THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) - The UN's highest court has started hearings on a Black Sea border dispute between Romania and Ukraine.
One hundred billion cubic meters of natural gas and oil reserves are at stake.
Romania will present its case to the International Court of Justice in The Hague from Tuesday. Ukraine will follow next week.
The dispute dates back to 1967 between Romania and the former Soviet Union.
In 1997, both Romania and Ukraine said they would not exploit the reserves in the disputed area.
But the two sides failed to reach an agreement on the Black Sea border. Romania took the case to the court in 2004.
The court will likely take months to reach a decision. The findings of the court are binding.
Romania to take part in EXPO 2010 in Shanghai
BUCHAREST, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- The Romanian government decided at a Wednesday meeting on Wednesday that Romania will take part in the world exposition EXPO 2010 to be held in Shanghai of China.
According to a release, the coordinator of the preparing process was designated the Ministry for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, Trade, Tourism and Liberal Professions.
The government approved to sign, in Bucharest on Sept. 5, the contract on Romania's participation in this world exposition with the theme of "Better City - Better Life."
The contract stipulates the participating terms, including the space, the way of developing the national theme, the way of carrying out trade activities, the kinds of assistance and the benefits granted to the participants, the release said.
According to a release, the coordinator of the preparing process was designated the Ministry for Small and Medium Sized Enterprises, Trade, Tourism and Liberal Professions.
The government approved to sign, in Bucharest on Sept. 5, the contract on Romania's participation in this world exposition with the theme of "Better City - Better Life."
The contract stipulates the participating terms, including the space, the way of developing the national theme, the way of carrying out trade activities, the kinds of assistance and the benefits granted to the participants, the release said.
Svetlana Kuznetsova booked her place in the third round of the US Open after a straight sets victory over Sorana-Mihaela Cirstea.
The third seed was pushed all the way by the Romanian in the first set, but, having taken it on a tie-break, ran away with the second as she closed out a 7-6 (7-3) 6-1 triumph.
Kuznetsova will now face either Slovenian 28th seed Katarina Srebotnik or Austrian Yvonne Meusburger in the next round.
World number 53 Cirstea made a solid start to the match and, after the first five games had gone with serve, had her opponent in trouble as she secured the first break to move 4-2 ahead.
Crucial break
However, she could not maintain her advantage and Kuznetsova crucially broke straight back as the set headed into a breaker.
Both players instantly exchanged mini-breaks before the Russian took a stranglehold on proceedings, reeling off five straight points to move to set-point.
Cristea fought off the first two on her own serve, but a crisp delivery from Kuznetsova ended her resistance and closed out the set.
The Romanian's spirit broken, the third seed breezed clear in the second set as she found her range with some powerful groundstrokes.
Kuznetsova looked set to make it a clean sweep but after losing a game for the first time she brought the match to its conclusion in the next, sealing victory by putting away a smash from a half-court return.
Struggling seed
Jelena Jankovic also reached the next round of the final Grand Slam event of the season, though she was given an almighty scare by Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson.
The second seed appeared to be strolling through when she won the first set 6-3 and then twice gave herself opportunities to serve out the match in the second.
However, she failed to make the most of her chances, allowing Arvidsson to battle back and level matters by winning a tie break 7-5 after being 3-0 down.
The deciding set saw Jankovic once again take control, a break giving her a 3-0 advantage against the world number 63.
Yet she still made hard work of finishing the job off, a double fault giving the break back in the seventh game before Jankovic eventually triumphed 7-5.
Davenport win
In the evening match, Lindsay Davenport used her experience to notch a 7-5 6-3 win over Russian teenager Alisa Kleybanova.
Davenport, champion at Flushing Meadows in 1998, capitalised on 27 unforced errors from Kleybanova to book her place in the third round.
"I didn't play quite as well as I did the other day (in the first round)," said the 32-year-old, who missed last year's US Open while on maternity leave.
"Didn't find my rhythm but sometimes you just have to get through these matches. I'm ecstatic to be in the third round."
Davenport, seeded 23rd, will next face Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli.
Kuznetsova will now face either Slovenian 28th seed Katarina Srebotnik or Austrian Yvonne Meusburger in the next round.
World number 53 Cirstea made a solid start to the match and, after the first five games had gone with serve, had her opponent in trouble as she secured the first break to move 4-2 ahead.
Crucial break
However, she could not maintain her advantage and Kuznetsova crucially broke straight back as the set headed into a breaker.
Both players instantly exchanged mini-breaks before the Russian took a stranglehold on proceedings, reeling off five straight points to move to set-point.
Cristea fought off the first two on her own serve, but a crisp delivery from Kuznetsova ended her resistance and closed out the set.
The Romanian's spirit broken, the third seed breezed clear in the second set as she found her range with some powerful groundstrokes.
Kuznetsova looked set to make it a clean sweep but after losing a game for the first time she brought the match to its conclusion in the next, sealing victory by putting away a smash from a half-court return.
Struggling seed
Jelena Jankovic also reached the next round of the final Grand Slam event of the season, though she was given an almighty scare by Sweden's Sofia Arvidsson.
The second seed appeared to be strolling through when she won the first set 6-3 and then twice gave herself opportunities to serve out the match in the second.
However, she failed to make the most of her chances, allowing Arvidsson to battle back and level matters by winning a tie break 7-5 after being 3-0 down.
The deciding set saw Jankovic once again take control, a break giving her a 3-0 advantage against the world number 63.
Yet she still made hard work of finishing the job off, a double fault giving the break back in the seventh game before Jankovic eventually triumphed 7-5.
Davenport win
In the evening match, Lindsay Davenport used her experience to notch a 7-5 6-3 win over Russian teenager Alisa Kleybanova.
Davenport, champion at Flushing Meadows in 1998, capitalised on 27 unforced errors from Kleybanova to book her place in the third round.
"I didn't play quite as well as I did the other day (in the first round)," said the 32-year-old, who missed last year's US Open while on maternity leave.
"Didn't find my rhythm but sometimes you just have to get through these matches. I'm ecstatic to be in the third round."
Davenport, seeded 23rd, will next face Frenchwoman Marion Bartoli.
Europe's largest wind farm comes to... Romania
Construction is expected to begin next month in Romania on what backers claim will be Europe's largest onshore wind farm with an expected capacity of 600 megawatts.
Formed from the sale of two adjacent sites owned by renewable power developer Continental Wind Partners (CWP) to Czech utility company CEZ, the combined site will generate around 354 megawatts by the end of 2009, with the rest of the turbines expected to be in operation by the following year.
Situated in the Dobrogea province of Romania, around 117 kilometers from the Black Sea, the Fantanele and Cogealac sites will represent around 30 per cent of the renewable market in the country, which also includes large hydroelectric projects. The project was originally developed by CWP for Good Energies, an investor in renewable energy who procured the turbines for the project.
However despite the scale of the planned Dobrogea project, wind farm development has been very limited to date in Romania with only a handful of existing turbines offering around 7MW of capacity.
"There are about three turbines standing in Romania, very small ones, which you can just see in the distance from our site with a powerful pair of binoculars," said Andrew Lee, director of Good Energies. "Effectively Romania has no wind capacity at the moment."
Lee claimed the lack of investment in wind farms to date in Romania can be largely explained by the current legislative regime, which he argued does not encourage independent renewable power developers to invest. He said that Good Energies had wanted to back the scheme itself rather than sell to CEZ but had been forced to offload the project because Romania's green certificate incentive regime expires in 2012 despite repeated calls for the government to extend it.
