Romania: Press review - March 1
Mar 1, 2010

Romania: Press review - March 1.
Bucharest, March 1 /Agerpres/ - Romania's national dailies of Monday, March 1, give main coverage to the likely higher electricity prices for the household consumers, the situation of the public debt, the earthquake danger in Romania and the Cesar awards bestowed on Romanian-born French film director and screenwriter Radu Mihaileanu.

Premier Emil Boc ordered the dismissal of Marius Oprea as head of the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes (IICR) and of Dinu Zamfirescu from the leadership of the Institute for Romanian Exile Memory, deciding that the ensuing structure from the merger of the two institutes will be headed by Vladimir Tismaneanu and Ioan Stanomir, Jurnalul national daily reads.

Premier Emil Boc succeeded, in fact, to get rid of two Liberals with one blow: he unified IICR with the Institute for Romanian Exile Memory, headed by Dinu Zamfirescu, resulting the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and Romanian Exile Memory. The invoked reasons are budget savings: 'the enforcement of the Law on the reorganization of some public institutions, the cut of public spending, support for business environment and observance of the framework agreements with the European Commission (EC) and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)', Gandul daily writes. 'How IMF forces Boc to save more with the Investigation of Communist Crimes', reads the headline in Gandul on this topic.

Crin Antonescu and Ludovic Orban are going to be the two contenders for the position of President at the National Liberal Party (PNL, in opposition) Congress, organized this week-end, a year since they succeeded together to remove Calin Popescu-Tariceanu from this office, Evenimentul zilei daily informs.

Orban said he was ready to make a team both with Antonescu, as a candidate in the future presidential elections, and with the former Premier and leader of the party Calin Popescu-Tariceanu for the Premier position, quoted by Gandul, Cotidianul, Romania libera, Curentul dailies.

Electra and Hidroenergetica companies are to put up the energy prices, supplied to household consumers, because they will produce power at an almost double the price compared to the authorities' calculation, Jurnalul national daily reports. The price with which both energy giants will produce energy will be much higher than what the ministry pretends, almost twice as much. This will lead to a steady price increases for the end consumers, as Operatom union from 'Nuclearelectrica' points out.

Statistical data released by the Ministry of Public Finance reveal that 65 percent of the public debt, in the amount of 148 billion lei, is on short-term, namely less than a year. This fact constraints the state to borrow more than 96.2 billion lei from the banks in 2010. To this money the loans to be taken for the covering of the budget deficit of 31.9 billion lei are to be added. In other words, in 2010, Boc Government has to borrow more than 128.1 billion lei, namely more than 30.5 billion euros, to be able to cover the past year debts and the budget deficit, maintains Cotidianul daily.

Under the headline 'Romania, exposed to devastating earthquakes', Cotidianul daily reveals that on a map of seismic hazards Romania is placed on the most exposed zone to devastating earthquakes. The most important of the all seismic hazard regions is Vrancea. In fact, this zone is responsible for more than 90 percent of all earthquakes in Romania, releasing more than 95 percent of the seismic energy, the quoted newspaper also says.

Bucharest has the highest number of pensions in payment, with approximately half a million retirees paid from the social security budget at last year-end, according to data of the National Pension and Social Security Office (CNPAS), quoted by Ziarul financiar daily. Almost 4.8 million social security pensions were paid at last year-end, meaning that almost 10 percent of all pensioners live in Bucharest.

The Romanian-born French film director and screenwriter Radu Mihaileanu, migrated to the West in the 1980s, is in the mass-media focus in Romania after receiving two Cesar awards.

The feature film 'The Concert/Le Concert', directed by Radu Mihaileanu, received six nominations at the Cesar Awards, including for the best movie and the best film direction and was awarded the trophies for the best sound and for the best musical score. AGERPRES
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