English

Romania’s Govt May OK Second Budget Revision In June

12:42, 09 Apr. 2008
Romania’s government may revise its consolidated state budget for the second time in June and give more funds to its ministries, following better-than-expected revenues in the first quarter of this year, Romanian Finance and Economy Minister Varujan Vosganian said Wednesday.

Pension Hikes In Romania Not Election-Driven – Fin Min

12:35, 09 Apr. 2008
Romanian economy and finance minister Varujan Vosganian said Wednesday that potential pension increases this year are not election-driven, adding raises come only from the pension budget.

Romanian Ctrl Bk Gov Reiterates ’08 CPI Forecast At 5%-6%

11:22, 09 Apr. 2008
Romania’s central bank governor Mugur Isarescu reiterated Wednesday that he expects the country’s resurgent inflation to fall between 5%-6% by yearend, above the central bank’s target range for this year.

Romanian Ctrl Bk Head: Current Leu Level More Sustainable

11:02, 09 Apr. 2008
The Romanian leu’s current level is more sustainable than last year’s highs and more likely to help narrow the country’s stretching current account deficit, central bank governor Mugur Isarescu said Wednesday.

Romanian Jan-Feb Trade Deficit At EUR2.87B

10:05, 09 Apr. 2008
Romania's trade deficit widened a scant 3% in January-February to EUR2.87 billion from EUR2.78 billion in the same period last year, driven by higher imports from the European Union, the National Statistical Institute said Wednesday.

King Mihai Awarded “Honorary Member” Of Romanian Academy

20:39, 08 Apr. 2008
King Mihai of Romania on Tuesday was awarded “honorary member” of the Romanian Academy for remarkable merits in preserving the Romanian identity.

Romania Police Officer Arrested For Theft In Austria

19:42, 08 Apr. 2008
A Romanian police officer and his wife were placed under preventive arrest, accused with aggravated theft, after being caught stealing clothing from several stores in Austrian city Wiener Neustadt, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

Romanian Senators Ok Salary Hikes For University, Pre-University Teachers

18:39, 08 Apr. 2008
Romanian senators on Tuesday voted 35 to 24 and 1 abstention a law hiking wages of university and pre-university teachers by 74% and 54%, respectively.

Employees Under 35 Must Adhere To Pvt Pension Fund 4 Mos From Hiring

18:30, 08 Apr. 2008
Romanians under 35 must adhere to a private pension fund (Pillar II) in maximum four months after their hiring, said on Tuesday the Pension Watchdog, or CSSPP.

EC Acts To Ensure Romanian, Bulgarian Workers Treated Equally Across EU

17:38, 08 Apr. 2008
The European Commission decided to refer eight member states to the European Court of Justice over their failure to comply with the amendments to Directive 2006/100/EC on free movement of persons following the accession of Romania and Bulgaria, EC said in a statement.

Romania’s Ctrl Bk Intervened To Temper Leu’s Fluctuations – Governor

15:44, 08 Apr. 2008
Romanian central bank governor Mugur Isarescu said Tuesday in a seminarthat the central bank took measures last year to temper the leu’s sharp variations, adding the leu could have traded within a wider range.

Romanian Banks Hiked Deposit Rates Faster Than Lending Rates – Ctrl Bker

15:33, 08 Apr. 2008
Commercial banks have changed their behavior compared to recent years and increased interest rates for deposits faster than for loans after the central bank raised its monetary policy rate, central bank governor Mugur Isarescu said Tuesday.

Romanian PM Urges Defense Ministry To Buy New Military Equip

13:38, 08 Apr. 2008
Romanian Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu urged the country’s Defense Ministry to speed up the procedures needed to acquire military equipment for the army, stressing the government will urgently approve the decisions regulating the operation, as soon as notifications in this respect are submitted.

Over 6,000 Near Stage Tickets To Metallica Sold In Less Than 48 Hrs

13:06, 08 Apr. 2008
Over 6,000 near-stage tickets to the Metallica concert in Bucharest were sold in less than 48 hours, and less than 100 tickets are still available in that area, organizers told MEDIAFAX Tuesday.

