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Romanian Govt Postponed Wage Hikes In Education By One Month

The Romanian government put off by one month, to April instead of March, the first stage of wage increases in the education sector.

Romania’s Ctrl Bk Set To Ease Monetary Policy Next Wk – Analysts

The National Bank of Romania, or BNR, will decide on Wednesday to ease the monetary policy, analysts said, most of them betting on a key rate cut.

Romanian Press Passes Law On Nationalized Houses

Romanian President Traian Basescu Friday passed the law on nationalized houses, initiated by former conservative leader Dan Voiculescu, after saying Monday evening he no longer has any means of going against the normative act.

Organized Crime Officers Find One Ton Of Cocaine In S Romania

Nearly one ton of cocaine was found in the container lying since December 2008 in port Constanta Sud – Agigea, southern Romania, organized crime officer Aurelian Pavel said Friday.

GM Incomes In Romanian Ministries Reach RON20,000, Wg Bonuses Included – PM

The incomes of the general managers in the Romanian ministries amount to 20,000 lei (EUR1=RON4.2775) with some bonuses included, which imposes the elimination of bonuses such as that for the use of a foreign language, Prime Minister Emil Boc said Friday.

Romanian Devt Ministry May Finish Constr Started By Developers In Distress

Local authorities may buy certain apartment buildings started by private developers in distress, then the Romanian Ministry of Development, Public Works and Housing, or MDRL, would finalize and deliver them to city halls.

Italian Police Keeps Romanian Rape Suspects In Protective Custody

The six Romanians arrested after the rape committed on a 21-year old Italian girl in the outskirts of Rome, are kept in isolation because they are under the threat of violence from the Italian inmates, while their state-provided lawyers refused to defend them for fear of retaliation.

Romanian Def Min Sacks Staff Over Missing Weapons Case

Romanian defense minister Mihai Stanisoara announced Friday the dismissal of the Air Force General Staff head Constantin Croitoru and the head of the counterintelligence chief of the General Staff, in the case of missing weapons from the military warehouse in Ciorogarla, near Bucharest.

Romanian Mothers To Receive Fin Aid For Each Baby Delivered In Multiple Birth-Draft Law

Romanian democrat liberal deputy Mircia Giurgiu will submit to Parliament on Monday a draft law stipulating women who give birth to twins or multiples will receive for each baby the childbirth indemnity and the child benefit, which are now paid for one baby.

Madonna Ready To Entertain Romanians In Famous „Sticky and Sweet” Tour

Queen of Pop Madonna also included Romania in her "Sticky and Sweet" tour aiming to promote her new multi Grammy-nominated album "Hard Candy."

Romanian Liberals Demand Defense Min Resignation In Weapon Heist Aftermath

Romanian former minister Adrian Cioroianu asked defense minister Mihai Stanisoara to resign, claiming he is the one to blame for the disappearance of weapons from the military unit at Ciorogarla.

Romania May Face Econ Collapse Unless Govt Finds Solutions – Employers Assoc Head

Romania may face an economic collapse in a few months unless the Government finds solutions that would be quickly implemented to support the economy, Ioan Coraci, the president of the Employers’ Confederation of the Romanian Industry UGIR-1903, said Friday.

Romanian Healthcare Employees Might Protest After Feb 10 Over Wage Demands

Romanian healthcare unionists threatened to trigger protests after Feb 10, as they are not happy with the government’s offer to hike their wages by only 5% and cut all bonuses, union leader Marius Petcu told MEDIAFAX.

Romanian Liberal VP Could Run For President In Fall

Romanian National Liberal Party vice-president Crin Antonescu told MEDIAFAX Friday that he will run for the presidency of the party only if there is a congress called in March, adding that if the congress is postponed, he will not run for president of Romania either.

Romanian Court Keeps Death Penalty For Spy Who Fled To The U.S. In ’73

Constantin Rauta, a former officer of Romania’s Foreign Intelligence Department under the Ceausescu regime, sentenced to death by the Bucharest Military Court in 1974, didn’t have his sentence overturned Friday at the High Court of Justice.

Romanian Devt Min ’09 Budget Up 20% On Yr, At RON3.7B

Romania's Ministry of Development, Public Works and Housing, or MDRL, will have a 3.74 billion lei (EUR1=RON4.2314) budget in 2009, up 20% on the year, minister in charge Vasile Blaga said Friday.

Romanian SSIF Broker Frowns On Securities Regulator Measures

The decision of Romanian Securities Commission CNVM to temporary suspend the operations of local brokerage company SSIF Broker Cluj-Napoca (BRK.RO) and the company’s shares from trading on the Bucharest Stock Exchange are deemed exaggerated and the reasons grounding the decision are “puerile,” the company’s president Petru Prunea said Friday.

Romanian Securities Comm Suspends SSIF Broker’s Ops For Two Wks

Romanian Securities Commission, or CNVM, suspended Thursday, for two weeks, the functioning licenses of local brokerage company SSIF Broker Cluj-Napoca (BRK.RO) as well as the company’s shares from trading on the Bucharest Stock Exchange.

Romanian PM Urges Ministers To Cut Staff Spending, Issues Warnings

Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc said Thursday evening on national television that ministers who refuse to cut staff spending and thus, disregard the government’s recent decision to scarp 20% of jobs in the central public administration, will have to find another job.

Romanian Weapon Warehouse Was Unlocked – Sources

The weapons warehouse in Ciorogarla, near Romania’s capital city Bucharest, was unlocked Wednesday morning and hadn’t been checked for two weeks, people close to the investigation said told MEDIAFAX.

Romanian Govt To Modify Fiscal Code, Introduce Tax Exempt For Reinvested Pft – PM

The Romanian government will modify the fiscal code and approve through an emergency ordinance the absolving of reinvested profit taxation and the compensation of the value added tax, or VAT, with the reimbursed sums from the state through VAT, Prime Minister Emil Boc said Thursday.

