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EC Launches Excessive Deficit Procedure Against 6 Member States, Romania Not Analyzed Yet

13:56, 18 Feb. 2009
The European Commission launched Wednesday the excessive deficit procedure against six EU member states, after considering the exceptional circumstances of the ongoing sharp economic downturn, while Romania has not been yet analyzed by the Commission.

Romanian Housing Agency Seeks Land To Build Houses Via Mortgage Loans

13:43, 18 Feb. 2009
Romania’s housing authority ANL on Wednesday said will apply for as many free plots of land as possible to build houses through mortgage credit across the country.

Romania To Apply Updated Calculation Method For Building, Land Taxes In ‘10

13:15, 18 Feb. 2009
The updated calculation method for taxes on buildings and lands, which translates into a hike depending on inflation or the market value, will be applicable only as of January 1, 2010, said fiscal policies and local budgets manager within Romania’s Interior Ministry, Daniel Marinescu.

Romania’s Salaries Seen Up 12-13% On Yr In ‘09 – Survey

13:11, 18 Feb. 2009
Romania's salaries are seen 12% to 13% higher in 2009, almost similar with the 13.3% hike in 2008, as local employees' salaries are still lower compared with other European countries, according to a survey of German recruitment company Kienbaum.

Heroin Prices In Romania Doubled

12:12, 18 Feb. 2009
Drug consumers will have to pay twice as much for a dose of heroin, with the price now at 70-80 lei (EUR1=RON4.3096) on the Bucharest drug market. They will also put their life in jeopardy, because although there is less heroin in a shot, the concentration of chemicals is higher.

Romanian Foreign Affairs Min To Meet Italian Counterpart On Monday

11:22, 18 Feb. 2009
Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister Cristian Diaconescu will meet on Monday his Italian counterpart Franco Frattini to talk about bilateral relations, with focus on the business environment and the situation of the Romanians in Italy, ministry’s spokesperson Alin Serbanescu told MEDIAFAX.

Romanian Ordinance on Biometric Passports Goes Ahead

11:08, 18 Feb. 2009
The Government Ordinance regarding the introduction of biometric passports in Romania is still applicable, despite protests by various NGOs, which the Bucharest Court of Appeals rejected Wednesday.

Two Romanians Arrested By Italian Police On Charges Of Rape

10:24, 18 Feb. 2009
Italian authorities arrested Tuesday evening two suspects of Romanian citizenship who raped a girl in the Caffarella Park in Rome, and one of them confessed to having committed the rape, Correre della Sera reported in its online edition.

Romanian Govt Might Take Responsibility For Civil, Criminal Codes – Sources

10:04, 18 Feb. 2009
The Romanian government will send the Civil, Criminal and their respective procedure Codes to be debated in Parliament for two months and then plans to take responsibility for their adoption, sources close to the talks told MEDIAFAX late Tuesday.

Romania To Host 2011 UEFA European U-19 C’ship – Paper

20:13, 17 Feb. 2009
Romania obtained the rights to organize the 2011 European Under-19 Football Championship at the new “National” stadium in Bucharest, general manager of the Romanian Football Federation (FRF), Ionut Lupescu told sport.ro on Tuesday.

Romanian Govt Might Hike Taxable Ceiling For Pensions – Labor Min

19:59, 17 Feb. 2009
Romanian authorities should hike the taxable ceiling for pensions at the next revision of the Fiscal Code, Labor Minister Marian Sarbu said Tuesday.

US Carmaker Ford To Invest EUR1.2B In Romanian Plant, May Get EUR600M From EIB

19:41, 17 Feb. 2009
US carmaker Ford will invest EUR1.2 billion in its Romanian factory and asked for a EUR600 million loan from European Investment Bank, or EIB, out of which EUR400 million will go directly to its Craiova plant, and the rest indirectly, to Ford Europe’s research and development center in Germany.

Romanian Pres Calls For Concrete Actions To Lift EC Monitoring In Justice Sys

19:40, 17 Feb. 2009
Romanian President Traian Basescu on Tuesday told the high officials attending the debates on the country’s justice system that concrete actions must be taken in order to get the European Commission to stop monitoring the justice system.