"We are really somewhat disappointed not to be building this facility," he said. "We had waited 18 months for the parliament to renew the legislation and in the meantime companies such as CEZ and others were making strong pitches to us to buy the assets so eventually we decided to go down that route."
The Romanian green certificate scheme is similar to that which operates in the UK and was put in place around eight years ago for a ten year period. The Romanian government's slow action over renewing the scheme, meant that Good Energies was effectively forced to sell the project to a company which has a sufficiently large assets to be able to finance the project until the certificate scheme is eventually extended.
"If you are a utility and not having to use off-balance sheet debt financing, then you can make the investment anyway and finance it on your balance sheet because under European Law the Romanians will have to renew this tariff sooner or later," said Lee. "However we are not going to be able to borrow five hundred million from the bank at the moment."
The new backers are expecting to get around 35 per cent efficiency from the turbines, on a par with what would be expected from a similar scheme in Scotland.
Despite the size of the project, around 139 turbines initially, Good Energy claims that it faced little or no resistance from the local community about the facility. "It is a large facility but then the site is simply huge," said Lee. "It's in quite an empty part of the country and will be enormously beneficial to the local population, in terms of the rents farmers are getting for use of their land."
Good Energy is also setting up a charitable foundation, which it claims will be for the benefit of the local population.
Formed from the sale of two adjacent sites owned by renewable power developer Continental Wind Partners (CWP) to Czech utility company CEZ, the combined site will generate around 354 megawatts by the end of 2009, with the rest of the turbines expected to be in operation by the following year.
Situated in the Dobrogea province of Romania, around 117 kilometers from the Black Sea, the Fantanele and Cogealac sites will represent around 30 per cent of the renewable market in the country, which also includes large hydroelectric projects. The project was originally developed by CWP for Good Energies, an investor in renewable energy who procured the turbines for the project.
However despite the scale of the planned Dobrogea project, wind farm development has been very limited to date in Romania with only a handful of existing turbines offering around 7MW of capacity.
"There are about three turbines standing in Romania, very small ones, which you can just see in the distance from our site with a powerful pair of binoculars," said Andrew Lee, director of Good Energies. "Effectively Romania has no wind capacity at the moment."
Lee claimed the lack of investment in wind farms to date in Romania can be largely explained by the current legislative regime, which he argued does not encourage independent renewable power developers to invest. He said that Good Energies had wanted to back the scheme itself rather than sell to CEZ but had been forced to offload the project because Romania's green certificate incentive regime expires in 2012 despite repeated calls for the government to extend it.
"We are really somewhat disappointed not to be building this facility," he said. "We had waited 18 months for the parliament to renew the legislation and in the meantime companies such as CEZ and others were making strong pitches to us to buy the assets so eventually we decided to go down that route."
The Romanian green certificate scheme is similar to that which operates in the UK and was put in place around eight years ago for a ten year period. The Romanian government's slow action over renewing the scheme, meant that Good Energies was effectively forced to sell the project to a company which has a sufficiently large assets to be able to finance the project until the certificate scheme is eventually extended.
"If you are a utility and not having to use off-balance sheet debt financing, then you can make the investment anyway and finance it on your balance sheet because under European Law the Romanians will have to renew this tariff sooner or later," said Lee. "However we are not going to be able to borrow five hundred million from the bank at the moment."
The new backers are expecting to get around 35 per cent efficiency from the turbines, on a par with what would be expected from a similar scheme in Scotland.
Despite the size of the project, around 139 turbines initially, Good Energy claims that it faced little or no resistance from the local community about the facility. "It is a large facility but then the site is simply huge," said Lee. "It's in quite an empty part of the country and will be enormously beneficial to the local population, in terms of the rents farmers are getting for use of their land."
Good Energy is also setting up a charitable foundation, which it claims will be for the benefit of the local population.
SBP Romania Releases Version 2.0 of the XLogViewer .NET Development Tool
SBP Romania Releases Version 2.0 of the XLogViewer .NET Development Tool
Software Business Partners, a software outsourcing company based in Romania, announces the release of version 2.0 of XLogViewer .NET Development Tool, a complete logging and tracing solution targeted at .NET applications. The new version of XLogViewer features many improvements including an important update to its programming interface for the primary .NET languages: VB.NET and C#.
(PRWEB) August 24, 2008 -- Software Business Partners, a software outsourcing company based in Romania, announces the release of version 2.0 of XLogViewer .NET Development Tool, a complete logging and tracing solution targeted at .NET applications. The new version of XLogViewer features many improvements including an important update to its programming interface for the primary .NET languages: VB.NET and C#.
The outsourcing company from Romania states the new version has been developed not only to support the latest .NET features but also to incorporate the large amount of user feedback received after the previous release. The SBP website, accessible at http://www.sbp-romania.com/ , was a great opportunity for outsourcing customers to contribute their suggestions of what should be included in the application. The experience gained with the large number of outsourcing projects successfully completed in Romania has also been a very important factor in the new set of features.
The installer has been improved to deploy the software in a more intuitive manner, which helps developers better find their way when looking for the installed files and resources. The new installer uses a bootstrap executable to automatically download and install the .NET Framework and the other prerequisite programs (if they not already already present); this makes deployment simple and straightforward.
New users are going to get faster up-to-speed with the product from SBP Romania thanks to the new integrated documentation. It explains the main user interface options, command line parameters, and more detailed things, such as the programming interface (which can be VB.NET, C#, or any other .NET supported language). The VB.NET interface is targeted at productivity, while C# can be used when more control is needed for programming the library.
A test application has been included in the package, allowing programmers to better understand what happens when errors are encountered, how does the logging library handle them, and what is written in the log file. The test application, available in the C# and VB.NET programming languages, is also a good way to generate logs that can be then analyzed by XLogViewer, to familiarize developers with the overall process.
The logging library from SBP Romania now supports better integration with the Visual Studio development environment and with the main .NET programming languages - VB.NET and C#. Debugging applications that rely on XLogViewer has become faster by instructing the debugger to skip irrelevant VB.NET and C# code.
The outsourcing company from Romania is pleased to announce that one the features long expected since version 1.0 made its way into the current release too -- the ability to sort the log entries not only by time, but also by the various other details included in the logging process.
Prior to this release, SBP Romania made a beta version available its outsourcing customers; the feedback gained from the outsourcing partners helped build a very stable release.
Software Business Partners, with headquarters in Bucharest, Romania, is an IT company that provides outsourcing services for software architecture, development and support, on a variety of platforms, including .NET. You can find more information on the SBP Romania corporate website, at http://www.sbp-romania.com/Press/2008-01-16-SBP-Romania-XLogViewer-Software-Tool.aspx
Software Business Partners, a software outsourcing company based in Romania, announces the release of version 2.0 of XLogViewer .NET Development Tool, a complete logging and tracing solution targeted at .NET applications. The new version of XLogViewer features many improvements including an important update to its programming interface for the primary .NET languages: VB.NET and C#.
(PRWEB) August 24, 2008 -- Software Business Partners, a software outsourcing company based in Romania, announces the release of version 2.0 of XLogViewer .NET Development Tool, a complete logging and tracing solution targeted at .NET applications. The new version of XLogViewer features many improvements including an important update to its programming interface for the primary .NET languages: VB.NET and C#.
