RADOR: News from Romania, 00-03-31

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RADOR: News from Romania, 00-03-31

The Press Agency of the Romanian Radio (RADOR Society) Directory - Previous Article - Next Article

From: RADOR Press Agency <http://indis.ici.ro/romania/news/rador.html>

March 31, 2000

CONTENTS <UL>

[01] POLITICS,ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL NEWS
[02] Session of the Romanian Cabinet
[03] Convention of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe regarding fight against corruption
[04] The president of Romania received THE OLYMPIC GATE OF THE YEAR 2000
[05] Prime Minister Mugur Isarescu met with baroness Emma Nicholson, first vicepresident of the Committee for Foreign Affairs, Human rights, security and defence of the European Parliament
[06] Convention of donors for implementing Pact of stability in south Eastern Europe
[07] Press Conference of the Manager for Romania of the World Bank Andrew Vorkink
[08] Romania and Hungary must cooperate for the solving of the problems of the environment
[09] Participation of Romanian troops in the military exercise of Kosovo DYNAMIC RESPONSE 2000
[10] Contract to license water supply and sewerage services
[11] A new telephone directory of ROMTELECOM
[12] Romanian - Slovak contract of association
[13] CALENDAR </UL> <HR SIZE=3> POLITICS,ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL NEWS Session of the Romanian Cabinet On Thursday the Cabinet passed five drafts worked out by the Ministry of Public Services for the proper unfolding of local elections this year, the date of their unfolding having been agreed for 4 June - local councils, local council of the city of Bucharest, the office of General Mayor of our capital city, county/regional councils. A communique taken over by RADIO ROMANIA ACTUALITATI also mentions that an emergency ordinance was also passed for altering Ordinance no. 102/1999 regarding social protection and job opportunities for persons with handicap. At the request of Prime Minister Mugur Isarescu the Cabinet agreed that starting 1 April there will be no increases of prices for power, natural gas and water; THE ONLY INCREASES ARE THOSE DERIVING FROM THE INTRODUCTION AND APPLICATION OF VAT. Also decided is that the price of gasoline will not increase as a result of altering tax for using public roads, as proposed by the minister of transports. This issue will probably be under discussion again during the month of May, informs RADIO ROMANIA ACTUALITATI. RADOR

[01] Convention of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe regarding fight against corruption

In the presence of President Emil Constantinescu the Palace of the Romanian Parliament has hosted the beginning of the Convention of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe regarding fight against corruption. In the opening speech the Minister of Justice of Romania, Valeriu Stoica, said that this convention is aimed at the difficulties that are confronting the countries that fight corruption and organized crime as well as at enforcing bills and laws for supporting this action. The United States Ambassador to Romania, James Rosapepe, sent the Convention a message from Vice-President Al Gore in which congratulations are offered to the Bucharest authorities for their determination to put an end to corruption; the message also reads that the United States are determined to help efforts to this aim and to worktogether with the authorities of Bucharest for curbing corruption and erradicating organized crime. The message quoted by RADIO ROMANIA ACTUALITATI also reads that, we quote: " corruption is a special risk for economies in tranzition from the point of view of investors and enduring investments." The United States Ambassador to Romania, James Rosapepe, said during the opening ceremony of the Convention that we speak of politics and action when we tackle this domain adding that it was easy to be cynical regarding initiatives and actions against corruption. Ambassador Rosapepe also said that fight against corruption can be successful. RADOR

As part of the regional convention of the Central and Eastern European countries here in Bucharest the Head of the European Commission to Bucharest said that during the preparations for accession to the European Union the candidate countries must build as soon as possible a clear and comprehensive legal framework regarding fight against corruption. In as far as the European Union is concerned the main challenge for the future is a much more important role to the initiatives referring to the cut down of profits obtained from organized crime, especially by the laundering of dirty money. Corruption and organized crime - Fokion Fotiadis also added quoted by RADIO ROMANIA ACTUALITATI - are a major threat for the stability of democratic institutions, of the right of law, the market economy, social and economic progress, the process of reform in the candidate countries. The manager for Romania of the World Bank, Andrew Vorkink, who is also in Romania and attended the opening of the convention in Bucharest said war against corruption is war against poverty, against the submination of the state of law, against instability. Saying that corruption is " cancer of a society " Mr. Vorkink aded that according to the experience of the World Bank , at national level corruption can be identified,quantified and attacked by precise objective programmes. The President of Romania, Emil Constantinescu, said that in Romania, fight against corruption did not take into account social or political status. The president underlined the importance of implying the civil society and mass-media in the fight against corruption. RADOR

