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Over 6% Rise Of GDP Keeps Romanian Inflation High – Ctrl Bk Chief Economist

A gross domestic product growth of over 6% will keep inflation high and it will be highly unlikely for the index to go below 3%, central bank chief economist Valentin Lazea said Monday.

Romanian IT&C Company Intrarom To Bring Computers To 8,191 Schools

Romanian IT&C company Intrarom, subsidiary of INTRACOM TELECOM, won on August 29 the auction organized by the Ministry of Education and Research for the outfitting of computer labs in 8,191 school and high schools. The value of the contract reaches RON432.38 million (EUR122.48 million).

Libra Bank, Pension House Make Deal For Pension Payment System

Romanian lender Libra Bank and the National Pension and Social Insurance House (CNPAS) signed an agreement on paying pensions via current accounts or bank cards, which will be opened for pensioners willing to use this service.

Famous Singers Join Race For Best Romanian Act At 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards

Singers Andra, Smiley, Crazy Loop and Morandi are among the nominees for Best Romanian Act at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards to be held on Nov 6 in Liverpool, United Kingdom, a press release of MTV Romania read.

Romanian Actor Stefan Iordache Dies At 67

Romanian actor Stefan Iordache, 67, passed away Sunday of heart attack at a medical clinic in Vienna, medical sources said.

Romania’s AVAS Extends Sale Offer For Aircraft Mkr Avioane Craiova

Romania’s privatization agency AVAS extended by 15 days, until September 29, the offer to sell its 80.9% majority stake in the country’s airplane maker Avioane Craiova, in a move to complete negotiations with Czech Aero Vodochody.

Romania Gets Yellow Code Warning For Heavy Rain

Romania’s meteorological authorities (ANM) issued Sunday yellow code warning forecasting heavy rain countrywide Sunday night through Tuesday morning.

Romanian Fondul Proprietatea To Pay 2007 Dividends Sep 15

Romania's investment fund Fondul Proprietatea will pay dividends worth 0.0659 lei (EUR1= RON3.6031)/share for 2007, as of September 15, the company said Friday in a press statement.

Romanian Democrat Liberals Officially Propose Theodor Stolojan For PM

Emil Boc, leader of Romania's Democratic Liberal Party (PDL), officially announced Friday within the party’s national conference that Theodor Stolojan is the party’s proposition for the position of prime-minister in view of the parliamentary elections scheduled for end November.

General Manager of Romania’s SAPARD Payment Agency Resigns

Laszlo Klarik, general manager of Romania’s Agency for Rural Development and Fishing (APDRP), which manages SAPARD payments, submitted his resignation Friday.

Romanian PM Says An Informant By Any Other Name Is Still An Informant

Romanian Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu, head of the Liberal Party, called on senators Friday to vote against amendments brought to the law regulating access to communist-era monitoring files, saying there is no such thing as an unwilling informant, and informant politicians should not get a pass.

KPMG Romania To Draft Fondul Proprietatea’s IAS Financial Statements

Romania’s investment fund Fondul Proprietatea selected KPMG Romania to draft its individual and consolidated financial statements according to international accounting standards, or IAS, the fund said Friday.

Romania Old Apt Prices Seen Dn 30% By ’09 – Realtor

Old apartments in Romania are seen 30% cheaper by the end of 2009, on higher supply, officials of realtor Neocasa Real Estate said Thursday.

Romanian PM Sees Inflation On Descending Path In Next Mos

Romanian inflation is seen continuing its descending path over the next months, Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu said, adding the recent salary increases will not be affected by price increases.

Major Romanian Cannabis Dealer Arrested

A Bucharest citizen, considered the largest cannabis dealer, was arrested under charges of producing and selling on the Romanian black market over 150 kilograms of cannabis and byproducts, thus obtaining an approximate profit of EUR150,000, the Romanian Police said Thursday.

Romania’s Romtelecom To Launch Mobile Telephony Service By Yearend

Romania's largest hard-line operator RomTelecom, majority-owned by Hellenic Telecommunications Organization SA, or OTE, won the license and will launch its mobile telephony services by yearend, the company’s general manager, Yorgos Ioannidis, said Thursday.

Gap Betw Romania’s National Net Avg Wage And Wages In Multinational Cos Narrowed In 2008 – PwC

Differences between Romania’s national net average wage calculated by the official statistics board and the net average wage paid by private companies have reduced in 2008 compared to 2007, but large gaps remain for management positions, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) said Thursday.

Services Make Most Of Romanian 1H GDP, FDI Seen Over EUR10B In ‘08

The services sector contributed the most in the first-half gross domestic product, followed by the construction sector, the National Statistics Institute, or INS, said Thursday at a press conference.

Danish Co Might Build Wind Farms In Romania, 2010-2012

Danish power producer Scan Energy might install wind farms in Romania between 2010 and 2012, following the acquisition of 170 large-scale turbines worth some EUR500 million from Germany’s Nordex, the latter said Thursday in a press release.

Romania, Austria’s Voestalpine To Sign Steel Mill MoU In Oct – Sources

Romanian government and representatives of Austria's steelmaker Voestalpine will sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in the first half of October and the Austrian group will decide in December the country to building its steel mill, sources close to the matter said Wednesday.

Romanian Govt Sees 8.5-9.1% Econ Growth In ’08 Vs 6% In ‘07

The Romanian Government said Wednesday this year’s economy is expected to grow by 8.5-9 percentage points, compared with a gross domestic product growth of 6% the year before.