Romanian Def Ministry Aims To Obs Commitments In Afghanistan, Iraq, Balkan

12:55, 08 Apr. 2008
Romanian defense minister Teodor Melescanu said Tuesday at the ministry’s 2007 activity report meeting that observing international commitments in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Balkans remains a top priority in 2008.

Bread Prices In Romania To Hike Again By Easter

12:44, 08 Apr. 2008
Bread prices in Romania will increase again by Easter, as wheat prices have continued to rise in the past week, said Tuesday Aurel Popescu, head of the Rompan owners’ association in the industry.

Ethnic Roma Still Discriminated In Romania – President

12:23, 08 Apr. 2008
Romanian president Traian Basescu said Tuesday in an address for the International Roma Day that despite recent progress, ethnic Roma are still subject to discrimination and intolerance in Romania in 2008.

E.ON Gaz Romania Might Cut Imports On Reined In Gas Prices

12:14, 08 Apr. 2008
E.ON Gaz Romania, the local unit of Germany’s utility E.ON, might ask natural gas importers to cut gas prices or gas imports, should Romania’s energy watchdog ANRE refuse the 19% hike in natural gas prices as of July 1, the president of the company’s administration council Achim Saul said Tuesday.

Fitch Bank Systemic Risk Assessment On Romania Blind To Country’s Realities – Bker

11:54, 08 Apr. 2008
Romania stands at a different level than Fitch places it, and the rating agency based its estimates on effects of international turmoil without knowing Romanian realities, Radu Gratian Ghetea, head of the Romanian Banking Association, or ARB, said Tuesday.

LPG-Loaded Tank Overturns, Hits Gas Pipe In Western Romania

10:30, 08 Apr. 2008
A cistern carrying 14,000 liters of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) overturned Tuesday morning on national road 7 in Hunedoara county, western Romania.

SW Romania Miners Refuse Bargain, Continue Protest

10:24, 08 Apr. 2008
The nine miners who barricaded themselves in Zegujani mine, southwestern Romania, continue protests, even though mine management and state-owned coal mining company SNLO promised them a solution for one of the two claims, namely a headquarters for the union.

Romanian President Urges Lawmakers To Reexamine Amendments To Pension Laws

22:37, 07 Apr. 2008
Romanian President Traian Basescu urged lawmakers to reexamine the amendments to the laws on private and voluntary pensions, stressing the enforcement of the respective provisions might hinder the main attributions of the National Pensions House (CNPAS).

Romanian Anticorruption Prosecutors Hear Football League Head

20:31, 07 Apr. 2008
Romanian anticorruption prosecutors Monday heard Dumitru Dragomir, head of the Romanian Professional Football League (LPF), in the file in which he is charged with alleged bribe taking and abuse of office regarding the purchase of a land by the League in capital city Bucharest at an overrated price.

Bucharest Court OKs VIas’ Release From Custody In Major Fraud Case

16:57, 07 Apr. 2008
The Bucharest Court of Appeals Monday annulled the arrest warrant of Ioana Maria Vlas, head of Romania’s former National Investment Fund, and she is free to leave custody after nearly eight years of detention at the Criminal Investigation Department.

Romania Ranks 5th In EU Based On Retail Banking Price Discrepancy -Report

16:38, 07 Apr. 2008
Romania ranks fifth in the EU-27 bloc based on differences between national banks’ prices, according to the 2008 World Retail Banking Report released by the World Bank, Capgemini, ING and the European Financial Management and Marketing Association (EFMA) on Monday.

Romanian Communications Watchdog Regulates Interception Methods

16:28, 07 Apr. 2008
The Romanian National Regulatory Authority for Communications and Information Technology (ANRCTI) said the decision on communications interception, issued after the decision of the High Council for National Defense on March 25, only brought technical specifications regarding interception.