The outsourcing company from Romania states the new version has been developed not only to support the latest .NET features but also to incorporate the large amount of user feedback received after the previous release. The SBP website, accessible at http://www.sbp-romania.com/ , was a great opportunity for outsourcing customers to contribute their suggestions of what should be included in the application. The experience gained with the large number of outsourcing projects successfully completed in Romania has also been a very important factor in the new set of features.
The installer has been improved to deploy the software in a more intuitive manner, which helps developers better find their way when looking for the installed files and resources. The new installer uses a bootstrap executable to automatically download and install the .NET Framework and the other prerequisite programs (if they not already already present); this makes deployment simple and straightforward.
New users are going to get faster up-to-speed with the product from SBP Romania thanks to the new integrated documentation. It explains the main user interface options, command line parameters, and more detailed things, such as the programming interface (which can be VB.NET, C#, or any other .NET supported language). The VB.NET interface is targeted at productivity, while C# can be used when more control is needed for programming the library.
A test application has been included in the package, allowing programmers to better understand what happens when errors are encountered, how does the logging library handle them, and what is written in the log file. The test application, available in the C# and VB.NET programming languages, is also a good way to generate logs that can be then analyzed by XLogViewer, to familiarize developers with the overall process.
The logging library from SBP Romania now supports better integration with the Visual Studio development environment and with the main .NET programming languages - VB.NET and C#. Debugging applications that rely on XLogViewer has become faster by instructing the debugger to skip irrelevant VB.NET and C# code.
The outsourcing company from Romania is pleased to announce that one the features long expected since version 1.0 made its way into the current release too -- the ability to sort the log entries not only by time, but also by the various other details included in the logging process.
Prior to this release, SBP Romania made a beta version available its outsourcing customers; the feedback gained from the outsourcing partners helped build a very stable release.
Software Business Partners, with headquarters in Bucharest, Romania, is an IT company that provides outsourcing services for software architecture, development and support, on a variety of platforms, including .NET. You can find more information on the SBP Romania corporate website, at http://www.sbp-romania.com/Press/2008-01-16-SBP-Romania-XLogViewer-Software-Tool.aspx
Democratic Liberals Lead All in Romania
(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - Many people in Romania are supporting the Democratic Liberal Party (PD-L), according to a poll by INSOMAR released by Realitatea TV. 38 per cent of respondents would vote for the PD-L in this year’s legislative election.
The Social Democratic Party (PSD) is second with 26 per cent, followed by the National Liberal Party (PNL) with 16 per cent, the Hungarian Democratic Alliance of Romania (UDMR) with four per cent, and the New Generation Party (PNG) and the Party of Great Romania (PRM) both with three per cent. Support is lower for the Conservative Party (PC), the National Peasant Christian-Democratic Party (PNT-CD), the National Initiative Party (PIN), and the Hungarian Civic Party (PCM).
The Alliance for Justice and Truth (DA)—comprising the Democratic Party (PD) and the PNL—won the November 2004 parliamentary election, securing 132 seats in the 332-member Chamber of Deputies. DA candidate Trian Basescu won the presidential run-off in December 2004 with 51.23 per cent of the vote, defeating PSD contender Adrian Nastase. Basescu later appointed fellow alliance member Calin Popescu Tariceanu as prime minister.
In December 2006, several members of the PNL—including former prime minister Theodor Stolojan—assembled as the Liberal-Democrats (PLD) to protest the leadership of Tariceanu. In 2007, the governing alliance underwent major changes as Tariceanu dismissed the PD ministers and the coalition dissolved. Tariceanu assembled a minority administration comprising the PNL and the UDMR.
In January 2008, the PLD and the Democratic Party (PD) merged to form the PD-L. The organization joined the European People’s Party (EPP) and is led by Emil Boc, the elected mayor of Cluj-Napoca, the largest city in Transylvania.
On Aug. 13, Romanian lawmakers rejected a request by prosecutors to investigate allegations of corruption against former prime minister Adrian Nastase. The country’s prosecutors want to open several investigations for corruption against Nastase—who headed the government from December 2000 to December 2004—but their request for a probe needs to be approved by a majority in the legislature.
Ilie Sarbu, vice-president of Nastase’s opposition PSD, commented on the vote, saying, "This is the Parliament’s will, deputies labelled this case as a political one and they did not want to play the game of those who orchestrated it."
The next legislative election is tentatively scheduled for November 2008.
Polling Data
What party would you support in Romania’s next parliamentary election?
Democratic Liberal Party (PD-L)
38%
Social Democratic Party (PSD)
26%
National Liberal Party (PNL)
16%
Hungarian Democratic Alliance of Romania (UDMR)
4%
New Generation Party (PNG)
3%
Party of Great Romania (PRM)
3%
Conservative Party (PC)
2%
National Peasant Christian-Democratic Party (PNT-CD)
2%
National Initiative Party (PIN)
2%
Hungarian Civic Party (PCM)
1%
Source: National Institute for Public Opinion Studies and Marketing (INSOMAR) / Realitatea TV
Methodology: Interviews with 1,506 Romanian adults, conducted from Jul. 22 to Jul. 30, 2008. Margin of error is 2.8 per cent.
The Social Democratic Party (PSD) is second with 26 per cent, followed by the National Liberal Party (PNL) with 16 per cent, the Hungarian Democratic Alliance of Romania (UDMR) with four per cent, and the New Generation Party (PNG) and the Party of Great Romania (PRM) both with three per cent. Support is lower for the Conservative Party (PC), the National Peasant Christian-Democratic Party (PNT-CD), the National Initiative Party (PIN), and the Hungarian Civic Party (PCM).
The Alliance for Justice and Truth (DA)—comprising the Democratic Party (PD) and the PNL—won the November 2004 parliamentary election, securing 132 seats in the 332-member Chamber of Deputies. DA candidate Trian Basescu won the presidential run-off in December 2004 with 51.23 per cent of the vote, defeating PSD contender Adrian Nastase. Basescu later appointed fellow alliance member Calin Popescu Tariceanu as prime minister.
In December 2006, several members of the PNL—including former prime minister Theodor Stolojan—assembled as the Liberal-Democrats (PLD) to protest the leadership of Tariceanu. In 2007, the governing alliance underwent major changes as Tariceanu dismissed the PD ministers and the coalition dissolved. Tariceanu assembled a minority administration comprising the PNL and the UDMR.
In January 2008, the PLD and the Democratic Party (PD) merged to form the PD-L. The organization joined the European People’s Party (EPP) and is led by Emil Boc, the elected mayor of Cluj-Napoca, the largest city in Transylvania.
On Aug. 13, Romanian lawmakers rejected a request by prosecutors to investigate allegations of corruption against former prime minister Adrian Nastase. The country’s prosecutors want to open several investigations for corruption against Nastase—who headed the government from December 2000 to December 2004—but their request for a probe needs to be approved by a majority in the legislature.
Ilie Sarbu, vice-president of Nastase’s opposition PSD, commented on the vote, saying, "This is the Parliament’s will, deputies labelled this case as a political one and they did not want to play the game of those who orchestrated it."
The next legislative election is tentatively scheduled for November 2008.
Polling Data
What party would you support in Romania’s next parliamentary election?
Democratic Liberal Party (PD-L)
38%
Social Democratic Party (PSD)
26%
National Liberal Party (PNL)
16%
Hungarian Democratic Alliance of Romania (UDMR)
4%
New Generation Party (PNG)
3%
Party of Great Romania (PRM)
3%
Conservative Party (PC)
2%
National Peasant Christian-Democratic Party (PNT-CD)
2%
National Initiative Party (PIN)
2%
Hungarian Civic Party (PCM)
1%
Source: National Institute for Public Opinion Studies and Marketing (INSOMAR) / Realitatea TV
Methodology: Interviews with 1,506 Romanian adults, conducted from Jul. 22 to Jul. 30, 2008. Margin of error is 2.8 per cent.
