English

Ionut Costea Takes Helm Of Romanian Lender Eximbank

16:32, 23 Feb. 2009
Ionut Costea is the new president of Romanian state-owned lender Eximbank, taking the helm from Carmen Radu, after the bank’s main shareholder, the country’s Privatization Authority AVAS, replaced six of the bank's seven board members.

Romanian Ctrl Bk Ready To Prevent Disruptive Movements Of Exch Rate

16:06, 23 Feb. 2009
The National Bank of Romania, or BNR, is ready to act to prevent any disruptive adjustments of the Romanian leu, central bank governor Mugur Isarescu said Monday.

Romania ‘04-‘08 Arms Deliveries To Israel Close To EUR21M – Paper

15:48, 23 Feb. 2009
Romania delivered weapons to Israel worth nearly EUR21 million between 2004 and 2007, according to an Amnesty International report quoted by Israeli newspaper Haaretz on Monday.

Romanian Govt To Assume Responsibility For Criminal, Civil Codes In May – Democrat Liberal VP

14:53, 23 Feb. 2009
Romania's Government plans to assume responsibility for the four legal codes in May, and the Parliament will set up two commissions to analyze them on Tuesday, while debates on three of the codes start in the government Tuesday, said vice-president of the Democratic Liberal Party, Gheorghe Flutur.

Romanian Defense R&D Lab Blast Kills One

14:50, 23 Feb. 2009
A blast occurred Monday at the Scientific and Defense Research Laboratory of the Romanian Ministry of Defense, killing one officer who was working there, the ministry said.

Romanian Liberals Won’t Challenge State Budget Law At Constitutional Court

14:07, 23 Feb. 2009
Romanian opposition leader, Liberal Party head Calin Tariceanu, said Monday after a party meeting that liberals won’t contest the state budget law at the Constitutional Court because that would delay its execution.

Over 60% Of Romanian Pvt Cos To Fire Staff In ’09 – Survey

14:05, 23 Feb. 2009
More than 60% of the private companies in Romania plan layoffs in 2009 in order to reduce costs, while 75% of them already cut their salary budgets, according to a survey of US research company Hewitt Associates.

Italian FM Asks Romania To Guarantee Romanian Delinquents Will No Longer Reach Italy

12:47, 23 Feb. 2009
Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini asked the Romanian government to guarantee Romanian delinquents will no longer reach Italy, adding Romania is a strategic partner of Italy, Adnkronos agency reported on its website.

Poll Places Romanian Airport Henri Coanda Otopeni In Top Class Service-Wise

12:40, 23 Feb. 2009
Romanian international airport Henri Coanda Otopeni outranked, in traveler opinion, large international airports such as Paris' Charles de Gaulle, Rome's Fumicino, London or Frankfurt, in certain aspects of service quality, according to a poll cited by the Ministry of Transport.

Lukoil Romania Cuts Diesel Oil Pump Prices By RON0.02 Per Liter

11:18, 23 Feb. 2009
Lukoil Romania, a unit of Russian oil company Lukoil Holdings, cut Monday certain diesel oil pump prices by 0.02 lei (EUR1=RON4.2797) and kept gasoline prices unchanged.

Romania Cited In Amnesty Report Regarding Weapon Sales To Israel

11:08, 23 Feb. 2009
Over 20 countries, including Romania, are mentioned in a report by Amnesty International regarding the export of weapons to Israel, says the online edition of Haaretz.

Romanian Leu Opens Higher Vs Euro In Line With Region

11:03, 23 Feb. 2009
The Romanian leu opened higher against the euro Monday, following the trend of currencies on emerging markets, due to the positive trend of European stock markets.

Romanian Murder Suspect Explains Hitting The Victim

10:37, 23 Feb. 2009
The Romanian woman suspected, together with her husband, of having killed a building administrator in Rome, Itlay, said the victim came on to her, which caused her to fight back, according to Italian media.

