National Press Review, 9 March

In today’s edition, România Liberă comments on "The Astărăstoae case" and wonders "how is it that a rector tried for fraud has kept his position".

Sources within the legal area of expertise, cited by the publication, claim that the Ministry of Education could have given an order that Vasile Astărăstoae be relieved of his duties as rector until the court’s subsequent decision regarding the charge of fraud from European funds.

In contrast, the article presents the point of view of officials from the Ministry, who state that if the professor had not been confirmed, it would have constituted an abuse. On the contrary, the newspaper is of the opinion that this decision casts a negative light both on the Ministry and on the efforts to create an educational reform.

"Ponta’s Iron Guard", we read on the front page of Evenimentul Zilei, referring to the two behaviour-related incidents involving important members of the Social Democratic Party, Dan Şova and Radu Mazăre.

The newspaper sees a common denominator between the attitudes of the above mentioned, with the social democrat recently stating that no Jew has endured suffering on Romanian territory, and the Mayor of Constanţa parading in a Nazi uniform in 2009.

In order to struggle against Dan Şova’s stand, the article includes an interview with historian Adrian Cioflâncă from the “A.D. Xenopol” Institute of History, who has studied the manifestation of the Holocaust in Romania. The publication therefore, disapproves of the fact that the Social Democrat Party has not firmly sanctioned the two politicians.

From Jurnalul Naţional we find out that "Apartments for the youth are to be built with private money". This refers to the initiative taken by the Ministry of Tourism and Regional Development to build houses which will subsequently be put up for rent, through the National Housing Agency (ANL)but financed by private developers.

The article offers a price for such an apartment supported by the state budget and a potential value for the rent.

"We don’t know how to take money from foreign tourists", is the conclusion reached by Curierul Naţional after gathering the opinions of several analysts in the field. The main identified causes are the lack of advertisement and of an entertainment infrastructure. Were these problems solved, foreigners might spend more when visiting Romania.

Today, Adevărul de Weekend tells us "The story behind the scenes of a successful actress". In an exclusive interview, Stela Popescu welcomes us into her home and recounts the stages in her life which have made her into a theatre and film actress.

She also has a few words to say about the people she has built her career with.

Translated by:
Cristina Baciu, MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University