Woman, 44, gives birth to 18th child in Canada
BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhuanet) -- A 44-year-old Romanian immigrant to Canada gave birth to her 18th child in Abbotsford, British Columbia, media reported Monday.
Last Tuesday, Livia Ionce gave birth to a 3 kg (seven pounds, 12 ounces) baby girl, the 10th girl in the family.
Their 17 other children range in age from 20 months to 23 years old.
"We never planned how many children to have. We just let God guide our lives, you know, because we strongly believe life comes from God and that's the reason we did not stop the life," said the proud dad Alexandru Ionce.
The husband said he and his wife had expected a boy to make the number of boys and girls even.
"We thank God all of them are healthy and happy," said Ionce.
(Agencies)
Last Tuesday, Livia Ionce gave birth to a 3 kg (seven pounds, 12 ounces) baby girl, the 10th girl in the family.
Their 17 other children range in age from 20 months to 23 years old.
"We never planned how many children to have. We just let God guide our lives, you know, because we strongly believe life comes from God and that's the reason we did not stop the life," said the proud dad Alexandru Ionce.
The husband said he and his wife had expected a boy to make the number of boys and girls even.
"We thank God all of them are healthy and happy," said Ionce.
(Agencies)
Romania Parties Bicker over EU’s Graft Report
BalkanInsight.com
23 July 2008 Bucharest _ Romania’s government praised an EU report on the Balkan country’s fight against corruption, while opposition parties and analysts took a more critical approach. "The report is fair and balanced as it stresses that Romania has made progress in its fight against corruption," Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu said in a press statement.
On his part, Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu said the government will continue the policy of "zero tolerance" against graft.
On Wednesday, the European Commission said in a report that Romania needs to step up efforts to combat high-level corruption, notably by its parliament and courts, where judges often used minor excuses to delay cases.
The report condemns parliament for delaying corruption inquiries involving the former Prime Minister Adrian Nastase and other top officials.
It also calls on Romania not to adopt legal changes that would make it much harder for prosecutors to search the homes and wire-tap the phones of corruption suspects.
Opposition politicians had a different opinion on the report than that of the government.
"The findings of the report are unfair. There was no delay in parliament, on the contrary. There wasn't any lack of political will by deputies to fight graft," Nicolae Vacaroiu, the speaker of Romania's Upper Chamber, the Senate, said.
Vacaroiu is also a leader of opposition Social Democratic Party.
Experts say Romania still has a long way forward in its fight against corruption.
"The greatest liability in Romania is that the fight against corruption has become a political instrument in the power struggle among parties,” explained Victor Alistar, Executive Director of Transparency International Romania.
“This is why a national consensus on anti-corruption policies has failed and no high-level corruption case has been concluded so far. We believe that any new anti-corruption reform must be designed on a purely technical basis and backed by strong political will," he added.
Romania, together with Bulgaria, are the newest EU members having joined the bloc in 2007. They have been under stringent monitoring over concerns they will be unable to absorb millions of euros in EU funding amid fears of corruption and organised crime.
23 July 2008 Bucharest _ Romania’s government praised an EU report on the Balkan country’s fight against corruption, while opposition parties and analysts took a more critical approach. "The report is fair and balanced as it stresses that Romania has made progress in its fight against corruption," Justice Minister Catalin Predoiu said in a press statement.
On his part, Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu said the government will continue the policy of "zero tolerance" against graft.
On Wednesday, the European Commission said in a report that Romania needs to step up efforts to combat high-level corruption, notably by its parliament and courts, where judges often used minor excuses to delay cases.
The report condemns parliament for delaying corruption inquiries involving the former Prime Minister Adrian Nastase and other top officials.
It also calls on Romania not to adopt legal changes that would make it much harder for prosecutors to search the homes and wire-tap the phones of corruption suspects.
Opposition politicians had a different opinion on the report than that of the government.
"The findings of the report are unfair. There was no delay in parliament, on the contrary. There wasn't any lack of political will by deputies to fight graft," Nicolae Vacaroiu, the speaker of Romania's Upper Chamber, the Senate, said.
Vacaroiu is also a leader of opposition Social Democratic Party.
Experts say Romania still has a long way forward in its fight against corruption.
"The greatest liability in Romania is that the fight against corruption has become a political instrument in the power struggle among parties,” explained Victor Alistar, Executive Director of Transparency International Romania.
“This is why a national consensus on anti-corruption policies has failed and no high-level corruption case has been concluded so far. We believe that any new anti-corruption reform must be designed on a purely technical basis and backed by strong political will," he added.
Romania, together with Bulgaria, are the newest EU members having joined the bloc in 2007. They have been under stringent monitoring over concerns they will be unable to absorb millions of euros in EU funding amid fears of corruption and organised crime.
Flooding blankets Romania, Ukraine, Moldova
Large parts of Ukraine and Romania have been flooded after heavy rainfall caused a number of rivers to burst their banks. The authorities have declared a state of emergency in the affected areas. Moldova has also been hit by flooding.
In Ukraine, 13 people drowned in what the government says is the worst flooding in a century. Thousands were evacuated from dozens of villages and more than 20,000 houses have been flooded.
In northeastern Romania, three vacationers were killed when a landslide swept away the hut in which they had sought shelter. Dozens of villages have been inundated and bridges and roads severely damaged by the swollen rivers.
In Ukraine, 13 people drowned in what the government says is the worst flooding in a century. Thousands were evacuated from dozens of villages and more than 20,000 houses have been flooded.
In northeastern Romania, three vacationers were killed when a landslide swept away the hut in which they had sought shelter. Dozens of villages have been inundated and bridges and roads severely damaged by the swollen rivers.
Romania: Construction of a permanent U.S. base in Romania to house 1,700 personnel is well under way
MIKHAIL KOGELNICEANCE AIR BASE, Romania — Construction of a permanent U.S. base in Romania to house 1,700 personnel is well under way, with work on a similar facility for up to 2,500 personnel due to start in Bulgaria this winter, according to a U.S. official.
George Bostick , a civilian serving as the Joint Task Force-East deputy commander for support, said the Romanian base is slated for completion next year.
Bostick oversees the feeding and housing of 900 soldiers training in Romania and Bulgaria this summer.
The troops in Romania are living and working at two Romanian facilities — Mikhail Kogelniceance Air Base and Babadag Training Area.
Personnel at MK Air Base live in temporary two-man containers known as ATCO buildings, Bostick said. The base includes outdoor tennis and basketball courts, a small post exchange, gymnasium and dining facility.
At the more-isolated Babadag Training Area, which can be reached only by dirt farm tracks leading from small villages where people still use donkeys and carts for transportation, soldiers eat from a field kitchen and sleep in bunks inside a large metal shed.
Bostick said the permanent facility in Romania is being built near MK Air Base on a site that was formerly the Romanian Army’s 34th Mechanized Brigade Headquarters. The Soviet-era facility was demolished to make way for new buildings that will include a dining facility, administration buildings and a post exchange as well as barracks built to the Army’s 1+1 standard, in which a soldier has a private living space and shares a bathroom and small kitchenette with another soldier.
"It will have the basic things you find on any American installation minus things for dependents because this is an unaccompanied tour," Bostick said.