Romania’s Raiffeisen Bank Targeted By Phishing Attack

10:00, 23 Feb. 2009
Clients of Romania’s Raiffeisen Bank were targeted by a phishing attack Monday, as they received an e-mail asking them to introduce their user codes on a website, so that the online service can be unlocked.

Two Romanians Hospitalized After Being Shot In Spain

08:14, 23 Feb. 2009
Two Romanian citizens were shot and injured in Spanish town San Sebastian de los Reyes and are currently in serious condition, according to Spanish police quoted by Madridiario online.

Italian Prisons Currently Hold 2,850 Romanians

19:24, 22 Feb. 2009
There are one million Romanians in Italy at the moment and 2,850 of them are currently under arrest, while in the first two weeks of 2009 there were deportation papers signed for 30 Romanians, according to official statistics obtained by MEDIAFAX.

Romanian Econ Min, AVAS To Aid Struggling State-Owned Cos

16:19, 22 Feb. 2009
Romanian privatization authority AVAS and the Ministry of Economy will be able to financially support the struggling companies in the state’s portfolio through loans, subsidy and working capital infusions, as well as the increase of capital with the value of debts.

Romanian Crying Baby Dies After Being Struck By Tired Father

13:24, 22 Feb. 2009
One eight month old baby in eastern Romanian city Galati died Sunday morning when his father, aged 50, struck him over the head to stop him from crying.

Romanian Justice Min Answers Ex PM Statements

17:44, 21 Feb. 2009
The Romanian Ministry of Justice refused to comment the statements made by liberal leader Calin Tariceanu according to which justice minister Catalin Predoiu would resign when the four codes are adopted.

Police Raids Media Co Following Complaints Of Unlicensed Software Use

17:30, 21 Feb. 2009
Police units descended on an office belonging to media company Inform Media, in western Romanian city Timisoara, after receiving a complaint according to which the company was using unlicensed software.

Romanian Rape Suspect Said Confession Was Coerced

15:51, 21 Feb. 2009
Romanian citizen Alexandru Loyos Isztoika, arrested in Rome for raping a teenage girl, said he was forced by investigators to admit guilt, and he withdrew his initial statement.

Romanian, Italian interior Mins To Discuss Citizen Protection

14:42, 21 Feb. 2009
The situation of Romanians in Italy will be discussed in the upcoming days by the Romanian and Italian interior ministers, said Romanian interior minister Dan Nica.

Romania Might Be Removed From NATO Commands, Due To Low Budget – Former Defense Min

21:11, 20 Feb. 2009
Romania’s former defense minister Teodor Atanasiu told a press conference Friday that the Defense Ministry has the lowest budget since the country entered the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, which may cause Romania’s elimination from various NATO commands.

Romanian Car Mkr Dacia To Showcase SUV, Compact Concept At Geneva – Sources

20:03, 20 Feb. 2009
The first SUV of Romanian car maker Dacia will be presented in the Geneva Auto Show, alongside a compact concept, whose first design details have already been unveiled, sources close to Dacia told MEDIAFAX.

Romanian Transp Min Announces “New Concept” For Hwy Construction Funding

19:15, 20 Feb. 2009
Romanian Transport Minister Radu Berceanu told a press conference on Friday that there is “a new concept for the funding of highway construction”, which will bring more money to this sector if applied.

No Of Para-Fiscal Taxes Should Be Cut By 30%-35% – Romanian Fin Min

18:34, 20 Feb. 2009
Romanian Finance Minister Gheorghe Pogea said Friday that para-fiscal taxes and fees should be reduced by 30-35% as they are "most of the times” in excess and hinder performances.

Romanian Foreign Affairs Min Prompted To Protect Romanian Citizens In Italy

17:39, 20 Feb. 2009
Several Romanian NGOs sent an open letter to foreign affairs minister Cristian Diaconescu asking him to notify the Council of the European Union on the "serious violations of European legislation committed by the Italian state."

Romanian Parliament OKs 2009 State Budget

16:22, 20 Feb. 2009
Romanian lawmakers approved Friday the 2009 state budget after four days of debates.

