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EC Launches Excessive Deficit Procedure Against Romania

13:03, 13 Mai 2009
The European Commission initiated Wednesday the excessive deficit procedure for Romania, which posted a budget deficit of 5.4% of the gross domestic product in 2008, after concluding the excess was not exceptional and temporary.

Depeche Mode Romanian Gig Uncertain Following Frontman’s Illness

11:45, 13 Mai 2009
The concert of electric-pop pioneers Depeche Mode scheduled for May 16 in Bucharest is uncertain following the frontman’s state of health, but organizers Emagic said they are expecting news about Gahan Wednesday.

Romanian PM Blasts Former Liberal Govt Over Country’s Ailing Economy

11:25, 13 Mai 2009
Romanian Premier Emil Boc said Wednesday in the plenary Parliament meeting on the no-confidence motion "The great PDL-PSD hoax" that the European Commission’s decision to launch excessive budget deficit procedure against Romania represents the actual no-confidence motion.

Romania Makes It Into 2009 Eurovision Song Contest Final

09:31, 13 Mai 2009
Romania's contender for the Eurovision 2009 Song Contest, Elena Gheorghe, and her song "The Balkan Girls" qualified for the Eurovision final to take place Saturday, May 16, after the first semi-final held Tuesday night at the Olimpiyskiy Arena in Moscow.

EIB OKs EUR600M Loan To Ford For Operations In Romania, Germany

20:04, 12 Mai 2009
The European Investment Bank approved Tuesday a EUR600 million loan to US carmaker Ford, for the construction and operation of a vehicle and engine plant in Craiova, Romania, and for research and development related activities for the plant carried out in Germany.

Romanian Court Rules To Release One Football Corruption Suspect, Four Others Remain In Custody

18:32, 12 Mai 2009
Romania’s Pitesti Appeal Court decided Tuesday to release former Central Referee Commission vice-president Marcel Lica, while the other suspects in the referee corruption case will remain under arrest for another 30 days.

American Plane Headed For Qatar Makes Emergency Landing In E Romania

18:00, 12 Mai 2009
An American Hercules C – 130 military plane, carrying 32 people, going from Bucharest to Qatar, made an emergency landing Tuesday on the "Mihail Kogalniceanu" airport, in eastern Romanian city Constanta, when pilots noticed smoke coming out of the control panel.

Romanian Social Democrats To Request Justice Min Dismissal If EC Report Unfavorable – Sources

16:54, 12 Mai 2009
The Romanian Social Democratic Party (PSD) will request the dismissal of justice minister Catalin Predoiu in case the European Commission’s report on the Romanian justice system is unfavorable, party sources said.

Quake With 4.2 Richter Magnitude Felt Tuesday Morning In C Romania

15:48, 12 Mai 2009
An earthquake with a 4.2 magnitude on the Richter scale occurred Tuesday morning at 04.15 local time, in central Romanian region Vrancea, and it was not felt in Bucharest, according to the Romanian National Institute for Research and Development in Earth Physics.

Romania’s Govt To Decide On Minimum Tax After Evaluating Econ Growth – PM

15:40, 12 Mai 2009
Romania’s Government will evaluate the impact of the minimum tax on companies and will make a decision in this respect according to the evolution of the country’s economy, Prime Minister Emil Boc said Tuesday.

Romanian Transp Min Shuts Down Unprofitable Rail Route

15:00, 12 Mai 2009
Romania’s Transport Ministry will end the service on the rail route connecting Bucharest northern train station to Otopeni Airport due to losses, minister Radu Berceanu said Tuesday.

Former Romanian General Released From Prison For One Year On Health Issues

14:57, 12 Mai 2009
The Romanian Territorial Military Court of Bucharest approved, on Tuesday, former General and Defense Minister Victor Athanasie Stanculescu’s request to interrupt his 15-year prison sentence and decided to release him for one year, so that he could solve his health problems.

Romanian President Replies To Senate Head’s Open Letter

14:28, 12 Mai 2009
Romanian president Traian Basescu sent a letter Tuesday to social democrat leader and Senate chairman Mircea Geoana regarding the debates on the legal codes.

Citi Sees Romanian Leu At RON3.95 Vs Euro By Yearend

13:48, 12 Mai 2009
Citi analysts revised down their forecast on Romanian leu exchange rate at the end of 2009, at RON3.95 to the euro, from its previously estimated RON4.2 against the euro, the bank said in a report.

