Sunday, March 25, 2007

What the newspapers say: March 23, 2007


Liberals are torn between forming a new cabinet, without Democrats, an continuing the guerilla politics that became a true lifestyle during the past year.

Meanwhile, anti graft investigations reach former top officials, doctors are found with bribes worth millions of dollars and Opposition senators open a war against EU Commissioner Franco Frattini. All in a day's work.

Liberals have to chose between forming a new Government, supported by most Opposition parties or maintaining the current alliance with the Democrats. Evenimentul Zilei believes the second choice, as difficult as it is, would be the one for Liberals.

Most newspapers cover the first legal action against one of the most powerful politicians during the Social-Democrats' mandate, former Transport Minister Miron Mitrea, who got on Wednesday his first criminal investigation file at the Anti Graft National Department (DNA).
Mitrea is accused of refusing to respect a Court decision involving luxury terrain on the Northern edge of Bucharest, legally belonging to the Utility Aircraft company, Gandul and most papers read.

Speaking of graft and abuse: former Economy Minister, Codrut Seres, admitted yesterday that most energy companies put pressure on his ministry, in order to buy cheap energy and sell it back to the state, with profit, Gandul reads. One of the players was his very boss, Conservative Party head, Dan Voiculescu.

Voiculescu also makes the headlines with another initiative: Social Democrat, Conservative, Liberal and Great Romania senators sent a letter to the EU Commissioner for Justice, Franco Frattini, pretending he offended them.

"Frattini afforded to make comments about our activity, a fact he could never do in another EU state. We have to remind him that Romania is an EU country as well", the letter reads, according to Gandul.

The same subject is seen differently in Cotidianul: Voiculescu is still upset with the fact that Frattini never heard of him, as the Commissioner admitted while visiting Romania, one week ago.

Even more, the credibility of the initiative is flawed by the fact that it comes from two informers of Ceausescu's political police, Securitate - Voiculescu and the former Justice Minister, Rodica Stanoiu.

When it's not hopping around with letters and quarrel, the Opposition suddenly becomes serious and suggests the prime minister he should lose what's left of his credibility and form a new Cabinet, widely supported by the former ruling parties, Gandul reads.

Far from politics, the State Assets Agency has to pay some 120 million euros for the investors that lost in the National Investments Fund (FNI) affair, one of the largest schemes in Romania, involving the controversial businessman Sorin Ovidiu Vantu, Evenimentul Zilei reads.

Also about holes in the budget: Renault is bound to receive unprecedented incentives for its new research center it is about to build, according to Gandul.

Nor all car producers are as happy as Renault, as the cars' first registration tax gives a lot of headaches to everyone. However, one of the strongest supporters of this tax, Environment Minister Sulfina Barbu, throws the entire responsibility in the Liberal yard, letting the Finance Minister handle the scandal, Cotidianul informs.

Expensive as they may be, cars are not a problem for those who got reach during the past 15 years. Except maybe for the surgeon who made possible the first heart transplant, dr. Serban Bradisteanu, who's wealth was sealed after a four million euros bribe was proven by the Anti Graft prosecutors.

Still, there are some good news today, as well. First, PM Tariceanu received his agreement from president Traian Basescu, in order to take over temporarily the Foreign Minister seat, Cotidianul reads.

Second, Nokia will invest some 300 million euros in a technological park in Cluj, opening some 15,000 jobs, Cotidianul found out.

HotNews.ro, Mar 23, 2007

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