National Press Review, 2 March

The ADEVĂRUL has been investigating and wrote about ‘Who inflates food prices’. In less than two years, the price of cereal on world markets has tripled.

Rice, wheat, maize became luxury products even for the citizens of several not so poor countries. An explanation for the high food prices could be the shift of national funds to commodity markets and agricultural products.

These are the same financial giants which caused the high-risk mortgage crisis in the US, three years ago. What is worse is that the increase in food prices is happening as an effect to the increase of oil and natural gas prices, as a result to the events that took place in the Arab World.

‘Life in 2011: Romanians are among Europe’s most pessimists’ – headlines the EVENIMENTUL ZILEI, after analyzing the results of the Eurobarometre survey, released yesterday.

Only 14 percent of us expect an improvement of the economic situation this year, a percentage that puts are between countries such as Ireland or Greece, severely affected by the recession. Unemployment and inflation are considered by Romanians the most important issues the country is facing at this time.

Regarding the evaluation of the measures taken so far by the government against the crisis, 80 percent of the Romanians believe the government acted inefficiently.

The journalists in the GÂNDUL took the A1 highway Bucharest-Pitesti and they assessed it is almost impracticable. At mile 18, ten holes show up one after the other, over an area of 50 metres, and the asphalt between them is seriously cracked so it all threatens to become a big hole, if no one intervenes.

What is even worse is that whenever a heavy vehicle passes through the holes, chunks of loose asphalt detach from the holes, threatening to turn into a longish, continuous ditch. With the help of a tape, journalists measured a hole which was 80 centimetres long, 40 wide and 8 centimentres deep.

The National Roads Company admits that A1 is drilled on 87 percent of the area. Around 10 million euros have been allocated this year to its rehabilitation.

On the same topic, we learn from the ROMÂNIA LIBERĂ ‘Why 2011 won’t bring any new kilometre of highway’.

The construction of the Arad beltway will be delayed with over one year. The completion of works will only happen in July-August 2012, because the Ministry of Transportation hasn’t issued the construction authorization for one of the three highway sectors, the middle one, which is two kilometres long. Although the sector with issues is a very short one, the delay will block circulation on the other two, because of its center position.

Today’s newspapers write about the scandal that broke over the controversy of nominating the head of the Bucharest customs point, who resigned ten days after being appointed.

According to the ADEVĂRUL, Silviu Văduva accepted the position for the considerable salary he would have earned, even though his own wealth amounts to several million euros. Know for his passion for clubbing and famous relationships with beautiful women, Văduva submitted his resignation so as not to tarnish the image of the institution.

On the front page of the ADEVĂRUL the daily introduces the champion in doing business with the Government. He is PNL Mihai Lupu. His company sealed contracts worth 29 million euros with the Government for hydrotechnical works, after the last year floods in Moldavia.

The daily GÂNDUL also writes about Bercea Mondialul and how he explained investigators him getting his drivers’ licence: ‘I bribed someone, but I can’t remember whom.’, Bercea stated.

The Prosecutor's Office attached to the Trial Court of Olt opened a new case for investigating how the illiterate racketeer obtained his drivers’ licence. However, the case is unlikely to suceed because the bribery charges are time-barred. As for the possible annulment of the drivers’ licence, it can only be decided by a judge.

Translated by: Manuela Stancu
MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University