[02] The president of Romania received THE OLYMPIC GATE OF THE YEAR 2000

The President of Romania, Emil Constantinescu, on Thursday received the statuette OLYMPIC GATE OF THE YEAR 2000 which was sent by the International Olympic Committee to the 200 heads of state of the members through the intermediary of the National Olympic Committees. The president was quoted by RADIO ROMANIA ACTUALITATI with appreciations at the address of the National Olympic Committee of Romania adding that as important is the building up of the mentality of winners with all the sports representatives of this country. The Secretary General of the National Olympic Committee of Romania, Mr. Dan Poper, said that the Olympic Games of the year 2000 also mark the INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF CULTURE AND PEACE. RADOR

[03] Prime Minister Mugur Isarescu met with baroness Emma Nicholson, first vicepresident of the Committee for Foreign Affairs, Human rights, security and defence of the European Parliament

At the end of the meeting with the Romanian PM baroness Emma Nicholson told media that she was happy the Cabinet of this country had an important share of the respective budget for the institutionalized children and for the children that did not get any assistance; money-wise we are talking of 4200 thousand million lei. Prime Minister of Romania, Mugur Isarescu, already sent a letter in this respect to the European Union commissioner for enlargement Gunter Verheugen. Baroness Emma Nicholson specified that together with representatives of the European Union and of the World Bank she will try identify new sources of financing for Romania, money which has to be channeled to the poor families of Romania, informs RADIO ROMANIA ACTUALITATI. RADOR

[04] Convention of donors for implementing Pact of stability in south Eastern Europe

International donors promised to give more than 2.4 thousand million USD to the projects aimed at the economic development and reconstruction of the Balkans - reads a joint communique of the European Union and the World Bank that held in Brussels the convention of donors for implementing the pact of stability in South Eastern Europe. The organizers have said that the sumn promised which is considerably higher than that previously envisaged will be used for the financing of the projects aimed at the development of infrastructure, of the private sector, for the support of the institutional reform and of democracy of the states of the region. At the same time it was mentioned as very important the furthering of efforts for economic reform of the Balkan states. The projects which have to be implemented first are those dealing with water supply in Albania, rehabilitation of railroad system in Montenegro, power grid in Bosnia - Hertzegovina as well as the pending danger of the still unearthed mines in the region. Next week the working group for the project dealing with the building of the bridge at Vidin linking Romania and Bulgaria from Vidin to Calafat has to find solutions for the project alongside the World Bank, said the special coordinator of the pact of stability, Bodo Hombach, quoted by RADIO ROMANIA ACTUALITATI correspondent in Brussels. RADOR

[05] Press Conference of the Manager for Romania of the World Bank Andrew Vorkink

Mr. Vorkink said at a press conference that the main problem which must be solved by our country is the passing by Parliament of the budget in the form which was worked out by the Cabinet. If the budget is adopted as it is by the Parliament there are no macroeconomic issues and the stand-by accord with the IMF continues. Then the World Bank will be able to give us the money we need for the future instalments of PSAL and ASAL. Andrew Vorkink is of the opinion that the programmes of the World Bank have started to give results giving the example of the cut of the deficit of the current account in January of the year 2000 to 12 million USD plus the reduction of the deficit of the commercial balance to 28 million USD. Although the debt has decreased, the home debt of Romania has almost doubled. The most difficult moments have passed - underlined Andrew Vorkink, quoted by RADIO ROMANIA ACTUALITATI. The Manager for Romania also aappreciated that the reform works in Romania but it is a slow process and pain has not yet come to an end. RADOR