Maj. Dragos Axinia, a Romanian army spokesman, said people in his country are eager for more U.S. soldiers to move into Romania.
"We have been waiting 60 years for the Americans to come," he said, adding that locals do not have fond memories of the long Soviet occupation that followed World War II.
The Bulgarian facility, at Novo Selo Training Area, will be similar to the Romanian base but larger, Bostick said.
This year’s exercise, which includes Army, Air Force, Navy and National Guard troops, builds on work done during last year’s initial training in Romania and Bulgaria, Bostick said.
The Romanian soldiers involved in the training are from the 21st Mountain Battalion, which will deploy to Afghanistan later this year with soldiers from the U.S. Army’s Company B, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment.
The Romanian portion of the exercise began last month and wraps up July 30. The Bulgarian training runs from Sept. 1 to Oct. 17.
News Source: http://www.starsandstripes.com/
George Bostick , a civilian serving as the Joint Task Force-East deputy commander for support, said the Romanian base is slated for completion next year.
Bostick oversees the feeding and housing of 900 soldiers training in Romania and Bulgaria this summer.
The troops in Romania are living and working at two Romanian facilities — Mikhail Kogelniceance Air Base and Babadag Training Area.
Personnel at MK Air Base live in temporary two-man containers known as ATCO buildings, Bostick said. The base includes outdoor tennis and basketball courts, a small post exchange, gymnasium and dining facility.
At the more-isolated Babadag Training Area, which can be reached only by dirt farm tracks leading from small villages where people still use donkeys and carts for transportation, soldiers eat from a field kitchen and sleep in bunks inside a large metal shed.
Bostick said the permanent facility in Romania is being built near MK Air Base on a site that was formerly the Romanian Army’s 34th Mechanized Brigade Headquarters. The Soviet-era facility was demolished to make way for new buildings that will include a dining facility, administration buildings and a post exchange as well as barracks built to the Army’s 1+1 standard, in which a soldier has a private living space and shares a bathroom and small kitchenette with another soldier.
"It will have the basic things you find on any American installation minus things for dependents because this is an unaccompanied tour," Bostick said.
Maj. Dragos Axinia, a Romanian army spokesman, said people in his country are eager for more U.S. soldiers to move into Romania.
"We have been waiting 60 years for the Americans to come," he said, adding that locals do not have fond memories of the long Soviet occupation that followed World War II.
The Bulgarian facility, at Novo Selo Training Area, will be similar to the Romanian base but larger, Bostick said.
This year’s exercise, which includes Army, Air Force, Navy and National Guard troops, builds on work done during last year’s initial training in Romania and Bulgaria, Bostick said.
The Romanian soldiers involved in the training are from the 21st Mountain Battalion, which will deploy to Afghanistan later this year with soldiers from the U.S. Army’s Company B, 1st Battalion, 4th Infantry Regiment.
The Romanian portion of the exercise began last month and wraps up July 30. The Bulgarian training runs from Sept. 1 to Oct. 17.
News Source: http://www.starsandstripes.com/
Romanian president bids national Olympic team good luck in Beijing
BUCHAREST, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Romanian President Traian Basescu said on Saturday it would be a great joy for him to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games with his country's team.
The president participated in the presentation of Romania's Olympic team in Izvorani, 33 km north of the capital city Bucharest.
The 104-member Romanian team will compete in 15 sports at the Beijing Games. They are scheduled to leave on Sunday evening.
"I am not doing a political gesture by attending the opening of the Olympic Games together with other heads of state. I am first of all doing a symbolic gesture for Romania's delegation," said Basescu, adding that after the Games, he would meet the medal winners and other athletes in the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.
"The people who competed with all their power for the glory of sports must be welcomed and respected by the whole nation, the headof state included," said Basescu.
The president voiced his belief that Romania's Olympic team will score good results in Beijing and the country's medals will grow in number.
"You have a history written in much gold, silver and bronze. You have 82 gold medals, 88 silver medals and 114 bronze medals. They stand for the performance and the sports history of the Romanian Olympic movement since 1952...It is a history that honors all of us," said the Romanian Head of State.
Basescu said all members of the national team had made special efforts to qualify for the Beijing Games. He expressed confidence that the Games will overwhelm the athletes with "glory and respect."
"We owe respect and glory not only to the sportsmen who will win medals. Any one of you will come back from Beijing overwhelmed with glory and respect as long as he or she will take part in the competition. The level of performance you had to reach to qualify for these Games is already something common people, common sportsmen cannot do," said Basescu.
He wished the Romanian sportsmen much success, assured them of his entire support and conveyed to them "the message of love and respect from the 22 million Romanians."
After the speech, the president handed Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee Chairman Octavian Morariu a national flag, which will be carried to Beijing, and received a team T-shirt in return.
The president participated in the presentation of Romania's Olympic team in Izvorani, 33 km north of the capital city Bucharest.
The 104-member Romanian team will compete in 15 sports at the Beijing Games. They are scheduled to leave on Sunday evening.
"I am not doing a political gesture by attending the opening of the Olympic Games together with other heads of state. I am first of all doing a symbolic gesture for Romania's delegation," said Basescu, adding that after the Games, he would meet the medal winners and other athletes in the Cotroceni Presidential Palace.
"The people who competed with all their power for the glory of sports must be welcomed and respected by the whole nation, the headof state included," said Basescu.
The president voiced his belief that Romania's Olympic team will score good results in Beijing and the country's medals will grow in number.
"You have a history written in much gold, silver and bronze. You have 82 gold medals, 88 silver medals and 114 bronze medals. They stand for the performance and the sports history of the Romanian Olympic movement since 1952...It is a history that honors all of us," said the Romanian Head of State.
Basescu said all members of the national team had made special efforts to qualify for the Beijing Games. He expressed confidence that the Games will overwhelm the athletes with "glory and respect."
"We owe respect and glory not only to the sportsmen who will win medals. Any one of you will come back from Beijing overwhelmed with glory and respect as long as he or she will take part in the competition. The level of performance you had to reach to qualify for these Games is already something common people, common sportsmen cannot do," said Basescu.
He wished the Romanian sportsmen much success, assured them of his entire support and conveyed to them "the message of love and respect from the 22 million Romanians."
After the speech, the president handed Romanian Olympic and Sports Committee Chairman Octavian Morariu a national flag, which will be carried to Beijing, and received a team T-shirt in return.
23 injured in factory explosion in central Romania
BUCHAREST, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Twenty three persons were injured on Saturday in the explosion of a sawdust drier at a wood processing factory in the city of Gheorgheni, central Romania, police said.
The explosion took place at SC Transilvania Industry in Gheorgheni and 23 workers, who were at that time in the section, were injured.
The explosion occurred in a silo where wood dust and sawdust were stored and a team of investigators are trying to find out the cause.
Twenty-one workers were hospitalized with burns of various degrees on their bodies, said Geza Jeszensky, manager of the Municipal Hospital in Gheorgheni. Four of the injured have second and third degree burns on about 50 percent of their bodies and the remaining ones have second degree burns on their hands and faces, he added.
According to Jeszensky, the condition of the injured workers is stable and their lives are not in danger.
The explosion took place at SC Transilvania Industry in Gheorgheni and 23 workers, who were at that time in the section, were injured.
The explosion occurred in a silo where wood dust and sawdust were stored and a team of investigators are trying to find out the cause.
Twenty-one workers were hospitalized with burns of various degrees on their bodies, said Geza Jeszensky, manager of the Municipal Hospital in Gheorgheni. Four of the injured have second and third degree burns on about 50 percent of their bodies and the remaining ones have second degree burns on their hands and faces, he added.
