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Court: Romanian Pres Entitled To Refuse Nicolai’s Nomination For Jus Min

The Romanian Constitutional Court on Thursday decided President Traian Basescu was entitled to refuse the nomination of Norica Nicolai as minister of justice and ordered the government to nominate another person for the position.

Romanian Culture Min Offers Scholarship To Pavarotti Wannabe

Romanian culture and cults minister Adrian Iorgulescu intends to offer Costel Busuioc – the Romanian in Spain who discovered his talents as a tenor – a scholarship for the study of canto and music theory at the Bucharest National University of Music.

Nokia Launches On Feb 11 First Production Unit In Romania

Finnish mobile telephone giant Nokia will launch its first mobile phone production line in its plant in Jucu, in the central Romanian county of Cluj on Monday, February 11, 2008.

Romanian PM Says Troop Detachment Is Not A Govt Matter

The detachment of Romanian troops to Chad was not a Government decision, nor a topic in the talks with French president Nicolas Sarkozy, but it is mentioned in a memorandum sent to the High Council for National Defense (CSAT) for approval, said Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu.

Romanian Govt To Spend EUR7M On Tourism Promotion

The Romanian Government will spend some EUR7 million for programs promoting Romania from a tourism perspective. EUR2 million will be used for the launch of a national tourism brand, meant to bring in more visitors.

Romanian Govt Asks Parliament To Resume Automobile Craiova Privatization Law Debates – Sources

The Romanian Government decided to ask the Senate to continue debates on the draft law privatizing car maker Automobile Craiova, which were suspended in October, when the European Commission launched an investigation searching for potential illegal state aid granted to American group Ford.

Romanian Journalists Not Liable For Footage Disclosure

The Legal Committee of Romanian Senate on Wednesday approved an amendment to the Criminal Procedure Code which absolves journalists from criminal responsibility over disclosed audio and video recordings.

Romania’s Fin Min To Take Corrective Actions If Lawmakers Adopt Lower VAT For Food

Romania’s Ministry of Economy and Finance is to present in parliament a series of corrective measures if deputies adopt a decision cutting by 5% the value added tax for basic food, finance minister Varujan Vosganian said Wednesday.

Romania Grants RON759.8M In Damages To Former Depositors In CEC

Romania will grant total damages of 759.8 million lei (EUR1-RON3.6579) to some 37,460 people who deposited money in bank Casa de Economii si Consemnatiuni, or CEC, in view of purchasing cars during the communist regime, minister of Economy and Finance Varujan Vosganian said Wednesday.

Romanian Defense Committee Hears Int, Defense Mins On Troop Detachment

The Romanian Senate defense committee decided, Wednesday, to hear defense minister Teodor Melescanu and interior minister Cristian David on sending troops abroad, as well as several journalists from Romanian weekly "Academia Catavencu" regarding security at Airport Baneasa.

Romania’s Fin Min To Appeal Senate Decision On VAT Cut For Basic Food-PM

Romania’s Ministry of Economy and Finance is to appeal at the Constitutional Court an act adopted by the Senate regarding a 5% cut in the VAT for basic food, as the decision, if adopted, would trigger lower revenues to the budget and would leave food prices unchanged, Premier Calin Popescu Tariceanu said.

Romania Senate OKs 5% VAT Cut For Basic Food

Romania’s senate on Wednesday approved a 5% cut of the value added tax for basic food – bread, meat, milk, vegetal oil and sugar.

Romanian Anticorruption Prosecutors Probe Former Agriculture Minister

Romania’s former agriculture minister Decebal Traian Remes and his lawyer on Wednesday spent nearly two hours at the National Anticorruption Department (DNA).

Ex Romanian Football Coach Trains To Become Senator

Anghel Iordanescu, former coach of Romania’s football team was unanimously appointed in the Senate's plenary session to take over the mandate of senator of the Social Democratic Party, or PSD, for the county of Ilfov.

Romanian Social Democrats To Back Majority Uninominal Voting System

Romania’s leftist opposition Social Democratic Party, or PSD, Tuesday decided to back, during the debates in Parliament, the majority uninominal voting system in a single round of elections, PSD leader Mircea Geoana said.

Romania Life Insurance Mkt Seen Up 25% In 2008

The growth rate of Romania’s life insurance market will reach 25% in 2008, up 5% from 2007, mainly due to people’s growing interest in these financial instruments, following the adhesion campaign to private pension funds.

Constitutional Court To Rule If Probe Requests For MPs Need Parliament Approval

Romania’s Senate asked the Constitutional Court to rule whether Parliament should or should not give its approval regarding the notices on the start of criminal investigation against ministers who are also MPs.

Ctrl Bker Warns Against Danger Of Inflationary Spiral

Romania’s central bank governor Mugur Isarescu on Tuesday said wage increases need to correlate with labor productivity to prevent creating an “inflationary spiral,” which is very hard to control.

Five Romanians Arrested In Spain For Plundering Jewelry Store

The civilian guard in the town of Leon (north-western Spain) arrested five Romanian citizens, three women and two men, after they allegedly plundered a jewelry store in the city of Pola de Lena.