Romanian Liberal Leaders Say No Talk Of Sacking Foreign Minister

16:02, 07 Apr. 2008
Romanian defense minister Teodor Melescanu, in charge with the Romanian liberals’ local election campaign, said Monday there was no talk in the party regarding the behavior of foreign minister Adrian Cioroianu during the NATO summit, nor was there any talk of replacing him.

Romania Maintains Moderate Terror Alert After NATO Summit

15:13, 07 Apr. 2008
Terror alert in Romania was kept to a “moderate” level, even if the NATO summit ended last Friday, according to the official site of the Romanian Intelligence Agency – www.sri.ro.

EC Introduces Onboard Mobile Communication Services Rules

14:53, 07 Apr. 2008
The European Commission introduced a set of rules establishing harmonized conditions for the use of mobile communication services aboard aircrafts across the European Union, allowing passengers to communicate while traveling.

Fitch Places Romania In Highest Bank Systemic Risk Category

13:31, 07 Apr. 2008
Fitch Ratings on Monday placed Romania in the highest macro prudential risk category (MPI 3), due to accelerated lending growth and the rise in the domestic currency in the first half of last year, according to the agency’s Bank Systemic Risk report.

File Accusing Romanian Ex PM Returned To Anticorruption Prosecutors

13:19, 07 Apr. 2008
The “Zambaccian” file indicting former Romanian prime minister Adrian Nastase will be returned to anticorruption prosecutors, who have to readjust procedural documents according to the law on ministers’ liability.

Romanian Dacia Employees Continue Gen Strike, Rally On Thursday

12:17, 07 Apr. 2008
Employees of Romanian carmaker Automobile Dacia, the local unit of French Renault, entered Monday their third week of general strike and will organize a four-hour rally Thursday in Pitesti, southern Romania.

Eastern Romanian City Bacau In Quarantine Over Rabies

11:18, 07 Apr. 2008
Veterinary authorities in Romania’s eastern city of Bacau decided to institute quarantine in the city over several outbreaks of rabies among stray dogs.

Romania’s Rompetrol Cuts Diesel Pump Prices By RON0.06/Liter

11:17, 07 Apr. 2008
Romania’s second-largest oil company Rompetrol Group NV cut Monday its diesel oil pump prices by 0.06 lei (EUR1=RON3.7145) per liter, the company said in a statement.

SW Romania Miners Enter Third Day Of Strike

10:43, 07 Apr. 2008
Nine miners who blocked themselves in Zegujani mine, in Romania’s southwestern county of Mehedinti, and who refuse to get out, are on the third day of strike, while the mine management says their action is illegal.

Romania Brings Home Five European Gymnastics Medals

18:10, 06 Apr. 2008
The Romanian women’s gymnastics team won five medals, two gold, two silver and one bronze, within the European Gymnastics Championship concluded Sunday in Clermont-Ferrand (France).

Polish Authorities Said Dead Romanian Citizen Was Three Times Felon

18:04, 06 Apr. 2008
The Romanian Embassy in Warsaw had not been notified by Polish authorities that Claudiu Crulic refused to eat in prison, while the prison warden said Crulic was not incarcerated for the first time in Poland.

Pepsi Americas To Build Factory In W Bucharest

17:38, 06 Apr. 2008
Soft drinks maker Quadrant Amroq Beverages (QAB), part of Pepsi Americas, will invest over $100 million in the factory it is building in Bucharest’s Militari area, the deadline for completion being 2010-2011, company president Mike Holmes told MEDIAFAX.

Romanian Defense Min To Be Summoned For Senate Hearing

14:56, 06 Apr. 2008
Romanian Social Democratic Party spokesman Cristian Diaconescu said that defense minister Teodor Melescanu will be summoned for hearings by the Defense Committee within the Senate.

Romanian Authorities Ignored Romanian Fatality In Poland – Leftist Official

14:48, 06 Apr. 2008
The spokesman of the Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSD), Cristian Diaconescu, said that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs should take responsibility for the Crulic case, involving the death of a Romanian citizen who went on hunger strike protesting against his alleged abusive arrest in Warsaw.