Romanian Weapon Theft Suspects Remain Under Preventive Arrest

16:49, 17 Feb. 2009
The seven soldiers charged with stealing weapons from the Romanian military base at Ciorogarla, near Bucharest, were placed in preventive arrest for 25 days, Tuesday, following a decision of the Bucharest Territorial Military Court.

Dozens Of Chinese Workers Urge Embassy To Bucharest To Help Them Return To China

16:43, 17 Feb. 2009
Dozens of Chinese citizens working in constructions in Romania have been urging the Chinese Embassy in Bucharest for weeks to help them go back to China and have even set up improvised shelters in front of the embassy.

Romanian Family Doctors Call Off Protests

16:27, 17 Feb. 2009
Romanian family doctors said Tuesday, following talks with the country’s health minister Ion Bazac and the head of the National Health Insurance House (CNAS), that they would call off protests scheduled Wednesday through Friday, after they found a way to assign reasonable funds for primary medical assistance.

Drug Dealers Tried At Large Caught In Possession Of Heroin In Bucharest

15:59, 17 Feb. 2009
Romanian border police found four people with two kilograms of heroin in Bucharest, and two of them were being tried at large for possession of heroin three years ago.

Romania Is A Net Beneficiary Of The EU Budget – Official

15:42, 17 Feb. 2009
Romania is a net beneficiary of the EU budget, Cristina Arigho, EC spokesperson for financial programming and budget, said Tuesday in a press conference.

Romanian Tourism Min Changes Headquarters

15:22, 17 Feb. 2009
The headquarters of the Romanian Ministry of Tourism was moved in the Ministry of Transport building, after functioning, in the past two months, in the building of the Ministry for SMEs, Commerce and the Business Environment.

Romania’s Banks Should Be More Flexible With Cos’ Installments

14:59, 17 Feb. 2009
Romania’s banks should be more indulgent with companies on the payment of their loan installments, Constantin Nita, the Minister of SMEs, Commerce and Business Environment, adding that the local banking system is not flexible with the current market.

Coca-Cola HBC Romania To Lay Off 100 Employees In ‘09

14:28, 17 Feb. 2009
Coca-Cola HBC Romania, the local unit of Greek bottler Coca-Cola HBC, will lay off about 100 employees countrywide in 2009, as part of its operations reorganization program, the company’s PR and communication manager Mugurel Radulescu said.

Ordinance On Retail Good Practice Code To Be Enforced In Max 3 Weeks –Agr Min

14:04, 17 Feb. 2009
The draft emergency decree containing the main provisions of the Code for Good Practice in the retail sector will be enforced in two–three weeks, and the effect over prices will be immediately visible, Romanian Agriculture Minister Ilie Sarbu said.

The Charlatans To Play Romanian B’estfest In July

13:21, 17 Feb. 2009
British indie rockers The Charlatans are the latest confirmation for B’estfest 2009, joining The Ting Tings on stage on July 4, say festival organizers Emagic.

Hungarian Police Arrest 4th Suspect In Handball Player Killing

12:42, 17 Feb. 2009
Hungarian police arrested a fourth suspect in connection to the stabbing of a Romanian handball player in west Hungary over a week, local police told Hungarian news agency MTI Tuesday.

Romanian Lottery President Replacement Is Political, She Should Sue – Conservative Official

12:34, 17 Feb. 2009
Romania’s Conservative Party (PC) believes that the replacement of Liliana Minca as the President of the Romanian Lottery was a political move, not connected to her professional ability, party secretary general Codrut Seres said Tuesday.

Romanian Leu Dn Vs Euro In Early Trade

10:56, 17 Feb. 2009
The Romanian leu opened down against the euro Tuesday, mirroring currencies on emerging markets, and dealers suspect an indirect intervention of the central bank through hard currency selling orders.

Illegal Camps Around Rome, Destroyed Following Rapes Committed By Immigrants – Italian Press

10:50, 17 Feb. 2009
Italian police have destroyed, on Monday, dozens of huts and illegal camps in and around Rome, following last week’s rape of a 14 year old girl in a city park allegedly by Romanian immigrants, Italian news agency Adnkronos reported.

