National Press Review, 18 February

‘Why is the Romanian state a bad administrator?’ – we learn in an analysis suggested by the EVENIMENTUL ZILEI. The phrase ‘poor management’ hides, in fact, the lack of political stability and corruption.

Most state-owned companies performing in the key-areas of economy have been losing ground for many years now.

Usually, after the establishment of a new government, a change follows at the top of many of these companies and, this way, the vicious circle remains intact. The solution the authors of the article are suggesting: ‘the disinfestation can only happen if new executives, management-competent, will be brought to the private sector.’

And speaking of how state-companies are run: in the ROMÂNIA LIBERĂ a photograph on half of the front page, showing some piles of mud, explains the following title: ‘This is how Highway A2 looks like’, to be exact the segment that will connect Cernavodă to Constanţa and that should be ready in four months, according to the assurances given by the Ministry of Transportation.

Currently, only ten workers and three excavators are working on this site.
‘Trade union leaders are denouncing each other to the Prosecutor’s Office’ – headlines the EVENIMENTUL ZILEI. Trade union leaders in police and customs accused each other not only of corruption, but also of emptying the organisations’ treasuries. The accusations became criminal cases.

The quoted newspaper keeps its public updated with the more or less suspicious connections between these more or less famous trade union leaders.
The ADEVĂRUL informs its readers about the low number of places in Bucharest kindergartens.

‘20 thousand children won’t be able to go to kindergarten in the fall, after 9 thousand applications for registration have been declined. According to the General School Inspectorate, 12 thousand children would have been left out anyway, had it not been for the good will of teachers who accept more children than they should in their groups.

The remaining option for parents would be nannies and private kindergartens. However, while the price for a state kindergarten with prolonged schedule is around 400 lei, for a private one the price is triple.

The situation in Bucharest is found in most major cities. Unfortunately, the Ministry of Education does not consider pre-school education to be a priority, therefore it does not have any plans for kindergarten development – the ADEVĂRUL assesses.

An exclusive news-report in the JURNALUL NAŢIONAL, conducted by an undercover reporter, who lived among Romanian thieves, reveals how they operate in West-European countries. He has lived with a gang of thieves for four days.

These are mainly pocket-thieves, but occasionally they also break into houses that catch their eye or steal gold from market stalls. The stores are not off limits either. Sometimes they even pay for their rent with the stolen goods. All details can be found i the newspaper.

Back to the ADEVĂRUL, which faces Elena Udrea, the Minister of Tourism – who declared yesterday, in a press conference, that the Romanian tourism is out of the crisis – with the data provided by the National Association of Tourism Agencies in Romania, according to which, last year, the sales in tourism services dropped with 15 percent compared to 2009 – only at the seaside the recorded drop was of 18 percent – and over 10 percent of tourism agencies have been shut down. This comes after in 2009 as well, tourism recorded serious loss compared to 2008.

However, we learn in the GÂNDUL that the Minister of Tourism is planning to double the number of foreign tourists in Romania. I quote from the newspaper: ‘The guardian angels’, ‘We care’, ‘Romania welcomes you’, 20 top-attractions and top 10 tours are the key ‘tactics’ that Minister Elena Udrea will use to double, in four years time, the number of foreign tourists.

The story with the guardian angels addresses to very wealthy tourists, who are willing to pay to have permanent staff available to handle them alone. Mainly Russians, Germans and Japanese are expected to come.

Translated by: Manuela Stancu
MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University