Romanian Finance Ministry Won’t Be Involved In Setting Local Taxes

15:56, 20 Feb. 2009
Romania's Finance Ministry will not get involved in setting local taxes, which should be based on the taxpayers’ payment possibilities, finance minister Gheorghe Pogea said Friday.

Romanian Econ Status, “Neither Very Good Nor Very Bad” – WB

15:24, 20 Feb. 2009
Romania’s economic situation is “neither very good nor very bad”, compared with the other European Union new members, while the weight of the financing deficit in the foreign currency reserves is slightly higher than the optimal level, World Bank analysts said Friday.

Romania’s Rompetrol Cuts Gas, Diesel Oil Pump Prices

15:03, 20 Feb. 2009
Romania’s Rompetrol Downstream, the fuel distribution unit of oil group Rompetrol, will cut Saturday its gasoline and diesel oil pump prices by 0.08 lei (EUR1= RON4.2797), and RON0.12 per liter, respectively, the company said in a statement.

WB Revises Dn Romania’s 09 GDP Growth Forecast, To 2% At Most

15:00, 20 Feb. 2009
The World Bank revised downwards its estimation on Romania’s economic growth in 2009, from 3.2% to 0%-2%, as prospects for growth in the region continue to deteriorate, according to World Bank economist Erika Jorgensen.

Main Suspects In Murder Of Romanian Handball Player, Extradited To Hungary

14:27, 20 Feb. 2009
Romania’s interior affairs attaché to Budapest, Ioan Bente, told MEDIAFAX that two suspects in the murder of Romanian handball player Marian Cozma will be extradited to Hungary Friday from Austria.

Snow, Gusty Wind Expected Throughout Romania Friday

12:57, 20 Feb. 2009
The code yellow warning remains in effect Friday, as the Romanian National Meteorology Authority (ANM) forecasts snowfall all over the country, except the northwest, with especially strong wind in the south, northeast and southeast.

Romania’s Govt Had To Adopt Fiscal Restrictions On Fincl Crisis – WB

12:27, 20 Feb. 2009
The Governments of Romania, Hungary, Lithuania and Estonia had no other option than to resort to rigorous fiscal restrictions, as the economic slowdown in these countries will be more severe compared with other states, the World Bank stated Friday.

Romania’s Local Car Production Dn 62% On Yr In Jan, Car Exports Dn 30%

11:11, 20 Feb. 2009
Romania’s local vehicle production, the bulk of which is contributed by Dacia, the local unit of France’s Renault, declined a sharp 62% on the year in January, to 9,482 units, while exports were down 30.7% to 8,943 units, the Automotive Manufacturers and Importers Association, or APIA, said Friday.

Romania’s Fin Min, World Bank Talk About Renewing Some Loans

10:56, 20 Feb. 2009
Romania’s Minister of Public Finance Gheorghe Pogea discussed Thursday with Orsalia Kalantzopoulos, World Bank representative for Central and South-Central Europe and the Baltic States, about renewing some loans granted to Romania by the international institution.

Romania’s New Car Tax Effective As Of Thursday

10:12, 20 Feb. 2009
Romania’s new car tax, one third lower than the value tripled at the end of last year and double compared to the level set initially in July 2008, became effective Thursday, Fen 19, when the government decree lowering the tax was published in Romania’s Official Journal.

USA To Introduce 3% Threshold On Visa Waiver Program

19:30, 19 Feb. 2009
The US Embassy in Romania receives between 150 and 350 visa requests every day in Romania, and the rejection rate for fiscal year 2008 was 25%, US General Consul James Gray told MEDIAFAX, adding that starting with July 1 the 3% refusal threshold will be reintroduced for the Visa Waiver program.

Tobacco Prod Not Consulted On Excise Duty Hike – JTI Romania

19:08, 19 Feb. 2009
Romanian cigarette producers were not consulted on the EUR14 increase of tobacco excise duty this year, and the implementation of this measure would trigger 30%-40% higher costs and would encourage smuggling, according to Japan Tobacco International (JTI).