National Press Review, 4 March

The Adevărul fired a warning signal: ‘increasing violence in schools.’ Several cases that have occurred in certain ‘top’ schools started from the ridiculous matters, which only showed that, according to teachers and psychologists, students have an advanced availability to violence, but also a high degree of intolerance towards the actions of their colleagues.

Psychologists believe that parents hold the main fault, but also that the phenomenon is fueled by the violence on television.

The school is a reflection of the society in which we live in - consider the sociologists. In addition, the sanctions in force at the moment – the low conduct grade, the written reprimand, the elimination up to 5 days or the disciplinary transfer to another school, very rarely the expel - do not really scare anybody.

Also from the Adevărul it is pointed out a comprehensive article about the new Labor Code - with all the advantages and disadvantages contained by this law, for which the Government would assume its responsibility in front of the Parliament next week.

According to the newspaper, it is the first capitalist Labor Code in Romania, which makes a criterion for the employees’ selection out of performance, severely punishes the illegal employment, extends the fixed term contracts, allows hiring as soon as the collective redundancies finished.

‘The state pension system is pyramidal one’ - the statement belongs Labor Minister, Ioan Botis, and it was taken in and analyzed by almost all newspapers published today. ‘There are 10 million active persons of whom only 5.6 million contributes to the state pensions fund, ‘said Botis.

Only a serious increase in the number of regular employment and, therefore, of those who pay their contribution could the save pensions system from the collapse. Under the actual existing matters, the minister claimed that ‘there are only three ways to keep the system alive: either the retirement age or the contributions are raised or state will be forced to further make loans.’, according to the Gândul.

If there would be no money left for the pensions, that does not mean the state would have no funds for the Ministry of Tourism’s projects. ‘Udrea buys counting tourists software’ – the Jurnalul Naţional. headlined.

The minister wants to fight tax evasion from the tourism by implementing an electronic program, worth 400,000 euros, to record the actual number of tourists staying in Romania.

‘Sun’s Highway to be be ready in 2007. Ministers of transport and lottery completion deadline’ – the Gândul wrote.

A2 Highway holds the record of unfulfilled political promises in what concerns the infrastructure.

The Transport ministers - who have been alternating for 11 years now - have ‘guaranteed’ many completion deadlines, none of which were followed.

Unprecedented protest at Hunedoara – the Evenimentul Zilei announced. About 200 citizens of Hunedoara gathered yesterday afternoon in the city’s center to show their dissatisfaction with the disastrous state of the streets.

The protesters then marched towards the City Hall, where they put ‘hand to hand’ and stuffed with pieces of slag some holes in the asphalt in front of the institution. They asked the mayor - a representative of the Liberal Party - to resign and return to the United States, from where he arrived in 2007 to run for the local elections.

The România Liberă found ‘the economic miracle from the historic city center.’ While the City Hall delays the infrastructure work, at least 50 bars and cafes have opened in the recent months.

Many of the barmen from Bucharest’s old center, who have traveled through Europe, turned back enchanted by civilization and decided to build here a small corner of the West. Their stories of success - in the newspaper.

Translated by Iulia Florescu
MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University