National Press Review, November 30

The România Liberă publishes an exclusive interview with President Traian Băsescu, focused primarily on issues of international relations. 'Russia has a hostile attitude towards Romania', utters president Băsescu, according to whom Basarabia could be reintegrated within the borders of Romania, if Romanians of both sides of the Prut river consented to that. 'With the Republic of Moldova joining the European Union, all Romanians will be together in a great European family', said the president.

Băsescu also voiced Romania’s lack of trust towards Russia: 'We’re not comfortable at all with Russian troops near our border, in Transnistria, nor with the Russian Federation signing the agreement on the prolongation of the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol until 2042. If Russia is so fond of the Black Sea states, what’s the use of such a fleet in a sea so small?', said the president.

Related to the privileged partnership between Romania and France and the issues arising from Romania joining the Schengen Area, Traian Băsescu declared that Foreign Minister Teodor Baconschi took a hasty decision when announcing his departure for Paris, in order to establish a high-level visit because, as quoted from the president, 'I never asked him to arrange me a visit to Paris, as there is no need for one. I meet Nicolas Sarkozy every three months. As a consequence, there is no need for a special meeting to discuss the topic'.

'The Government buys parliamentary votes with 70 thousand euros, in order for its budget to pass', the Gândul reads, which relies on sources from the Democratic Liberal Party (PDL): 'Prime Minister Emil Boc is said to have granted money to the members of the Parliament, in exchange of their approval for the amendments on the draft budget'. The Gândul also writes about Government’s decision to reduce by half the child care leave for mothers.

The Jurnalul Național analyses at large the Ministry of Labour’s proposals to amend the Labor Code: 'The period of leave should be reduced, the period of notice will increase and overtime hours will double. The employers will have the right to require employees to pay for the property damages they cause and nevertheless to dismiss strikers', said the newspaper.

According to the Evenimentul Zilei, authorities estimated that, in a few years, electricity bills would increase by 50 percent, motivated by the high maintenance of old power plants and the development of the environmental friendly energy production we expect electricity bills to increase by further 30 percent.

Most newspapers published today analyze the results of the parliamentary elections in the Republic of Moldova. 'Unexpected development in Chisinau: communists win the elections, which contrasts sharply with what Sunday evening exit polls indicated', wrote the Gândul, who also noticed an unusual situation: 919 of the voters abroad were bounded to vote on A4 papers, as the ballots at the voting sections in Moscow, Padua, Bologna and Paris finished.

The improvised ballots will be subject to special reports, after which the Constitutional Court will judge on their validity.

'Marian Lungu’s democrats are pulling strings in the Republic of Moldova', the Adevărul wrote.

Translated by Mihaela Grigoraş and Raluca Mizdrea
MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University