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Romania Jan-Feb Trade Gap Narrows To EUR582.4M

10:10, 11 Apr. 2011
Romania’s trade deficit narrowed to EUR582.4 million in the first two months of 2011, from EUR1.1 billion in the year-earlier period, the country’s statistics institute INS said Monday.

Romanian Imported Used Car Market Halved From Last Year

15:34, 10 Apr. 2011
Imported used cars currently make up 15% of the Romanian used car market, from 30% in 2010, due to the country’s pollution tax, which was raised on January 1, officials of car sales ad portals told MEDIAFAX.

Romania Won’t Sell 9.84% In OMV Petrom For Less Than EUR600M, PM Says

14:55, 10 Apr. 2011
Romania will get more money from the sale of a 9.84% stake in oil company Petrom (SNP.RO) on the stock exchange than the social democratic Government got for the company’s privatization in 2004, Prime Minister Emil Boc said Saturday on Pro TV.

IMF Experts To Assist Romanian Tax Authority In Checking High Wealth Individuals

14:43, 10 Apr. 2011
A team of International Monetary Fund experts will conduct a technical mission at the headquarters of Romania’s tax authority ANAF between April 7 and 20, to help with indirect control methods and the check-up of individuals with high incomes, the tax authority said.

Romanian Govt Talks To Petrom On Refinery Reopening – Sources

14:14, 10 Apr. 2011
The Romanian Government launched discussions with oil company OMV Petrom (SNP.RO) in a bid to reopen the Arpechim refinery, which Petrom shut down recently, people close to the matter told MEDIAFAX.

Romanian Govt To OK New Layoffs In State-Run Cos, With Added Social Protection

14:11, 10 Apr. 2011
Romania's Government will soon authorize new layoffs in the mining, energy and defense sectors, but will reintroduce a monthly supplementary income for the sacked employees, a benefit that may be terminated if the beneficiary turns down a new job because of a low salary.

Romanian PM, Education Min Say Country Can’t Afford Wage Hikes For Teachers

14:02, 10 Apr. 2011
Romania can’t afford to give teachers a 50% wage raise next year either, Prime Minister Emil Boc said Saturday, adding such a move would ruin the economy.

Romanian PM Says Healthcare Reform Must Be Completed

13:41, 10 Apr. 2011
Romanian Prime Minister Emil Boc said Saturday the country’s healthcare system reform is necessary and must be completed and the health minister has the Government’s full support.

U.S. Dept Of State Human Rights Report – Romanian Govt Ineffective At Enforcing Anticorruption Law

20:03, 08 Apr. 2011
Romanian law provides penalties for public corruption, but the Government does not effectively enforce these laws, says the United States Department of State's 2010 Human Rights Report, which also covers cases of politicians with immunity involved in acts of corruption.

U.S. Dept Of State Human Rights Report: Abuse Continued In Romanian Prisons In 2010

19:44, 08 Apr. 2011
Abuse in Romanian prisons continued in 2010, with the media and NGOs reporting assaults on prisoners both from prison staff and from fellow inmates, says the United States Department of State's 2010 Human Rights Report.

Lukoil Romania Follows Fuel Price Moves With RON0.06/Liter Hike

16:08, 08 Apr. 2011
Oil company Lukoil Romania on Friday raised its pump prices by 0.06 lei (EUR1=RON4.1146) per liter, after competitors OMV Petrom (SNP.RO) and Rompetrol announced price increases by RON0.09 per liter earlier the same day.

Romanian Democrat Liberal MP Indicted For Blackmail

16:01, 08 Apr. 2011
Romanian anticorruption prosecutors on Friday indicted democrat liberal MP Dan Pasat on charges of blackmail and corruption.

Romanian Environment Min: ECJ Ruling On Pollution Tax Refers To Older Version

14:20, 08 Apr. 2011
Romania's Environment Ministry said Friday that the European Court of Justice's (ECJ) judgment on the car pollution tax refers to the initial form of the act introducing the tax and not the one amended in 2010.