According to Jeszensky, the condition of the injured workers is stable and their lives are not in danger.
Romania says EU criticism to motivate reforms
BUCHAREST (Reuters) - Romania pledged on Wednesday to step up the fight against corruption after the European Commission criticised the new member for poor progress in combating widespread abuse.
Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu said the special report from Brussels would "motivate" Romania to press ahead with reforms to clean up and improve the justice system.
"I assure European Commission representatives that we will accelerate measures ... We want every Romanian citizen to feel that justice is done correctly," Tariceanu said.
Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu said the special report from Brussels would "motivate" Romania to press ahead with reforms to clean up and improve the justice system.
"I assure European Commission representatives that we will accelerate measures ... We want every Romanian citizen to feel that justice is done correctly," Tariceanu said.
Internal Market Information System launched in Romania
The Internal Market Information System (IMI) was launched on June 23 in Romania, at the Parliament Palace, in the presence of the European Commission representative Nicholas Leapman.
IMI is an information system designed to facilitate mutual assistance and information exchange between member states. It provides a tool for secure and fast data exchange among European authorities, allowing them to work together effectively despite barriers due to different languages and administrative procedures and structures.
"We want to ease the access of the public administration and local authorities to exchanging information with officials from other countries," Leapman said.
The system was launched in the EU four months ago for four professions and the second stage will cover 100 professions and 3,000 authorities involved.
Attending the launch, head of the Department for European Affairs Adrian Ciocanea said that this "is one of the most important programs for liberalization of the internal market."
IMI consists in a database of the relevant authorities of the EU states, involved in the implementation, on their territory, of the legislation regarding the internal market.
There will be a national IMI coordinator for each member state. The IMI coordinator in Romania will be the Minister of Education, Research and Youth and the Health Ministry.
The European Commission hosts and administrates the IMI system at its data center in Luxembourg.
IMI is an information system designed to facilitate mutual assistance and information exchange between member states. It provides a tool for secure and fast data exchange among European authorities, allowing them to work together effectively despite barriers due to different languages and administrative procedures and structures.
"We want to ease the access of the public administration and local authorities to exchanging information with officials from other countries," Leapman said.
The system was launched in the EU four months ago for four professions and the second stage will cover 100 professions and 3,000 authorities involved.
Attending the launch, head of the Department for European Affairs Adrian Ciocanea said that this "is one of the most important programs for liberalization of the internal market."
IMI consists in a database of the relevant authorities of the EU states, involved in the implementation, on their territory, of the legislation regarding the internal market.
There will be a national IMI coordinator for each member state. The IMI coordinator in Romania will be the Minister of Education, Research and Youth and the Health Ministry.
The European Commission hosts and administrates the IMI system at its data center in Luxembourg.
Romania’s Senate Goes Mad
Romania’s Senate has passed a law which obliges the media to present an equal proportion of positive news, in order to balance the “bad” news in the Romanian media. One of the most extraordinary facts about this law is that it was passed unanimously by Romania’s Senate. What were they thinking?
The implications of this media law are boggling: to impose a “positive news” rule on a free media is technically impossible in an open society. To do so would require a comprehensive system of censorship, a clampdown on freedom of expression that would be inadmissible within the EU; it would debilitate the media and be a throwback to the Communist era. It would be unacceptable to the media, the government, the public and the EU. It is unworkable, unthinkable, impossible.
But due to the peculiarities of Romania’s constitution it is very close to becoming law: the Senate can pass laws regarding the audio visual sector, even if rejected by the lower house (as it was). It is expected that the President will now reject the law. It will be returned to the Senate and they can pass the law again and bypass the Presidential veto. My belief is that the Senate will come to their senses and will actually read the small print this time.
It is interesting to consider how this law was passed as it reveals the byzantine way that democracy functions in Romania. Laws are passed in Romania with a speed and abandon that is bewildering, a process the Romanians describe as a “legislative conveyor belt”. The government is able to churn out “emergency ordinances” with remarkable ease and these are law until approved, or rejected, by Parliament.
The main feature of this approach is that ministers, or Senators in this case, don’t have time to actually read the proposed laws. Each law will have its sponsoring minister, or senator, who will say “you support my law and I will support yours”. In this way a large number of laws can be passed in a single sitting, with no time wasted reading the small print. If there is a mistake or a scandal it can be amended with another law, rejected by Parliament, or just forgotten (as happens to most of them). Needless to say this controversial media law was rushed through the Senate in a few minutes with a wink and a nod by its sponsor – the extreme nationalist former psychiatric patient, Gheorghe Funar.
Although media ownership patterns raise some eyebrows, the Romanian press is relatively free by EU standards. But this has not resulted in an increase in quality, in fact the result is sensationalism and the increase of “bad” news. The Romanian airwaves are filled with stories of rape, murder, car crashes and theft. In other words, Romania is becoming like the other EU Member States in terms of press freedom.
In Western Europe the public are used to media sensationalism and they know how to differentiate between real life and what is reported in the media. In Romania this is not the case and many people assume their country has gone to the dogs because of what they see on the media. This is particularly true among the elderly and the rural population. But it is rather shocking to find that Romania’s senators share the same level of understanding about the media as a village peasant. The Senators, and the elderly peasants, fondly remember the days when all news was good news (Ceausescu’s daily activities being the main bulletin of the day) and when “bad” news was a rarity – references to Western disasters or exposing “enemies of the people”.
This law is a pathetic attempt to roll back the negativity the Senators see in the media, a negativity they claim makes Romanians depressed. It shows the outmoded political reflexes of the Senators, who have employed classic Communist Party tactics. They want to address the problem (negative media) through proscriptive legislation, without reference to the public, other political groupings or (God forbid) the media. This was feasible under Communism, when irrational laws could be passed, without consultation, to be implemented by an all powerful party apparatus.
If one understands the era in which Romania’s Senators grew up in, this Alice-in-Wonderland media law makes perfect sense. What it really shows is how stuck in the past are Romania’s fossilised Senators, most of whom are well past their retirement age. One wonders how they have managed to “get away with it” so far, having avoided other monumental gaffes of this nature in the last 17 years.
Rupert Wolfe Murray was the former team leader of the EU Phare Project to the National Audiovisual Council of Romania (www.cna.ro)
This article was first published on the Radio Free Europe website.
The implications of this media law are boggling: to impose a “positive news” rule on a free media is technically impossible in an open society. To do so would require a comprehensive system of censorship, a clampdown on freedom of expression that would be inadmissible within the EU; it would debilitate the media and be a throwback to the Communist era. It would be unacceptable to the media, the government, the public and the EU. It is unworkable, unthinkable, impossible.
But due to the peculiarities of Romania’s constitution it is very close to becoming law: the Senate can pass laws regarding the audio visual sector, even if rejected by the lower house (as it was). It is expected that the President will now reject the law. It will be returned to the Senate and they can pass the law again and bypass the Presidential veto. My belief is that the Senate will come to their senses and will actually read the small print this time.
It is interesting to consider how this law was passed as it reveals the byzantine way that democracy functions in Romania. Laws are passed in Romania with a speed and abandon that is bewildering, a process the Romanians describe as a “legislative conveyor belt”. The government is able to churn out “emergency ordinances” with remarkable ease and these are law until approved, or rejected, by Parliament.
