National Press Review, 10 March

‘Fuel prices record increases have been registered since the beginning of the year’, headlines the Evenimentul Zilei. In two months, fuel price boosted with six per cent and reached a critical point – a price of six lei per litre – while last year fuel price increased with twenty per cent. The evolution of the price of fuel remains a mystery for the National Bank of Romania too, because this could affect this year inflationist forecast. The daily Puterea advertises, ‘Gas stations have a great influence on food prices and inflation’. Food price will increase with at least ten per cent if fuel price reaches seven lei per litre.

Brussels suggests national governments to decrease income taxes and to increase the Ecotax. The Adevărul outlines that Romania must send to Brussels the labor market reform plans before mid April. The European Council requests employers to provide a more flexible work schedule and childcare options. Moreover, youngsters need support for making a career. The European Union’s purpose is to boost employment rate to seventy five per cent and to decrease the number of poor people. In 2009, in the twenty seven European states, the average employment rate was about sixty four per cent while in Romania it reached fifty eight per cent which is the lowest value among the European values.

‘Romanian export warriors’ is the headline of the Jurnalul Naţional that asks whether our country has managed to provide mercenaries for the worldwide fights. There are more and more Romanian soldiers of fortune employed for fighting in armed wars areas around the world and who are lured by high income. Lately, more and more Arabic newspapers have denoted the presence of Romanians among the mercenaries who defend the regime of the Libyan dictator, Muammar Gaddafi. There were more than 15,000 Romanian servicemen sent for military operations in Bosnia, Kosovo, Iraq and Afghanistan. The same daily adds that some of those who had completed their missions were hired immediately by security and military service foreign companies which recruited soldiers of fortune in order to send them into different war areas.

The Evenimetul Zilei reveals that, in Bucharest, cars have been illegally seized. According to a report conducted by the National Authority for Regulating and Monitoring of Public Procurement, companies that confiscate cars parked irregularly in Bucharest have been designated by local city halls for having repeatedly violated the law related to public purchase. However, there is no way to cancel contracts! So, drivers whose cars have been confiscated in Bucharest, have to pay between 440 and 830 lei in order to get back their cars.

The Gândul writes some news about the Austrian who will build, in Bucegi, a one billion dollar resort. After having asserted that Romanian people use to waste sixty million euro on holidays in Austria, each year, he wants to bring Austria in Bucegi as he will build near Zamora, between Azuga and Poiana Ţapului, a resort where tourists will be provided a five star accommodation and will have great fun. Likewise, Chinese businessmen come into Romania in order to invest eight billion euro according to Sorin Oprescu, Mayor of Bucharest, who has just visited Beijing and Shanghai. He signed an agreement with the Chinese related both to the substructure project in Bucharest and to the hospitals improvement. As a consequence, the mayor promises that works related to the suspended highway will begin for the end of the year and that he will introduce magnetic trains towards the OTOPENI airport and will equip the RATB with electric buses.


Translated by: Cristina Anamaria Maricescu
MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University