Romanian Teachers To Receive Unpaid Wage Rights Starting 2012 – Education Min

13:58, 08 Apr. 2011
Romanian Education Minister Daniel Funeriu said Friday court rulings granting unpaid salary rights to teachers will be applied staring 2012 and the money will be paid in tranches.

Romanian Inflation Seen Rising To 7.8% In March

13:30, 08 Apr. 2011
Romanian consumer prices are likely to increase by 0.5% on the month in March, while the annual inflation is seen accelerating to 7.8%, according to a median forecast of the country’s association of financial and banking analysts AAFBR.

Topoloveni Plum Jam, First Romanian Product Entered In EU Quality Register

13:23, 08 Apr. 2011
Topoloveni plum jam ("Magiunul de prune Topoloveni") on Friday has become one of the 1.000 products included in the European quality system, after it was entered in the register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications, according to the European Commission.

Romanian Petrom Sets Tone For New Fuel Price Hikes With RON0.09 Raise

12:49, 08 Apr. 2011
Romania’s largest oil company OMV Petrom (SNP.RO) Friday raised its gasoline and diesel oil pump prices by 0.09 lei (EUR1=RON4.2065) per liter, which could trigger similar increases from other local fuel sellers.

Fraud Convict Nicolae Popa To Be Handed Over To Romanian Authorities Before Easter

11:50, 08 Apr. 2011
Romanian fraud convict Nicolae Popa will be turned over to Romanian authorities before Easter, after Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono signed a decree to extradite him.

Romania Can Raise Public Salaries By 5%, Pensions By 7% Next Year – Fiscal Council

19:44, 07 Apr. 2011
Romania's public sector salary fund can be increased this year by no more than 5%, provided the economy grows 1.5% in 2011 and 3.9% in 2012, while public pensions could be raised by at least 7%, the Parliament-appointed Fiscal Council said Thursday.

Romanian Govt To Seek Confidence Vote For Teacher Wage Cap Act, Social Code

19:24, 07 Apr. 2011
Romania's Government on Thursday decided to begin the steps towards seeking a vote of confidence in Parliament for the bill capping wage raises for teachers who won salary rights in court, and for the Social Dialog Code, people close to the matter told MEDIAFAX.

Romanian Environment Min Wants Harsher Punishments For Wood Theft

17:34, 07 Apr. 2011
Romanian Environment Minister Laszlo Borbely said Thursday that he will propose punishing all wood theft by prison, regardless of the quantity cut illegally.

Romanian Economy Not Out Of The Woods Yet – Fiscal Council

17:07, 07 Apr. 2011
The Romanian economy has stabilized, but the country is yet to emerge from its worst recession in over a decade, the parliament-appointed Fiscal Council said Thursday.

Romania 1Q Budget Deficit At 1% Of GDP

17:01, 07 Apr. 2011
Romania’s consolidated budget posted a deficit of 5.6 billion lei (EUR1=RON4.1089) in the first quarter, equal to 1% of the gross domestic product, an official of the Finance Ministry said Thursday, citing preliminary data.

European Court Of Justice: Romanian Pollution Tax Contrary To EU Law

16:58, 07 Apr. 2011
Romania's car pollution tax is contrary to European Union law, since it discourages the sale of second-hand vehicles purchased in other member states to Romania, says the Court of Justice of the EU, in a judgment issued on the request of a Romanian court.

Romania Issues European Arrest Warrant For Businessman Dinel Staicu

14:56, 07 Apr. 2011
A Bucharest court issued a European arrest warrant Thursday for businessman Dinel Staicu, who changed his name to Dinel Nutu, and reportedly fled the country as he was convicted to seven years in prison for fraud.

Romania Taking Steps Towards EU Permission To Farm GM Soy – Agric Min

14:31, 07 Apr. 2011
Romanian Agriculture Minister Valeriu Tabara said Thursday that Romania has applied to the European Union for permission to grow and export genetically modified soybeans, starting with 2012.

Romania Ctrl Bk Readies Measures To Discourage FX Household Lending

13:09, 07 Apr. 2011
The Romanian central bank is preparing a set of measures to discourage foreign currency borrowing among people who get their paychecks in lei, central bank governor Mugur Isarescu said in an interview.

