Envoy Says U.S. Supports Romanian Prime Minister-President Cohabitation
Duane Butcher, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy to Bucharest told Mediafax in an interview he supports cohabitation between Prime Minister Victor Ponta and President Traian Basescu.
Butcher also said the U.S. has closely followed the process for the appointment of chief prosecutors in Romania. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Tarom President Says GM Met Less Than 30% Of Management Plan Objectives
Christian Heinzmann, general manager of Romanian state-owned airline Tarom, has met less than 30% of the objectives stated in the company’s management plan and has not started restructuring yet, said Dan Pascariu, president of Tarom.
Considering the situation, the company’s Executive Board asked Heinzmann to agree to have his mandate reduced from four to one year.
According to Pascariu, Heinzmann has employed 40 new people, failing to comply with a Board decision to freeze hiring. (Puterea)
Romania Would Benefit From A New IMF Deal, Says U.S. Official
Romania would benefit from a new financial program with the International Monetary Fund, as such a program can bring stability and predictability to the business environment, an official of the US Embassy said Wednesday.
“For all investors, stability and predictability are vital and agreements like the one with the IMF are important ways of achieving the kind of stability and predictability the investors are looking for,” Duane Butcher, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy to Bucharest, told Mediafax in an interview.
“We think that something like that [an IMF-like agreement] would be advisable,” he added. (Curierul National)
Apartment Prices Fell 4.5% In Romania In First Half Of 2013
Apartment prices in Romania fell 4.5% in the first half of 2013 from EUR978 per square meter in January to EUR934 per square meter at the end of June, according to real estate portal imobiliare.ro.
Apartment prices fell by an average of 0.4% countrywide in the first half of 2012 and by 1.3% in the entire year.
The most significant home price decreases were registered in Bucharest, Ploiesti and Brasov. Bucharest home prices fell 3.9% in the first half from EUR1,138/sqm in January to EUR1,093/sqm at the end of June. New apartments were 4.4% cheaper in the analyzed interval, with prices falling from EUR1,278/sqm to EUR1,222/sqm. Owners of old apartments reduced prices by 2.7% from EUR1,046/sqm to EUR1,018/sqm. (Jurnalul National)
Former Romanian Prime Minister Radu Vasile Dies At 71
Former Romanian prime minister Radu Vasile, 71, died Tuesday night of colon cancer.
Vasile was prime minister between April 1998 and December 1999. He was a senator between 2000-2004 and was elected Senate chairman in 2004. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Court Might Rule Thursday In Transport Minister Corruption Trial
Romania’s Supreme Court is expected to rule Thursday in a case where Transport Minister Relu Fenechiu is on trial for corruption.
At the last term of the trial, judges set the term for final pleas for July 4.
Fenechiu was indicted in June 2012 and is accused of selling old and used electricity transformers to a unit of electricity maintenance company Electrica Serv. (Romania Libera)