Staff Spending To Drop From 8.4% To 7.5% Of The GDP – Romanian Fin Min

Staff expenses will drop from 8.4% of the Gross Domestic Product to 7.5% of the GDP in 2009, while spending on the procurement of goods and services ill drop by 1.5 percentage points, from 6.5% of the GDP to 5% of the GDP, said Romanian finance minister Gheorghe Pogea.

Romanian Govt May Ask IMF, EC For A Loan – PM

Romania has indeed problems with the external deficit financing, but has several options such as taking a loan from the European Commission or the International Monetary Fund, none of the solutions being excluded, Prime Minister Emil Boc said Thursday.

Romanian Govt Has Money For Budget Def, Doesn’t Know It – Ex PM

Romania’s former prime minister Calin Tariceanu said Thursday the country’s National Fund for Development has 11 billion lei (EUR1= RON4.2314), which would enable the Executive to cover the funding deficit, adding there is enough money if the Government knew how to look for it and use it.

Romanian Social Insurance Contributions To Be Up 3.3 Pps In 09 – Fin Min

Romanian social insurance contributions will increase by 3.3 percentage points, similar with the level enforced in the first half of 2008, Finance Minister Gheorghe Pogea said Thursday.

Romanian Govt Plans To Rush Tobacco, Alcohol Excises To Hike Budget Revenues – Fin Min

The Romanian Government plans to rush the adjustment of tobacco and alcohol excises in order to hike budget revenues, Finance Minister Gheorghe Pogea said Thursday.

Tax Exempt For Reinvested Pft To Be Enforced As Of 2010 – Romanian Fin Min

Romania will approve the tax exemption of the reinvested profit through an emergency ordinance that will amend the Fiscal Code, but the measure will come into force as of January 1, 2010, Finance Minister Gheorghe Pogea said Thursday.

Romanian Foreign Affairs Min Worried Over Hate Crime Arson Attempts In Italy

Romania’s Foreign Affairs Ministry expressed concern over the arson attempts aimed at two Romanian-owned stores in Italy, following a crime in Guidonia, and added there are some 1 million Romanians living in Italy, and less than 1% of them are convicted criminals.

Romanian ‘08 Budget Def Widening Not Due To Fincl Crisis – Fin Min

Romania’s budget deficit of 5.2% of the gross domestic product in 2008 was not necessarily fueled by the international financial crisis, and the EU might punish the member states that went beyond 3% of the GDP threshold due to other reasons, Romanian Finance Minister Gheorghe Pogea said Thursday.

Romanian Communications Min To Discuss Infringement With Viviane Reding

Romanian communications minister Gabriel Sandu will meet on February 17, in Prague, with European commissioner for information society and media Viviane Reding, to discuss the infringement procedure initiated when Romania breached EU regulations on the independence of its national telecom regulator.

Romanian Govt Allots 20% Of ’09 Budget Spending For Invest – Sources

Romania's Government decided in Thursday’s meeting to assign 20% of the 2009 budget spending for investments, mainly in infrastructure, governmental sources told MEDIAFAX on Thursday.

Romanian Public Sector Wages to Grow By 5% This Year – Sources

Romanian public sector salaries could be increased this year by some 5%, in stages, which is a variant discussed in the meeting held Wednesday between the members of the government coalition, but a decision will be reached Thursday in the government meeting, political sources told MEDIAFAX.

EC Closed Infringement Procedures Against Romania Over 112 Emergency No

The European Commission decided Thursday to close the infringement procedures over the 112 single EU emergency phone call number, after Bucharest confirmed emergency services have access to caller location information, which allows them to trace rapidly the victims of the accidents for all calls.

Romanian Education Min Budget Reaches 6% Of GDP – Sources

The budget of the Romanian ministry of Education has been set by the Government at 6% of the gross domestic product, official sources told MEDIAFAX.

Gross Avg Monthly Wage At Romania’s Devt Ministry Worth RON4,746, Not 8,818 – Ministry

Romania’s Regional Development Ministry said the monthly average wage in the institution last year reached 4,746 lei (EUR1=RON4.2314), including the base and the merit salary, the seniority bonus and the management bonus, and not of RON8,180, as shown by a government document Wednesday.

Higher Tobacco Excise Means Higher Prices, More Contraband – JTI Romania

Cigarette maker Japan Tobacco International (JTI) said the Romanian tobacco excise calendar has already been rushed with the introduction of the vice tax, and an early increase of the excise would spell 50% increases in cigarette prices and would put contraband in control of 30% of the market.

Romanian Prosecutors Launch Criminal Investigation Into Weapons Warehouse Break-In

Romanian military prosecutors started criminal investigations "in rem" regarding stolen weapons from a military warehouse in Ciorogarla, in Ilfov County, near capital Bucharest.

Romanian Bkers Want Ctrl Bk To Cut Rate, Min Req Reserves Ratios

Romanian bankers are waiting for the central bank to cut both the key rate and the minimum required reserve ratios in next week’s Board meeting, in order to unfreeze lending, said the president of the Romanian Banks Association, or ARB.

Police Check Thousands Of Cars After Weapons Warehouse Break-in

Romanian police are checking, since Wednesday evening, cars in Bucharest, surrounding Ilfov county and the Bucharest - Pitesti highway after a weapons storage facility in Ciorogarla, lfov, was broken into.

EC Initiates 2nd Stage Of Infrigement Against Romania, On Energy Efficiency

The European Commission initiated the second stage of the infringement procedure against Romania, alongside other 19 European union member states, as it failed to communicate its transposition of the Energy Services Directive, the Commission said Thursday.