Needs To Stay Extremely High – Analysts

Romania’s financing needs will continue to grow, despite a sharp contraction of the current account deficit in absolute terms increasing the possibility of getting external loans, but authorities must keep in mind that such arrangements entail strong commitments.

Keeping Contribution To Romanian Pvt Pension Funds At 2% In ‘09 Lowers Contributions By EUR80M

Keeping contributions to the Romanian mandatory private pension system at 2% of contributors’ gross income this year will lower by over EUR80 million the sum that should have been transferred to the accounts of over 4 million private pension fund contributors.

Five Romanians Rape Romanian Woman In Italy – Press

A 22-year-old Romanian woman was raped in Italy by five Romanians, who were arrested by Italian police within hours, Italian paper Il Tempo said in its online edition Sunday.

Romanian Police Arrest Three Suspects In Major Cocaine Bust Case

Three of the suspects in the case of the massive cocaine transport found in Constanta Sud Agigea port, southeastern Romania, were placed under preventive arrest Sunday.

Romanian Labor, Education, Transport Mins To Spend Nearly EUR10B This Year

Romania’s Ministries of Labor, Education and Transport will be able to spend a total RON38.9 billion (EUR9.7 billion, or 6.7% of GDP) from the state budget, European funds and self-financing.

Romanian Liberals Must Nominate Presidential Candidate Soon – Party VP

Romania liberal leaders agree that they need to nominate a presidential candidate as soon as possible, liberal vice-president Ludovic Orban said in a press conference Saturday, adding talk of a potential candidacy on his part is premature.

Romanian Pension Point To Increase To RON718.4 In April, RON732.8 In Oct

The Romanian government decided to increase the value of one pension point to RON718.4 from RON697.5 as of April 1, and to RON732.8 as of October 1, according to the 2009 social insurance budget draft.

Romanian Employees’ Social Insurance Contributions Upped To 10.5% Of Gross Wage As Of Feb

Social insurance contributions paid by Romanian employees will increase by one percentage point as of Feb 1, to 10.5% from 9.5% of the employee’s gross monthly income, and employers will pay 20.8% to 30.8% of their employees’ gross income.

Romanian Ministries Obliged To Ensure Co-Funding For EU-Funded Projs

Romanian ministries will be obligated in 2009 to ensure in full and as top priority funds needed to co-finance programs benefiting from external financing and are banned from redistributing this money to other projects in “budget revisions throughout the year".

Romanian ’09 Budget Def At RON18.8B, Pensions Budget Surplus At RON221M

Romania’s state budget revenues are estimated this year at RON75.6 billion and expenses at RON94.5 billion, with a deficit of RON18.8 billion, while the estimate for the social insurance budget for the public pension system indicates a surplus of RON221 million.

Romanian Social Democrats Discussed Need A Presidential Candidate Who Can Win – Leader

Romanian social democrat leader Mircea Geoana said Saturday, after the meeting of the party’s parliamentary groups, that there were talks about party’s need to come up with a presidential candidate who could win the election.

Romanian Tourism Min To Partner Up With Owners To Promote Castle Bran

Romanian tourism minister Elena Udrea said Saturday after a meeting with Archduke Dominic of Habsburg, owner of Romania’s Castle Bran, that they agreed to have an “active partnership” for the promotion of this tourist attraction.

Romanian Govt To Find Money To Up Teacher’s Wages Further If Education Reform Is Achieved – PM

Romanian Prime Minster Emil Boc said Saturday that if reform in the education sector is achieved, the government will find resources to increase teachers’ wages.

Austrian Embassy Driver Who Killed A Pedestrian In Bucharest Can’t Be Tried In Romania

The Austrian Embassy employee who killed a 22-year-old woman in a car accident in Bucharest Saturday morning has jurisdictional immunity and won’t be tried by Romanian authorities, judicial sources told MEDIAFAX Saturday.

Romanian Govt Prepares Plan To Relaunch Agriculture – PM

The Romanian government will come up with a special program to relaunch the country’s agriculture sector to make Romania an exporter of food products, Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc said Saturday.

Brasov Armed Robbery Suspect Is Moldovan, Has Criminal Record – Minister

Moldovan citizen Serghei Gorbunov was detained by police in Brasov, central Romania, because he didn’t return to the Craiova Prison and he is among the suspects in the armed robbery that occurred in Brasov Thursday, the head of the local police said.

Local Police In Brasov Deny Having Seized Armed Robbery Suspect

Local police in Brasov, central Romania, haven’t detained any suspect in the armed robbery that occurred Thursday evening, local police spokesman Liviu Naghi told MEDIAFAX Saturday.

Romanian Police Seize Main Suspect In Brasov Armed Robbery – Interior Min

Romanian interior minister Liviu Dragnea said Saturday on Antena 3 that police seized the main suspect in the armed robbery that occurred Thursday evening in the central Romanian city of Brasov, which left two people dead and one injured.

Three Kilometers Of Railway Stolen In W Romania

Police and prosecutors in Romania’s western county of Bihor are investigating employees of a local firm, suspected of having stolen three kilometers of rail, police said.