SMEs Minister Criticizes Government, Prime Minister Threatens Replacement
Romania’s minister-delegate for SMEs Maria Grapini said Tuesday she should be in the book of world records for her public stance, critical of the government.
At the Mediafax Talks About SMEs conference, Grapini said the government doesn’t understand the issues faced by the business environment.
Prime Minister Victor Ponta, on official visit to Lithuania, said the responsibility of relations with the business environment falls on Grapini in the first place but he is confident he would find a better minister if she is unsatisfied. (Evenimentul Zilei)
French Minister Says Few Roma People Want To Be Socially Integrated In France
French Interior Minister Manuel Valls told radio France Inter Tuesday the Roma issue cannot be solved through social integration because only a small part of the Roma in France want to be integrated, Le Figaro reported.
“These populations have lifestyles that are fundamentally different from ours and which are obviously in opposition to local populations,” said the minister, adding the only solution is to progressively remove Roma camps and send them back to their own countries.
Valls said the Roma should return to Romania and Bulgaria and authorities and the Europena Union should work together to first integrate them in their countries of origin. (Jurnalul National)
GFR Notifies Antitrust Body On CFR Marfa Deal
Grup Feroviar Roman (GFR), owned by businessman Gruia Stoica, notified antitrust authorities Tuesday on the acquisition of 51% of freight railway carrier CFR Marfa.
Transport Minister Ramona Manescu said the privatization procedure of railway freight carrier CFR Marfa is “on schedule,” but it will be resumed if it is not finalized by mid-October deadline.
Early September, the Transport Ministry and Grup Feroviar Roman (GFR) signed the sale contract for CFR Marfa. In June this year, GFR won the auction to take over 51% of CFR Marfa, offering EUR202 million. GFR also committed to invest RON900 million in the company and another EUR1.5 million in environmental projects. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Wealth Per Capita In Romania At $17,164; Western Europe Tops $100,000
The average wealth of a Romanian was $17,164 in 2012, while in most western European countries the average wealth per capita topped $100,000, according to Ernst&Young, which cites data released by Credit Suisse Institute.
The level of wealth is calculated as the total of financial and real estate assets, minus total debt.
Debts have increased from an average value of $60 per capita in 2000 to an average $2,369 mid- 2012. (Jurnalul National)
European Parliament Commission Gives Romania One Extra Year To Spend EU Funds
The European Parliament’s commission for regional development has adopted a proposition allowing Romania and Slovakia another year to spend EU funds for the 2007-2013 interval.
The proposition still needs to be cleared by the European Parliament in plenary, Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta announced. (Romania Libera)
Romanian Riot Police To Learn Crowd Control Techniques From FBI
Two FBI experts are in Bucharest to teach the Romanian riot police crowd control techniques.
The seminar, which takes place on September 24-26 at the U.S. Embassy in Bucharest, addresses law enforcement, the civil society, and the media. (Jurnalul National)