Romanian Govt Cuts Budget Expenses To Avoid Excessive Def Procedure

10:07, 17 Feb. 2009
The Romanian Government decided to cut budget expenses through an emergency ordinance, in order to keep the deficit at a low level and avoid European Commission’s excessive deficit procedure.

President Of Romania’s Lottery Dismissed

09:49, 17 Feb. 2009
Liliana Minca was dismissed from the positions of president and general manager of the Romanian Lottery, and Gheorghe Benea was designated by the Democratic Liberal Party to replace her, sources within the Finance Ministry told MEDIAFAX.

Romanian Carmaker Dacia Extends Collective Labor Contract Until Feb 1, ‘10

20:49, 16 Feb. 2009
Romanian carmaker Dacia reached an agreement and extended the collective labor contract until February 1, 2010, which includes compensation payments of 70 lei (EUR1=RON4.3119) as of January 1, 2009, and of RON40 as of April 1, the company said Monday.

Romania Waits EC’s Go Ahead For A 30% Cut In Car Tax – Sources

18:22, 16 Feb. 2009
Romanian authorities requested European Commission’s approval to operate a 30% cut of a tax on car’s first registration and to slightly increase taxes for non-Euro and Euro1 cars, ministry sources said Monday.

Romanian Telecom Op RomTelecom To Enter IPTV Segment

17:54, 16 Feb. 2009
Romanian telecom operator RomTelecom will begin this year supplying television services via Internet (IPTV), after selecting the equipment supplier for this project, company public relations manager Cristina Popescu told MEDIAFAX.

Auto Cos May Register By Feb 27 For First Stage Of Romania’s Car Park Renewal Program

17:13, 16 Feb. 2009
Carmakers and traders may register between Feb 12 and 27 to participate in Romania’s car park renewal program, the first stage of which ends on May 29 and targets the replacement of 20,000 cars older than ten years.

Romanian Dwelling Prices Seen Dn 30% In ’09 – Cushman & Wakefield

13:47, 16 Feb. 2009
Romanian dwelling prices are seen down 30% in 2009, according to real estate consultancy firm Cushman & Wakefield, which recommends investments in high-rent generating properties.

Romanian Govt Wants Parent Bks To Continue Funding – PM

13:24, 16 Feb. 2009
The Romanian Government wants the foreign banks operating in Romania to continue to get financing lines from parent companies and does not plan to take over stakes in exchange for support measures, following certain EU states model, Prime Minister Emil Boc said Monday.

Romanian Parliament Starts Debates On ’09 Bugdet Tuesday

12:54, 16 Feb. 2009
The Romanian Parliament will start discussions on the 2009 budget draft on Tuesday and the budget might be adopted as soon as Thursday noon, as over 7,000 amendments are to be debated, said Monday Gheorghe Flutur, the vice-president of the Democratic Liberal Party, part of the ruling coalition.

Romanian Govt To Keep Election Promises As Long As Economy Allows It – PM

12:51, 16 Feb. 2009
The Romanian government will keep all the promises made during the election campaign as long as the economy allows it, Prime Minister Emil Boc said Monday.

Romania’s Ruling Coalition To Meet Ctrl Bker For Anti-Crisis Program Talks

12:18, 16 Feb. 2009
Gheorghe Flutur, vice-president of the Democratic Liberal Party, part of the ruling coalition, stated Monday that the coalition would meet central bank governor Mugur Isarescu for talks on the anti-crisis program that needs to ensure the economic stability of the country.

Family Doctors To Go On Medical Leave, From Wednesday To Friday

12:05, 16 Feb. 2009
Family doctors are to submit, on Monday, their requests for medical leave from Wednesday to Friday, as an act of protest against the 2009 budget assigned to the sector, said Rodica Tanasescu, the president of the National Family Medicine Society.

About 1,000 ArcelorMittal Galati Workers Leave Through Voluntary Layoff Progr

11:44, 16 Feb. 2009
Approximately 1,000 employees of Romanian largest steel maker ArcelorMittal Galati were laid off after they filed requests to leave through the voluntary layoffs program, while another 1,000 are expecting the same measures, a trade union representative said Monday.