National Press Review, 22 March

‘Romania is unable to overcome the economic and social crisis because the power did not understand its nature’ – the Adevărul writes. ‘The Romanians – the poor of Europe’ – headlines the Jurnalul Naţional. ‘The current Government: eroded and blocked’ – the daily Puterea also headlines.

All these articles are based on the conclusions of the Report ‘Romania – Answers to the crisis’, launched on Monday by the Quality of Life Research Institute and the National Institute for Economic Research of the Romanian Academy.

The report argues that no measure yet taken leads to Romania’s escape from the crisis, and the biggest mistake is making drastic cuts for deficit reduction.

The documents ascertains that in Romania the crisis is one of the deepest in Europe, that the areas of extreme poverty are expanding and warns that society is divided and exhibits low social solidarity and serious lack of confidence in the state’s institutions.

The topic Adrian Severin, the Romanian euro MEP who was accused of corruption by journalists of a British publication, does not miss any newspaper today.

‘Severin gave himself the minimum payout penalty’ – the Adevărul headlines, sending an open letter to the European Parliament, where it’s showing that the public opinion in Romania was deeply disappointed by the presence of Severin on the list of the three congressmen accused of taking secret payments for the amendment of certain laws of the European Union and it’s asking for his resignation from the European Forum.

‘Investigated by the European Parliament and suspended by the SDP’ – the Jurnalul Naţional writes, while the Gândul shows how, and I quote: ‘the Severin file blows up the European Parliamentv – consultancy and influence peddling on the Bucharest – Brussels axis.

Severin still claims he did not do anything illegal and announces he wouldn’t resign from the European Parliament, but he suspended himself from the SDP. Foreign politicians, even of the same nature, are taking a step back from his action, and his political opponents demand his resignation.’ ‘Adrian Severin, expected to resign from Brussels’ –the Evenimentul Zilei also headlines.

‘The repatriation of Romanians from Japan – a ‘pinching’ on the back of the calamity’ –the Jurnalul Naţional headlines, showing that ‘Thirty Romanians have been repatriated Sunday evening with a Tarom airplane, provided by the Ministry of External Affairs.

The ones who were repatriated state that many of their compatriots who want to return home stayed in Japan because they couldn`t afford the cost of transportation, as the Ministry of Exterior asked them to pay half of the price of the ticket, i.e. 1,000 euros for adults and 500 euros for children. Therefore, the place that brought the Romanians citizens from Tokyo was half empty.’

‘Henri Coanda, the NHA ghost headquarters’ is the headline under which the România Liberă writes about the fact that only 20 families live at this moment in what was supposed to be one of the largest villas neighborhood in the capital.

Over 1,100 villas should have been completed six years ago, but today the residential compound looks like it was hit by a tsunami, with no roads and utilities and with most of the houses yet unfinished.

The Adevărul publishes today an extended interview with the former President of the Republic of Moldova, Mircea Snegur, to commemorate 20 years from the alienation of the Republic of Moldova from the Soviet Union and the declaration of independence, in March 1991.

‘We can become what we wanted to 20 years ago’ – Snegur says, confessing that the current situation of the Bessarabians is far below the intentions of the creators of independence back then.’


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