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Belgian Company Refuses To Rent Cars To Romanian Citizens

16:27, 12 Feb. 2008
Two Romanian MEPs last week accused Belgian rent-a-car company Hertz Benelux of discriminating Romanian citizens by refusing to rent cars to them.

President Tells PM He Will Refuse The Dismissal Of The Def Min – Sources

14:46, 12 Feb. 2008
Romanian president Traian Basescu told Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu he would not accept the dismissal of defense minister Teodor Melescanu, proposed for justice minister, official sources told MEDIAFAX Tuesday.

Former Tennis Star Quits Tennis Federation Chairman Position

14:43, 12 Feb. 2008
Romania’s former tennis player Ilie Nastase on Tuesday said he resigned his position as president of the Romanian Tennis Federation, or FRT, according to the office of the spokesperson of the National Agency for Sports.

Bucharest’s Baneasa To Become Urban Airport In Up To Ten Years – Min

14:16, 12 Feb. 2008
Bucharest’s "Aurel Vlaicu" Baneasa international airport will become available only for small, private and charter planes, in about ten years, following developments in the north of the city, transport minister Ludovic Orban told MEDIAFAX Tuesday.

Romania’s AVAS Asks Petrom To Annul Spin-Off Deal

13:13, 12 Feb. 2008
Romania’s privatization agency AVAS, which owns 20.6% in oil and gas company Petrom (SNP.RO), asked the company’s majority stockholder OMV AG (OMV.VI) to annul the Petromservice takeover deal, fueled by the high acquisition price.

Romania To Introduce Pan-European Call Numbers For Social Services

13:11, 12 Feb. 2008
Romania’s communication and information technology regulator ANRCTI published for consultation a draft on the allocation of six-digit phone numbers for information and social services.

Romania Jan CPI +0.86% On Mo, +7.26% On Yr

11:50, 12 Feb. 2008
Romania’s consumer price index rose 0.86% on the month in January, on higher prices for food and services, taking the annual rate to 7.26%, its highest level since May 2006, the National Statistical Institute, or INS, said Tuesday.

Fire Bursts Out At Refinery In S Romania

21:07, 11 Feb. 2008
Firefighters in Romania’s southern town of Ploiesti Monday, at around 11.00 local hour, struggled to put out a fire that had burst at one of the cooling towers of Astra Refinery, situated in the southern part of the town.

Romania Capital City ’08 Budget Might Reach EUR1.3 M

20:22, 11 Feb. 2008
Romania’s capital city Bucharest may benefit in 2008 from a EUR1.3 million budget according to the draft budget submitted on Monday for public debate.

Romania’s BCR To Play Mkt Mkr For Erste Bank On Bourse

19:41, 11 Feb. 2008
Romania’s largest lender, Banca Comerciala Romana (BCR) will kick off intermediation activities in the transaction system of the Bucharest Stock Exchange, according to a press release issued by the market operator.

EU Says Romania Should Make 112 Emergency Service More Appealing

16:50, 11 Feb. 2008
Romania, together with other 13 EU member states, received a notice from the Union, because the complete services, included in the implementation of the single "112" emergency number, are not functional.

EU Could Activate Safeguard Clause On Justice In Romania – Official

15:44, 11 Feb. 2008
Romanian EU Commissioner Leonard Orban told a news conference Monday that, in theory, the Union could activate the safeguard clause on Romania in the field of justice, but added he hopes the country registers significant progress in the upcoming months to avoid such measures.

Liberals Propose Defense Min For Justice, Stroe For Defense

14:52, 11 Feb. 2008
The leaders of Romania’s ruling Liberal Party, or PNL, proposed Teodor Melescanu for justice minister and Radu Stroe for defense minister.

Finnish Mobile Giant Nokia Started Production In NW Romania

13:15, 11 Feb. 2008
Finnish mobile telephone giant Nokia started production Monday in its plant in Jucu, in the northwestern Romanian county of Cluj, where it is to assemble its 1200 model for markets in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Romania 2007 Trade Gap Widens To EUR21.5B

10:14, 11 Feb. 2008
Romania's trade deficit widened roughly 44.4% in 2007 to EUR21.5 billion from EUR14.89 billion in 2006, driven by higher imports from European Union states, the National Institute for Statistics said Monday.

Romanian FM, Moldovan President Discuss EU Integration During Munich Security Conf

18:13, 10 Feb. 2008
Romania’s Foreign Minister Adrian Cioroianu on Sunday held talks with Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin on Moldova’s integration to the European Union during a major security conference in Munich.

Four Families Evacuated Due To Landslides SW Romania

17:19, 10 Feb. 2008
Authorities in Valcea County, southwestern Romania had to evacuate four families in Mateesti locality in the past 48 hours due to landslides at a mining debris site, county prefect Radu Renga said.