The main feature of this approach is that ministers, or Senators in this case, don’t have time to actually read the proposed laws. Each law will have its sponsoring minister, or senator, who will say “you support my law and I will support yours”. In this way a large number of laws can be passed in a single sitting, with no time wasted reading the small print. If there is a mistake or a scandal it can be amended with another law, rejected by Parliament, or just forgotten (as happens to most of them). Needless to say this controversial media law was rushed through the Senate in a few minutes with a wink and a nod by its sponsor – the extreme nationalist former psychiatric patient, Gheorghe Funar.
Although media ownership patterns raise some eyebrows, the Romanian press is relatively free by EU standards. But this has not resulted in an increase in quality, in fact the result is sensationalism and the increase of “bad” news. The Romanian airwaves are filled with stories of rape, murder, car crashes and theft. In other words, Romania is becoming like the other EU Member States in terms of press freedom.
In Western Europe the public are used to media sensationalism and they know how to differentiate between real life and what is reported in the media. In Romania this is not the case and many people assume their country has gone to the dogs because of what they see on the media. This is particularly true among the elderly and the rural population. But it is rather shocking to find that Romania’s senators share the same level of understanding about the media as a village peasant. The Senators, and the elderly peasants, fondly remember the days when all news was good news (Ceausescu’s daily activities being the main bulletin of the day) and when “bad” news was a rarity – references to Western disasters or exposing “enemies of the people”.
This law is a pathetic attempt to roll back the negativity the Senators see in the media, a negativity they claim makes Romanians depressed. It shows the outmoded political reflexes of the Senators, who have employed classic Communist Party tactics. They want to address the problem (negative media) through proscriptive legislation, without reference to the public, other political groupings or (God forbid) the media. This was feasible under Communism, when irrational laws could be passed, without consultation, to be implemented by an all powerful party apparatus.
If one understands the era in which Romania’s Senators grew up in, this Alice-in-Wonderland media law makes perfect sense. What it really shows is how stuck in the past are Romania’s fossilised Senators, most of whom are well past their retirement age. One wonders how they have managed to “get away with it” so far, having avoided other monumental gaffes of this nature in the last 17 years.
Rupert Wolfe Murray was the former team leader of the EU Phare Project to the National Audiovisual Council of Romania (www.cna.ro)
This article was first published on the Radio Free Europe website.
Romania gives nod to airline
ROMANIA - The Romanian National Tourist Office has named Austrian Airlines as the designated, air carrier for travel from North America to the European nation.
According to Simion Alb, with the Romanian National Tourist Office, he has received consistently positive feedback about Austrian Airlines’ service from individuals, families, travel agents and tour operators.
“We look forward to expanding our working relationship with Austrian Airlines even further in the future to include more of continental Europe, which is well served by Austrian Airlines, as well as other global points of origin also served by the Austrian Airlines Group, such as Tokyo, Osaka, Beijing, Sydney and Kuala Lumpur,” he said.
The Romanian National Tourist Office has partnered with Austrian Airlines since 2002.
“Of course, we are pleased that Austrian Airlines has been given this preferred designation by the Romanian National Tourist Office,” said Paul Paflik of Austrian Airlines.
“Austrian Airlines has frequent service, via Vienna, to Bucharest, Cluj, Sibiu, Timisoara and Iasi.”
According to Simion Alb, with the Romanian National Tourist Office, he has received consistently positive feedback about Austrian Airlines’ service from individuals, families, travel agents and tour operators.
“We look forward to expanding our working relationship with Austrian Airlines even further in the future to include more of continental Europe, which is well served by Austrian Airlines, as well as other global points of origin also served by the Austrian Airlines Group, such as Tokyo, Osaka, Beijing, Sydney and Kuala Lumpur,” he said.
The Romanian National Tourist Office has partnered with Austrian Airlines since 2002.
“Of course, we are pleased that Austrian Airlines has been given this preferred designation by the Romanian National Tourist Office,” said Paul Paflik of Austrian Airlines.
“Austrian Airlines has frequent service, via Vienna, to Bucharest, Cluj, Sibiu, Timisoara and Iasi.”
Romanian child rape victim allowed abortion
NN) -- A Romanian government committee has decided to allow a pregnant 11-year-old who was raped by her teenage uncle to have an abortion, a government spokesman said Friday.
The girl is 21 weeks pregnant -- too far along to have an abortion in Romania, where the limit is 14 weeks unless the pregnancy poses problems for the mother's health, said the spokesman, who asked not to be named.
The girl's parents had said they would take their daughter to Britain for an abortion if the committee did not allow her to have one in Romania. Abortions are legal in Britain up to 24 weeks.
It was unclear whether the parents would still take the girl to Britain following the committee's decision, reached late Thursday.
Church groups have opposed an abortion for the girl, the government spokesman said. The Romanian Orthodox Church has urged the girl to keep the baby, and has said it will take care of the baby if the family wants to give it up for adoption, he said.
The uncle who raped the girl has since disappeared, the Romanian Health Ministry said. Media reports say the uncle is age 19.
The girl is 21 weeks pregnant -- too far along to have an abortion in Romania, where the limit is 14 weeks unless the pregnancy poses problems for the mother's health, said the spokesman, who asked not to be named.
The girl's parents had said they would take their daughter to Britain for an abortion if the committee did not allow her to have one in Romania. Abortions are legal in Britain up to 24 weeks.
It was unclear whether the parents would still take the girl to Britain following the committee's decision, reached late Thursday.
Church groups have opposed an abortion for the girl, the government spokesman said. The Romanian Orthodox Church has urged the girl to keep the baby, and has said it will take care of the baby if the family wants to give it up for adoption, he said.
The uncle who raped the girl has since disappeared, the Romanian Health Ministry said. Media reports say the uncle is age 19.
Romania – 2nd Largest Eastern European Country In EU
Romania is the second largest Eastern European country in the EU, following Poland. The Romanian retail market is experiencing tremendous growth. According to Eurostat, the Romanian retail trade expanded by 13.9 percent in 2007, or seven times the rate of growth in the European retail market as a whole. While this growth is impressive it is in part due to the low starting point. Only recently has modern retail reached Romanians outside the major cites. 2007 saw a major push of retail chains into smaller Romanian cities. With a greater proportion of the Romanian population having access to modern retail, agri-food imports have surged. Although the EU market is largely closed to U.S. exporters of meat and meat products, promising export prospects remain. The best of these are distilled spirits, almonds, and fruit juice.
Romania has continued its macroeconomic stability and growth. Over the past few years the government has made the necessary economic reforms to gain entrance to the European Union. This monumental event was accomplished on January 1st 2007. As with many of its neighbors, Romania’s accession to the EU has lowered the Government appetite for reform. This is likely to dampen long term growth, but with some of the lowest costs in the EU, GDP growth in Romania will likely out perform most of its EU competitors.
The economy continued to grow in 2007, though the rate slowed to 6 percent compared to 7.7 percent in 2006. The service and construction sectors continue to be the most important engines for growth in Romania.
Romania’s economy continues to converge toward European norms. Services now represent about 50 percent of the economy, up from 46 percent in 2004. As the economy expands this number is likely to rise. Agriculture saw its contribution to the national economy shrink yet again. A combination of poor weather conditions and delayed government reforms has seen the agricultural sector (including forestry) decline from 13 percent in 2001 to only 6.6 percent in 2007. Regardless of its relative decline the agricultural sector still employs roughly a third of the population and is therefore important to the overall economic well-being of the country.