Romanian Low-Cost Airliner Blue Air Goes International

Romanian low-cost airliner Blue Air will launch its first international flight in October, on the Brussels-London route, the airliner said in a statement Wednesday.

Romanian Govt Ups Min Wage To RON540 From RON500 Oct 1

The Romanian government decided on Wednesday to increase the minimum monthly gross wages to 540 lei (EUR1=RON3.5974), based on the agreement the representatives of trade unions and employers signed with the government at the end of July.

EC To Probe Romania’s EUR57M State Aid To Ford For Employees’ Training

The European Commission has launched an investigation regarding a state aid worth EUR57 million given by Romania to Ford Motor Co. (F) for training the employees’ at Automobile Craiova, alleging it might represent a supplementary advantage than the one stipulated in the contract.

Romanian MEP Asks EC To Sack Gray Over ‘Unprofessional’ Statements

Romania’s European lawmaker, Adrian Severin, member of the Social Democratic Party, on Tuesday demanded the resignation of EC spokesperson Mark Gray, should he be found fully responsible for his statements on the Romanian procedure to appoint chief prosecutors.

E.ON Gaz Romania, Distrigaz Sud Ask For 10% Gas Price Hike Oct 1

Gas distributors E.ON Gaz Romania, the local unit of Germany's giant E.ON, and Distrigaz Sud, majority-owned by French utility Gaz de France, asked Romanian energy watchdog ANRE to hike natural gas prices for household consumers by some 10% as of October 1, ANRE said Wednesday.

Republic Of Moldova Wants To Join EU, Romania Backs It – Romanian President

Romanian president Traian Basescu said Tuesday evening in an interview for the public TV network TVR that Romania supports the Republic of Moldova in its endeavor to join the European Union.

Romania’s Aug CPI -0.09% MM, Annual Inflation Slows To 8.02%

Romania’s consumer price index fell by 0.09 percentage points on the month in August, driven by a decrease in prices for services, bringing the annual inflation to 8.02% the National Statistics Institute said.

Romania, Hungary Seek EU Financing For High-Speed Rail Line

Romania and Hungary plan to apply for EU financing to conduct a pre-feasibility study on a high-speed rail route that will link Hungary’s capital Budapest to Romanian southeastern city of Constanta.

Romania’s Fin Ministry To Give Ford EUR143M State Aid For Craiova Plant

Romania’s Economy and Finance Ministry will give Ford Motor Co. (F) a state aid worth EUR143 million between 2008-2012, of which EUR17.5 million this year, if the group will carry its programmed investments worth EUR145 million at Daewoo Automobile Craiova this year.

Romanian Farmers Lose Milk Quota Over Failure To Submit Reports

Nearly 15% of the Romanian farmers who benefited from milk quotas in 2007 had their quotas removed for failing to submit a yearly report regarding the milk sold, the agency of payments and interventions in agriculture APIA said Tuesday.

Romania Fin Min Sees ’08 Econ Growth At 8%

Romania’s economy and finance minister Varujan Vosganian said Tuesday that the country’s economic growth will likely be 8% at the end of the year.

Bucharest Old Apt Prices Dn 9% On Mo To EUR1,540/Sqm – Colliers

Bucharest old apartment prices dropped in August as much as 9% to EUR1,540/square meter on the month, driven by lower interest from buyers, Colliers International said in its apartment price index Tuesday.

Romanian Senate Legal Committee Shelters Priests From Communist Hunters

The Romanian Senate's committee for legal matters enacted Tuesday an amendment to the law on access to communist files and completely removed the possibility for priests to be checked by communist hunters CNSAS

Romanian Court Postpones Ruling In Mobile Operators Vs. Telecom License Granting Rules

The Bucharest Court of Appeals postponed a ruling Tuesday in the trial where mobile operators challenged the normative act regulating the grant of a national mobile communication license, which hard-line operator Romtelecom secured Monday.

Romanian Democrat Liberals File Simple Motion On Education

The leader of the democrat liberal group within the Romanian Chamber of Deputies, Cristian Radulescu, announced within the plenary session of the Chamber that 58 MPs filed a simple motion regarding the education crisis.

Transgaz, MOL’s FGSZ To Resume Bid On Gas Transit Via Arad-Szeged Pipeline

Romania's state-owned gas pipeline operator Transgaz (TGN.RO) and FGSZ Natural Gas Transmission, a unit of Hungary's oil group MOL, will resume the procedure to select companies interested in reserving capacities to transport gas via Romanian-Hungarian gas pipeline Szeged-Arad.

Romania 7-Mo Trade Gap +10.4% YY To EUR12.7B

Romania's seven-month trade deficit widened 10.4% on the year to EUR12.7 billion, from EUR11.5 billion during the same period last year, the National Statistics Institute said Tuesday.

Romanian Defense Min Said Revolution Soldier Amnesty Needs Organic Law

The Romanian Ministry of Defense said the Legislation and Legal Assistance Department did not approve the initiative proposing amnesty for the deeds of soldiers during the December 1989 Revolution, a stance supported by defense minister Melescanu, Monday in a meeting with NGO representatives.

Romania Ctrl Bker: Hard Landing Risk Of Economy Is Limited, GDP Seen Near 6% On Yr

Romania’s central bank governor Mugur Isarescu said Monday in an interview there is limited risk for the “hard-landing” of the economy, and sees economic growth at around 6% over the next years