Romanian Social Democrat Head At Odds With President Over Adoption Of Legal Codes

13:40, 12 Mai 2009
Romania’s Social Democratic Party (PSD) president, Mircea Geoana, said Tuesday that president Traian Basescu’s accusations alleging he plans to boycott the adoption of the country’s legal codes are absurd, adding Basescu plans to lay all the blame on the Parliament and the social democrats.

Romania’s PC Software Piracy Rate Dn 2 Points In 2008, To 66%

13:20, 12 Mai 2009
Romania’s PC software piracy rate decreased two percentage points in 2008, to 66% from 68% in 2007, while losses in the local software industry increased 65% to $249 million, according to a report of Business Software Alliance (BSA) published on its official website.

Contesting Public Procurement Auctions, Romania’s New National Sport – Transport Min

12:26, 12 Mai 2009
Contesting public procurement contract awarding has become a national sport in Romania, where contenders challenge auctions just to stop the auction winner from starting works and block the use of national and EU funds, Romanian transport minister Radu Berceanu said Tuesday.

Romanian Official: Decentralization In Education May Start In Three Months

12:21, 12 Mai 2009
The contests needed to appoint school principals, substitute teachers and to grant tenure should be organized at local level, according to the decentralization process, which could start as soon as in three months, Liviu Dragnea, head of the Union of Country Councils in Romania, said Tuesday.

Romania’s April CPI +0.27% M-M, Annual Inflation Narrows To 6.45%

10:42, 12 Mai 2009
Romanian consumer price index rose 0.27% in April compared with the previous month, and the annual inflation fell to 6.45 % from 6.71% end-March, the National Statistics Institute reported Tuesday.

Romanian Lender BCR To Reschedule 20,000 Retail Loans

18:22, 11 Mai 2009
Romanian lender Banca Comerciala Romana, or BCR, plans to reschedule 5,000 mortgage or consumer mortgaged loans and 15,000 consumer loans, out of around one million loans granted by the bank on the retail segment, BCR’s Executive Vice President Martin Skopek said Monday.

Romanian Parliament Sets Up Sub-Committee For Space

18:17, 11 Mai 2009
Romania’s parliament has a new Sub-Committee for Space, whose role is to transpose the European norms in the sector into national legislation, liberal Deputy Relu Fenechiu said Monday.

Romanian Court Rules To Release Football Corruption Suspects

16:32, 11 Mai 2009
The Romanian Arges Court decided to release football corruption case suspects Cornel Penescu, Cristian Libertatu, Liviu Facaleata, Gheorghe Constantin and Marcel Lica, but the ruling may be appealed.

German Parliament Decision On Funds For Romania Unrelated To MCV In Justice – TI

16:31, 11 Mai 2009
Transparency International Romania (TI-Ro) said the German Parliament’s decision to cut European funds for Romania was not taken as part of the Mechanism for Cooperation and Verification (MCV) in Justice, but depending on its results.

A Third Of Romanian Companies To Make Layoffs In ’09 – Survey

14:47, 11 Mai 2009
More than 30% of private companies in Romania will make lay off staff in 2009 to cut costs, while 41% of the companies planned a lower salary budget this year because of the economic turmoil, according to a survey of research company Hewitt Associates.

Minimum Salary Boost Threatens Romania’s Econ Stability – Employers

14:35, 11 Mai 2009
The rapid growth of the Romanian minimum salary from the current 600 lei (EUR1=RON4.1560) to RON1,600 or RON1,700 over the next 2 or 3 years and the approval of unrealistic salary grids over the next 3 to 5 years threaten economic stability, an employers confederation said.

EC Spokesman Deems Speculations On Romanian Justice Report Aftermath Premature

14:29, 11 Mai 2009
It is premature to speculate on what will happen after the European Commission issues its report on the Romanian justice system, EC spokesman Mark Gray told MEDIAFAX Monday, in reply to statements made by the Romanian Senate chairman, who said Romania risks losing EU funds.

EU Funds To Romania May Be Cut After EC Summer Report – Social Democrat Leader

14:18, 11 Mai 2009
Romanian Social Democratic Party president Mircea Geoana said on Monday that there is information which says European funds for Romania may be cut after the Commission’s Report on Justice this summer and urged President Traian Basescu and relevant institutions to take measures to avoid this risk.

