Romanian Constitutional Court Upholds Integrity Agency Law
The Constitutional Court on Monday ruled the law regulating the National Integrity Agency is constitutional.
The Court thus dismissed the claims of several officials on trial over integrity agency decisions. The decision was made with six out of nine votes.
Constitutional Court decisions are definitive and generally binding. (Puterea)
Nearly 60% Of Romanians Say EU Entry Changed Their Lives For The Worse
Nearly 60% of Romanians say the country’s accession o the European Union has changed their lives for the worse, according to a poll conducted by CIADO Romania.
The main issue of discontent is loss of jobs.
According to the “Romanian in Europe” poll, more than have the respondents (53%) said they didn’t know what institutions the EU has and what their role was, but the number has decreased from 70% in 2011 and 61% in 2012.
Also, 51% of Romanians said they don’t know their rights and obligations as EU citizens, also down from 71% in 2011 and 65% in 2012. (Curentul)
Romania To Start Negotiations In Fall To Recover Gold From Russia
Romanian central bank governor Mugur Isarescu said he made a oath to recover Romania’s over 90 tons of gold, worth over EUR3.2 million, from Russia.
Analysts say the initiative could be successful only if Romania changes its attitude to the Russian federation, an attitude it has maintained for the past eight years.
“We will have meetings in fall with Russia under the bilateral commission to discuss the Romanian gold treasure issue,” Isarescu said Monday. (Puterea)
Department For Energy To Become Independent Institution By May 15
Minister-delegate for energy Constantin Nita said the Department for Energy will be separated from the Ministry of Economy.
The Department for Energy, currently functioning under the ministry’s authority, will be set up as an independent institution by May 15, by government decision, said Nita. (Puterea)
Bucharest Street Repairs Cost As Much as EUR200,000/Km
NGOs say that, according to Bucharest’s 2013 city budget, current street repairs in the capital come to cost as much as EUR200,000 per kilometer, while other infrastructure projects have too little funding to even be considered.
Officials of NGOs Save Bucharest, Funky Citizens, and ActiveWatch told a news conference Monday the city’s budget was not drafted transparently.
The city council adopted the budget last week after accepting around 80 amendments to it. The move was criticized by general mayor Sorin Oprescu, who said the budget draft suffered major changes at the last minute. (Curentul)
Retail Rents In Bucharest Over 3 Times Higher Than In Other Romanian Cities
Rents of prime retail space in downtown Bucharest may reach as much as EUR58/square meter/month, whereas in other big cities in Romania prime rents reach around EUR20 at most, according to a study by real estate website imobiliare.ro.
“Unlike other sectors of the real estate market, the retail spaces segment is highly dependent on location, considering that sales depend on pedestrian traffic,” according to the study.
In downtown Bucharest, retail spaces on secondary streets may be rented out even for EUR20/sqm/month, whereas on primary retail streets, rents start from around EUR50/sqm/month. (Curentul)