Romanian Fiscal Authority Takes Online Budget Statements On A National Level

The Romanian National Fiscal Administration Agency (ANAF) will extend, to a national level, on April 1, the system that allows companies to submit budget statements online, said the president of the agency, Daniel Chitoiu.

Romania’s Econ Potential Highest Among SE European States- U.S. Ambassador

Romania is one of the best-kept secrets when it comes to investment opportunities, U.S. Ambassador to Bucharest Nicholas Taubman said in New York on Tuesday, during an event meant to promote Romanian business opportunities.

Czech Profireal Opens Branch In Romania

Profi Credit IFN SA, a member of the Czech financial group Profireal Group, has launched operations on the Romanian market on Tuesday, manager Tomas Rosenberger said.

Romania’s Dec Net Avg Salary Up 12.9% On Mo To RON1,266

Romania net average wages in December 2007 rose 12.9% on the month to 1,266 lei, the National Institute for Statistics said Tuesday.

Romanian Petrom’s Refinery Ops Unaffected By Fire

Petrobrazi Ploiesti refinery of Romanian Oil Company Petrom was subject to a fire on Tuesday morning, which damaged three storage tanks but did not affect the overall operations of the refinery, the company said in a statement.

Romanian Transport Minister Free Of Traffic Accident Criminal Probe

The Prosecutors’ Office within the Romanian High Court of Justice decided not to initiate criminal investigations against transport minister Ludovic Orban regarding the traffic accident in which the dignitary was involved late last year.

Romanian Pres Says Bilateral Agreement Needed For Kosovo Independence

French president Nicolas Sarkozy stated Monday, at the end of talks with his Romanian counterpart, that the independence of Kosovo is inevitable, while president Traian Basescu mentioned that Romania would never acknowledge such an unilateral declaration.

Romanian Foreign Affairs Min Salutes Serb Pres Reelection

The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs salutes the reelection of Boris Tadić as president of Serbia, for a new five-year mandate, pointing out that Romania has always been in favor of the pro-European forces in Belgrade.

French, Romanian Presidents To Sign Strategic Partnership Monday

Romanian President Traian Basescu on Monday afternoon welcomed his French counterpart Nicolas Sarkozy during the latter’s one-day visit to Bucharest.

Romania Council Overseeing Securitate Files To Carry On Activity-PM

The Romanian executive will issue an ordinance allowing the National Council in charge with overseeing the files of former communist secret police, or CNSAS, to carry on its activity, Premier Calin Popescu Tariceanu said Monday.

Interim EC Report On Romanian Justice Filed

The European Commission’s report with respect to the Romanian justice sector mentions that in key areas such as the fight against high-level corruption, the country did not manage to bring convincing results of having dealt with the problem.

First Grand Prix One Circuit To Be Built In SE Romania

The inhabitants of Snagov village, in Romania’s southeastern county of Ilfov, voted in favor of building a Grand Prix One racing track on the Snagov commons.

European Commission To Present Interim Report On Romanian Justice

The European Commission will present the report on justice in Romania, which, according to EU sources, will refer to the leadership of he High Council of the Magistrates and will state that the National Anticorruption Department is on the right track as far as investigations go.

Romanians Protest Against Constitutional Court Decision

Over 300 people gathered in Bucharest’s Universitatii Square to protest against the Constitutional Court decision on the unconstitutional functioning of the National Council for the Study of Securitate Archives.

EC Might Demand Changes In The Automobile Craiova Privatization Contract

The European Commission might raise a series of objections regarding the privatization of Romanian car factory Automobile Craiova with American group Ford, according to the president of Romanian privatization authority AVAS, Teodor Atanasiu.

Romanian Liberals Take Arms Against Bureaucracy, Taxation

Romanian National Liberal Party vice president Varujan Vosganian stated that the party enacted a resolution through which it vows to accelerate and complete the program for the reduction of bureaucracy and taxation in 2008.

Romanian Liberals To Tackle CNSAS Issue

Romanian National Liberal Party leader Calin Popescu Tariceanu stated that his party will take responsibility for the solution of the CNSAS situation. He decided the formation of a working group, including Stejarel Olaru and Marius Oprea, to find legal support in this respect.

Romanian PM Vies For Govt’s Uninominal Voting System

The leader of the Romanian liberals, prime minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu, said that the Executive and the liberal members of Parliament will support the introduction of the uninominal voting system, and he called on political parties to offer support for the government’s uninominal vote law.

Romanian Democrat Liberals To Demand Car Tax Cancellation

Romanian Democratic Liberal Party (PDL) president Emil Boc, announced after the party’s National Standing Office meeting, the completion of simple motion that will be submitted at the beginning of next week in the Chamber of Deputies, called "Cancel the first registration tax."

Shape Shift Could Save Romania’s CNSAS – Ex Justice Min

Romanian former justice minister Tudor Chiuariu said that the only solution to save Securitate archive study authority CNSAS is to turn it into an autonomous administrative investigation authority.

Romanian Leu Hits 2-Week High Vs Euro, Dealers Suspect Ctrl Bk Intervention

The Romanian leu strengthened against the euro on Friday to 3.67/6750 to the euro, dealers suspecting the appreciation was due to the central bank’s intervention on the market.