Mins At Odds With Govt Acts Should Resign – Democrat Liberal VP

13:32, 11 Mai 2009
Romanian Democratic Liberal Party vice-president Theodor Stolojan said Monday after the party’s National Standing Office meeting that the members of the government coalition need to show solidarity in the decisions made, and those who feel otherwise can resign.

April Data, A First Sign On Economy Relaunch – Romanian Min

13:26, 11 Mai 2009
Romanian deputy prime minister Dan Nica stated Monday, after the ruling coalition’s meeting, that April’s economic data presented by the Finance Minister Gheorghe Pogea show a first sign of economic relaunch.

Romanian Businessmen Assoc Asks Govt For 3-Yr Fiscal Strategy

13:09, 11 Mai 2009
Romanian Businessmen Association AOAR asked the government and the Finance Ministry to draft a fiscal strategy for at least 3 years, saying that the government’s contradictory statements on various fiscal measures in 2009 and 2010 are confusing for the business environment.

Former Romanian Integrity Agency Inspector Charged With Fraud

12:47, 11 Mai 2009
Former Romanian National Integrity Agency inspector Fanel Burciu is being investigated by prosecutors in connection with fraud charges, after the Agency noticed he was cashing salaries of around 100,000 lei (EUR1=RON4.1380), despite his being unfit for work, according to his medical papers.

Romania Could Only Be Sanctioned With Lack Of Recognition Of Court Decisions In EU – Min

12:38, 11 Mai 2009
Romanian justice minister Catalin Predoiu said Monday, regarding a decision of a German Parliament commission, that the only formal sanction that could be imposed on Romania would be to not recognize decisions of Romanian courts in EU states.

Romania’s 1Q Trade Def Dn 60% On Yr To EUR2B

11:05, 11 Mai 2009
Romania’s trade deficit was at EUR1.99 billion in the first quarter, significantly lower than EUR5.09 billion in the same period a year earlier, the National Statistics Institute reported Monday.

Romanian Court Auxiliary Staff Begin Warning Strike

10:40, 11 Mai 2009
Clerks, archivists and other members of auxiliary staff in Romanian courts began a warning strike Monday at 10 a.m., stopping all activity for two hours, unhappy because the collective work contract negotiated in December with the Justice Ministry has not been applied.

Trial Of Romanian Ex-Ministers Seres, Nagy At Supreme Court Delayed Until June 29

10:07, 11 Mai 2009
The trial in which Romania’s former economy minister Codrut Seres and former communications minister Zsolt Nagy are accused of organized crime along four others in a file regarding shady privatizations was put off Monday until June 29, as some of the accused do not have lawyers to represent them.

Romanian Govt To Analyze Decentralization In Education, Agriculture, Culture

16:32, 10 Mai 2009
The Romanian Government will analyze, within ten days, the draft laws regarding decentralization in Education, Agriculture, Culture and Labor, after laws were approved on Sunday transferring the duties in Health, Police and Sports to local authorities, Prime Minister Emil Boc said.

Romania May Be Denied Over EUR10 Million In EU Funds

16:12, 10 Mai 2009
Romania may be denied European pre-accession funds worth RON41.9 million (over EUR10 million), granted through PHARE, ISPA and SAPARD, because of delayed auctions, lack of funds for project co-financing and the poor quality of the projects in progress.

Romanian Local Police To Have Duties Regarding Traffic On Public Roads

15:23, 10 Mai 2009
The Romanian local Police department will encompass the offices of the mayor’s special apparatus, with duties in building inspection, protection of public property, crime fighting, trade and individual registry, but will also have jurisdiction as regards traffic on public roads.

Romanian ArcelorMittal Galati Employees Go On Technical Unemployment Monday

15:06, 10 Mai 2009
All 11,700 employees of Romanian steel mill ArcelorMittal Galati will take turns to go on technical unemployment, starting Monday and lasting until the end of July, and will be paid 85% of their salary, according to mill director Augustine Kochuparampil.

Romanian Hospitals To Be Managed By Local Authorities As Of 2010

14:50, 10 Mai 2009
Romanian hospitals and public health offices will be converted to Medical Assistance Offices and transferred to the management of local authorities as of January 1, 2010, through a law package which will enter force on September 1, Health Minister Ion Bazac said.