Romania Can No Longer Rely On Pesticides In Agriculture – Minister

13:06, 07 Apr. 2011
Agriculture cannot rely on the use of pesticides, which pose health risks, Romanian Agriculture Minister Valeriu Tabara said Thursday at the Mediafax Talks about GMOs conference, and highlighted that genetically modified plants reduce the use of chemicals.

Romania Still Plans To Create Energy Champions – Official

13:02, 07 Apr. 2011
Romania has not yet given up the idea of creating two national energy champions, and it is currently evaluating alternative solutions to this end, an Economy Ministry official said Thursday.

Romania Ctrl Bker Says 2009/2010 Inflation Fiscal In Nature; Pressures Remain

12:38, 07 Apr. 2011
Romania’s high inflation over the past two years was induced by fiscal imbalances and upward pressures will persist as long as the relation between taxpayers and beneficiaries of social security programs remains profoundly uneven, central bank governor Mugur Isarescu said.

Romania Ctrl Bk To Up 2011 Inflation Forecast As Food, Energy Prices Surge

12:13, 07 Apr. 2011
Romania's central bank will revise upward its year-end inflation forecast, due to higher-than-expected international prices for energy and food items, central bank governor Mugur Isarescu said in an interview.

Living Standard Of Romanians On Welfare Won’t Return To ‘08 Level Before 2015 – Ctrl Bker

11:59, 07 Apr. 2011
The standard of living in Romania will grow differently after the country steps out of recession, with first signs of improvement to be seen in the production and export sectors starting this year, central bank governor Mugur Isarescu said Wednesday.

Romanian Govt Does Not Support Additional Tax On Bank Profit Without EU Agreement

11:25, 07 Apr. 2011
Romania's Government does not support introducing a "solidarity tax" of 2.5% on the profit of financial and lending institutions, proposed by a number of MPs, without a EU consensus, fearing that banks will transfer their profit abroad.

Romanian Organized Crime Prosecutors To Question 30 Suspected Weapon Traffickers

11:08, 07 Apr. 2011
Thirty people have been brought in for questioning Thursday morning in Craiova, southern Romania, after authorities fighting organized crime and terrorism raided dozens of homes of suspected arms traffickers.

EC Warns Romania About High Poor Air Quality

18:24, 06 Apr. 2011
The European Commission (EC) has sent Romania an additional reasoned opinion concerning the high daily and yearly concentration of airborne particles (PM10), prompting the Environment Ministry to call for a videoconference on the issue with county prefects.

Romanian Health Insurance House Placed Under Parliament Control – Bill

15:19, 06 Apr. 2011
Romania's Senate on Wednesday adopted a bill amending Law 95/2006, on healthcare reform, placing the National Health Insurance House (CNAS) under the Parliament's control.

Romanian Modern Retail Rose By 100 Units In 2010

14:57, 06 Apr. 2011
Some 100 stores were opened last year in Romanian modern retail (supermarkets, hypermarkets, discount stores), amounting to a total 642 units at the end of the year, according to research company Nielsen.

Romania Could Earn Up To EUR1B Per Year From GM Soybean Farming

14:44, 06 Apr. 2011
Romania is missing out on almost EUR1 billion every year because it does not farm genetically modified soybeans, since the national production potential is about two million tons, Agriculture Minister Valeriu Tabara said Wednesday.

Romanian President Signs Condolences Book For Victims Of Mazar-i-Sharif Attack

14:38, 06 Apr. 2011
Romanian President Traian Basescu on Wednesday signed the book of condolences for the victims of the attack on the UN office in Mazar-i-Sharif, northern Afghanistan, opened at the United Nations Information Center for Romania.

Romanian Govt Mulls Giving EUR5,000 Incentives To Electric Car Buyers

12:50, 06 Apr. 2011
Romania’s Environment Ministry is working on a government emergency decree whereby the Government would grant incentives to people buying electric cars, to cover the price difference between regular and electric vehicles, which is currently of abut EUR5,000.