Romania Should Import Natural Gas From Russia – Fin Min

15:59, 10 Feb. 2008
Romania will register losses of hundreds of million euros for the period between 2002 and 2012, as the authorities chose to purchase natural gas from intermediaries and not directly from Russia, minister of Economy and Finance Varujan Vosganian said Sunday.

Romanian Cos To File Profit Tax Statements By February 15

14:41, 10 Feb. 2008
Romanian companies must file statements regarding the tax on profit due for the fiscal year 2007 by February 15.

Health Min Controls Drugstores To Prove Romania Faces No Crisis

15:41, 09 Feb. 2008
Romania’s Ministry of Public Health will start on Monday a thorough control of drugstores and pharmaceutical suppliers, health minister Eugen Nicolaescu said Saturday.

Romanian Liberals Hang On Nicolai For Jus Min Position

15:14, 09 Feb. 2008
The Romanian liberals consider three or four nominations for justice minister position, including nominating Norica Nicolai again, liberal deputy president Puiu Hasotti said Saturday.

ECHR: Romania To Pay EUR3,000 Damages Over Unlawful Detention

20:06, 08 Feb. 2008
The European Court of Human Rights, or ECHR, on Thursday ruled in favor of a Romanian national who sued the state over unlawful pre-trial detention, and compelled Romania to pay moral damages worth EUR3,000.

Japanese Ambassador Points Out Cluj For Nippon Investors

17:37, 08 Feb. 2008
Japan’s ambassador to Romania, Kanji Tsushima, plans to determine Japanese companies to invest in Romania’s central county of Cluj, which became an attraction point for investors especially after Finnish mobile phone company Nokia decided to open a plant in the area.

Greater Romania Party Mulls No-Confidence Motion Against Govt

15:07, 08 Feb. 2008
Gheorghe Funar, secretary general of Greater Romania Party (PRM), Friday warned Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu that, if he opposes the VAT cut for basic food, PRM will then submit the first no-confidence motion against the current government.

Vodafone Drops Daily Data Roaming Prices By Up To 45%

14:46, 08 Feb. 2008
Vodafone, the largest mobile telecommunications network company in the world by turnover, Friday announced a price reduction of up to 45% to its monthly data roaming prices for European business travelers starting June 2008.

Romania Might Back Tony Blair For EU Presidency

14:24, 08 Feb. 2008
Romania’s president Traian Basescu alluded, during an interview with French TV station France 24, stating that if France backs former British Premier Tony Blair for the EU presidency, Romania will support him also.

Romanian Pres Says 25% Of Magistrates Are Ex Securitate Members

13:34, 08 Feb. 2008
The president of the Romanian High Council of the Magistrates, Lidia Barbulescu, said that the statements made by president Traian Basescu, who said that 25% of magistrates are former Securitate members, "brings unusual damage" to the image of judges and prosecutors.

Romanian Justice Min Nominee Takes Fight To ECHR

10:05, 08 Feb. 2008
Romanian liberal Senator Norica Nicolai, nominated for the position of justice minister, stated that if the Constitutional Court "maintained Basescu’s reasons regarding immorality" regarding her, she would turn to the European Court for Human Rights.

Romania Wants TGV Line To Stretch Up To Bucharest

20:22, 07 Feb. 2008
Romanian president Traian Basescu said during an interview with French TV station France 24 that the country is currently discussing the possibility for Europe's newest high-speed train, the TGV East to also reach Bucharest.

Romania’s Possible Involvement In Chad Communicated To The EU

19:49, 07 Feb. 2008
Romania’s intention to send troops to Chad was communicated to the European Union and is to afterwards be approved by the country’s government, said on Thursday the foreign affairs minister to Mediafax reporters.

Dacia Logan Sedan Gets Facelift-Sources

19:05, 07 Feb. 2008
Automobile Dacia SA, the Romanian unit of French carmaker Renault (13190.FR), will launch in the second part of the year the facelift Logan Sedan, sources with the car industry said Thursday.

EBRD Might Invest In Romania’s CEC

17:37, 07 Feb. 2008
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, or EBRD, does not exclude the possibility of investing in Romania’s savings bank Casa de Economii si Consemnatiuni, or CEC, said Thursday during a press conference, the institution’s president Jean Lemierre.

Romania’s ELCEN Price Hikes Likely Below Claim – FinMin

16:44, 07 Feb. 2008
Romania’s energy watchdog might approve an energy price hike below the unacceptable 15% increase asked by the country’s power producer Electrocentrale Bucuresti (ELCEN), part of domestic state-owned power distributor Termoelectrica, Romanian Economy Minister Varujan Vosganian said Thursday.

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

16:40, 07 Feb. 2008
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

16:11, 07 Feb. 2008
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

15:46, 07 Feb. 2008
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

14:00, 07 Feb. 2008
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

20:10, 06 Feb. 2008
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

19:57, 06 Feb. 2008
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

19:35, 06 Feb. 2008
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.