Romania: Press review - June 30

Bucharest, June 30 /Agerpres/ - Romania's national dailies of Tuesday give main coverage to a statement by President Basescu that he is a supporter of a partnership between the State and the Romanian Christian Orthodox Church; parliamentary inquiry to start into Minister of Youth and Sports Ridzi; details about the First Home programme, and retired footballer Gica Popescu having possibly been a collaborator of the late Securitatea political police.


The media quote President Traian Basescu as saying he is a supporter of a partnership between the State and the Church. Political analysts criticise Basescu's attitude, warning about a possible slippage or temptation to nationalistic Right.

Cotidianul reports that Basescu made the statement about the political-religious partnership at a religious ceremony on Monday in Husi, Vaslui County, that enthroned the new bishop of Husi Corneliu. In 24 hours, the paper says, the President attended two enthroning ceremonies.


Jurnalul national remarks that despite the request of embattled Minister of Youth and Sports Monica Iacob Ridzi that the parliamentary inquiry into alleged money embezzlement accusations levelled against her be halted, the special inquiry committee set up to investigate the way in which Ridzi spent funds on hosting Youth Day celebrations will continue to operate. The decision was taken on Monday by the Standing Bureau of the Chamber of Deputies, with 7 votes for - cast by the Social Democratic Party (PSD), in the ruling coalition, and the opposition National Liberal Party (PNL), and 5 against, cast by the Democratic Liberal Party (PD-L), in the ruling coalition, Ridzi's party.

Previously, Ridzi submitted a written request to the Chamber of Deputies' leadership asking it to halt the activity of the committee because the National Anti-Corruption Directorate (DNA) had already started a criminal investigation into the same allegations.

PNL leader Ludovic Orban said PNL is requesting that Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Roberta Anastase resign office and President Traian Basescu dismiss Ridzi as minister of youth and sports.

Ziua notes that the DNA started the criminal investigation following a petition submitted by PNL, represented by the party's national leader Crin Antonescu, against Ridzi.


Curentul remarks that the DNA has wryly announced that former chief of the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) Radu Timofte is being investigated for fraud.

The paper carries first information about a criminal file having been drawn up on Timofte as far back as 2006. Back then, Timofte would claim that there are people who want to implicate him in a corruption scandal at all costs, but a DNA investigation will clear his name and expose the whole story as a soap bubble.


Jurnalul national notes that suspicions of collaboration with the late Securitatea political police is surrounding retired star footballer Gica Popescu. He allegedly wrote nine information notes on his teammates of Universitatea Craiova Emil Sandoi and Vasile Manaila as well as on coach Constantin Teasca.

Adevarul quotes Popescu as strongly denying having written such notes.

Azi remarks that most of the Romanian football camp has come to Popescu's defence.


Jurnalul national remarks that a chief officer of a decentralised autonomous public service of Olt County has made shocking revelations about the state and party mechanism that 'replenishes the piggybank of PD-L.' It says this is virtually the most profitable business in Romania: you do not need capital; you do not have to come up with business plans and you do not have to pay taxes. All you have to do is appoint people to public offices. Obviously, the paper says, you introduce them as managers, but the people in question do not have to be qualified for what they are expected to do according to their job descriptions, but they have to raise money to replenish the party's vaults. The donation, as the paper calls it, is non-negotiable; in other words, the people concerned must steal in order to pay, and money is flowing endlessly.


Cotidianul carries an interview with founding member of the Conservative Party (PC) Dan Voiculescu, whose party is now at rule as part of an electoral coalition with PSD, in which he argues PSD+PC having joined PD-L in the ruling coalition was a mistake, and so is staying in power.

Voiculescu also lashes out against President Basescu saying, 'his hands are shaking and this is a psychological condition which does not necessarily has to do with his dinking problems. I am not a doctor, but I do not find it normal for his hands to shake like that. And that is certainly a psychological matter. Secondly, even if he runs again for president, he will lose. Romanians have invested in Basescu hoping that Basescu will decapitate corruption and that he will be with the people, but he has betrayed them about everything. There are no spikes with corrupted impaled in the Government Square, people are not living better and he has been a disappointment.'


Jurnalul national quotes Finance Minister Gheorghe Pogea as having said on Monday that 20 banks have filed their offers for the 'First Home' programme for first-time homeowners that provides funding costs 42-49 percent smaller than those of mortgage loans.

The total value of the offers submitted by the banks is standing at 1.460 billion euros, which exceeds the 1-billion euro ceiling on the programme.

Ziua notes that eligible loan applicants could start taking out the first loans on July 15. It quotes the minister as saying all the loan cost criteria established under the Government's methodology for the programme have been met by all the banks that joined the programme.

Evenimentul zilei notes that the 'First Home' programme will be less functional in Bucharest where it is expected to pose some problems when the loans exceed 60,000 euros, because of the local real estate prices, which are higher then elsewhere in the country. It says that if an applicant meets the wage eligibility requirements but wants a flat valued at 100,000 euros, the applicant will have to borrow the difference if not available.


Ziua reports that amidst the negative effects of the domestic economic and financial environments triggered by the ongoing international crisis, the National Bank of Romania (BNR) has asked the credit institutions having reported losses and solvency rates below the market average to come up with monthly reports on capital adequacy, instead of quarterly reports, as requested under the banking prudence regulations in force.


Fuel prices have surged over the past six months and the Romanian oil companies have increase prices three times over the past two weeks alone. Thus, Cotidianul remarks, furl prices have gone up nearly 33 percent since last December, at least as far as petrol is concerned.

In early December, Petrom, the Romanian leading oil company, would quote RON 2.95 for one litre Premium 95 petrol, its cheapest sort, after a wave of successive price cuts. After the last price increase to date of the past week, the price is now RON 3.90.


Evenimentul zilei remarks that Romanians will pay less for international phone calls and natural gas consumption from July 1., when the final price of natural gas for household users goes down 5 percent, and the roaming fees will decline to 0.11 euros, at the most, for one short message, 0.19 euro/minute for received calls and 0.43 euros/minute for initiated calls. The second half of 2009, the paper says, has good news for Romanian drivers as well, who will be spared having to go to the Police for minor car accidents following the coming into force of the European accident report norms. AGERPRES

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