Romanian GDP per capita rose to USD 7,800 in 2007 (up from USD 1,585 in 1999), Romania is a middle-income country. As a result of the increasing food-products prices, determined by an extremely low crop production and increasing world prices, the inflation rate rose from 4.9 percent in 2006 to 6.6 percent in 2007. The trade deficit widened by 45 percent in 2007, to USD 29 billion (18 percent of GDP) – tripling in only three years (2004-2007).
Romania has continued its macroeconomic stability and growth. Over the past few years the government has made the necessary economic reforms to gain entrance to the European Union. This monumental event was accomplished on January 1st 2007. As with many of its neighbors, Romania’s accession to the EU has lowered the Government appetite for reform. This is likely to dampen long term growth, but with some of the lowest costs in the EU, GDP growth in Romania will likely out perform most of its EU competitors.
The economy continued to grow in 2007, though the rate slowed to 6 percent compared to 7.7 percent in 2006. The service and construction sectors continue to be the most important engines for growth in Romania.
Romania’s economy continues to converge toward European norms. Services now represent about 50 percent of the economy, up from 46 percent in 2004. As the economy expands this number is likely to rise. Agriculture saw its contribution to the national economy shrink yet again. A combination of poor weather conditions and delayed government reforms has seen the agricultural sector (including forestry) decline from 13 percent in 2001 to only 6.6 percent in 2007. Regardless of its relative decline the agricultural sector still employs roughly a third of the population and is therefore important to the overall economic well-being of the country.
Romanian GDP per capita rose to USD 7,800 in 2007 (up from USD 1,585 in 1999), Romania is a middle-income country. As a result of the increasing food-products prices, determined by an extremely low crop production and increasing world prices, the inflation rate rose from 4.9 percent in 2006 to 6.6 percent in 2007. The trade deficit widened by 45 percent in 2007, to USD 29 billion (18 percent of GDP) – tripling in only three years (2004-2007).
EU asks Romania to clarify aid for Nokia plant
BRUSSELS, March 28 (Reuters) - The European Commission said on Friday it had written to Romania's government to request more information about possible state subsidies for a plant operated by mobile phone maker Nokia. "I can confirm that the competition department of the Commission wrote to the Romanian authorities back in February and that we received a reply on March 17," Jonathan Todd, the Commission's competition spokesman, told a daily news briefing.
The Commission, the EU executive, was "examining carefully" the information received from Romania, he said, adding that no formal state aid investigation had yet been opened.
"The reason we wrote is purely precautionary, just to establish whether there has been any state subsidy and if so, whether those subsidies are in line with EU state aid rules," Todd said. (Reporting by Jeremy Smith; Editing by Dale Hudson)
The Commission, the EU executive, was "examining carefully" the information received from Romania, he said, adding that no formal state aid investigation had yet been opened.
"The reason we wrote is purely precautionary, just to establish whether there has been any state subsidy and if so, whether those subsidies are in line with EU state aid rules," Todd said. (Reporting by Jeremy Smith; Editing by Dale Hudson)
Romania 'To Oppose Kosovo' At NATO Talks
28 March 2008 Bucharest _ Romania is set to repeat its opposition to Kosovo's independence at the upcoming NATO Summit in Bucharest.
"We will reaffirm very clearly our stance saying that the required conditions are not fulfilled so that Romania may recognise the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo," Romania's Defence Minister, Teodor Melescanu told the state-owned Rompres news agency."Romania's stance on the issue is based both on reasons related to the norms of the international law and on practical reasons, taking into account that the borders of the province are not recognised by some of its neighbors," Melescanu emphasised.Romania's President Traian Basescu has repeatedly said his country will not recognise the unilaterally declared independence by Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders.Romania cannot acknowledge Kosovo's independence in the absence of a UN resolution and in the absence of the observance of the international law, Basescu argued.Political analysts also say Bucharest is concerned that any recognition of Kosovo's independence could lead to increased demands for autonomy by Romania's ethnic Hungarian minority in the west of the country.Last week while unveiling the NATO Summit agenda, Romania's Foreign Minister Adrian Cioroianu said Romania supports the alliance's continued role in maintaining peace and stability in Kosovo.Romania is only a handful of European Union member states not to have recognised Kosovo's February 17 declaration of independence from Serbia.Belgrade, backed by Russia, argues the move is illegal since the 1999 United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, which put in place a UN administration in Serbia's southern province following the 1998-1999 war, is still valid and the resolution explicitly refers to Kosovo as lying within Serbia's borders.As many as 24 presidents, 26 prime ministers and 86 ministers are due to attend the NATO Summit, which is taking place between April 2-4 in the Romanian capital.According to Cioroianu's plans, the agenda will focus on the alliance's expansion eastwards and maintaining peace in the Balkans in light of Kosovo's declaration of independence.Albania, Croatia and Macedonia are all hoping to receive invitations to join NATO at the summit.
"We will reaffirm very clearly our stance saying that the required conditions are not fulfilled so that Romania may recognise the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Kosovo," Romania's Defence Minister, Teodor Melescanu told the state-owned Rompres news agency."Romania's stance on the issue is based both on reasons related to the norms of the international law and on practical reasons, taking into account that the borders of the province are not recognised by some of its neighbors," Melescanu emphasised.Romania's President Traian Basescu has repeatedly said his country will not recognise the unilaterally declared independence by Kosovo's ethnic Albanian leaders.Romania cannot acknowledge Kosovo's independence in the absence of a UN resolution and in the absence of the observance of the international law, Basescu argued.Political analysts also say Bucharest is concerned that any recognition of Kosovo's independence could lead to increased demands for autonomy by Romania's ethnic Hungarian minority in the west of the country.Last week while unveiling the NATO Summit agenda, Romania's Foreign Minister Adrian Cioroianu said Romania supports the alliance's continued role in maintaining peace and stability in Kosovo.Romania is only a handful of European Union member states not to have recognised Kosovo's February 17 declaration of independence from Serbia.Belgrade, backed by Russia, argues the move is illegal since the 1999 United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244, which put in place a UN administration in Serbia's southern province following the 1998-1999 war, is still valid and the resolution explicitly refers to Kosovo as lying within Serbia's borders.As many as 24 presidents, 26 prime ministers and 86 ministers are due to attend the NATO Summit, which is taking place between April 2-4 in the Romanian capital.According to Cioroianu's plans, the agenda will focus on the alliance's expansion eastwards and maintaining peace in the Balkans in light of Kosovo's declaration of independence.Albania, Croatia and Macedonia are all hoping to receive invitations to join NATO at the summit.
Ryanair to launch two routes from Romania to Italy
BUCHAREST, Jan 16 (Reuters) - Irish low-cost airline Ryanair will start two routes from Romania's western city of Arad and the Black Sea port of Constanta to Italy's Milan and Pisa respectively, the company said on Wednesday. Flights will begin in April and the company said it expects to carry about 80,000 passengers in the first year.
"We made the first step into this market in Arad and Constanta because we reached low cost deals with these airports," said Tomasz Kulakowski, Ryanair's sales and marketing manager for central Europe.
Ryanair also said it was in talks with other regional airports in Romania and its southern neighbour Bulgaria. (Reporting by Marius Zaharia; Editing by David Cowell)
"We made the first step into this market in Arad and Constanta because we reached low cost deals with these airports," said Tomasz Kulakowski, Ryanair's sales and marketing manager for central Europe.
Ryanair also said it was in talks with other regional airports in Romania and its southern neighbour Bulgaria. (Reporting by Marius Zaharia; Editing by David Cowell)
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