[06] Romania and Hungary must cooperate for the solving of the problems of the environment

Romania needs significant funds of money for the solving of the most urgent problems of the environment. Bucharest hosted the meeting of the ad-hoc commission of experts that has the task to conduct an inquiry into the causes and effects of the cianide pollution at Baia Mare. The commission is led by Tom Garvey and includes officials from Romania and Hungary, from the United Nations, from the European Commission, from the Danube Commission as well as representatives of civil organizations. Mr. Garvey said the activity begins in June in Romania and continues in Hungary and Yugoslavia. The international commission intends to assess all damages and draw up a list of mines and other companies that may suffer the type of accident that occured at Baia Mare. RADOR

[07] Participation of Romanian troops in the military exercise of Kosovo DYNAMIC RESPONSE 2000

Kosovo hosts the DYNAMIC RESPONSE 2000 exercise with the participation of the Romanian battalion 26 Infantry alongside other about 1200 military from the Netherlands,Argentina, United States, Italy, France, Poland. This detachment is part of the reserve NATO strategic force and has a great mobility, enhanced fire potential,sea and air support capabilities. By this military exercise NATO wishes to demonstrate, according to RADIO ROMANIA ACTUALITATI which takes over an info from FRANCE PRESSE, that the allies have the necessary capability to react rapidly in case the security of Montenegro is menaced or in the case of the deterioration of the situation in Kosovo.[RADOR]

[08] Contract to license water supply and sewerage services

On Thursday the Town Hall of the city of Bucharest hosted the ceremony of signing the sewerage and water supply services license contract of our city to Vivendi Water Group. General Mayor of the city Lis witnessed the signing ceremony with Costin Berevoianu, general manager of the Water Supply Department and Cyril Roger Lacane director general for Europe of the Vivendi Water Group, reports RADIO ROMANIA ACTUALITATI. On this occasion the Ambassador of France to Romania, Pierre Menat underlined, among other things, the transparency of the auction and the fact that this project which covers 25 years will change the life of the citizens and will bring about the bettering of the environment. Also, Mr. Menat said, this is also an illustration of the good relations between Romania and France in the political, cultural and economic fields. RADOR

[09] A new telephone directory of ROMTELECOM

ROMTELECOM and GOLDEN PAGES COMPANY have launched the new directory with the numbers of the city of Bucharest, of county Ilfov and the GOLDEN CD with the list of persons who can be accessed by INTERNET, RADIO ROMANIA ACTUALITATI transmits. In the opening speech on this occasion Vasilios Sakoniadis, general manager of ROMTELECOM specified that in the next five years his company will invest 2.7 billion USD for the development of the new COSMOROM company which will use 1800 MHz for mobile phones as well as for the development of telephone services and networks. The same mentions that monthly fees in Romania for telephone services are increased by 18 per cent. RADOR

[10] Romanian - Slovak contract of association

The Ambassador of Slovakia to Bucharest, Peter Kopecki and the managers of the beer factory TREI STEJARI of the town of Sibiu signed the contract of association for the production at Sibiu of one of the most popular and appreciated brands of beer in Europe TOPVAR. TREI STEJARI will soon produce three brands of beer BALEA, TOMAS and TOPVAR, informs RADIO ROMANIA ACTUALITATI. RADOR

CALENDAR

President Emil Constantinescu opens the debates of the seminar THE YEAR 2000 - EUROPE IS CHANGING. PROSPECTS FOR THE EXPANSION OF THE EUROPEAN UNION. The seminar is organized by the European Academy of Berlin, the French Foreign Ministry and the PRess and Information Bureau of the Cabinet of Romania.

The President of Romania is attending the balansheet meeting of the Special Telecommunication Service which inaugurates a new system of radiocommunications called PHOENIX.

Parliament Palace hosts the regional convention of the countries of Central and Eastern Europe on the theme JUSTICE, FORCES OF ORDER AND THE SOCIETY FIGHTING CORRUPTION.

Romania is visited by the first deputy of the Saudi Foreign Minister who is received by the Prime Minister of Romania later today.

Foreign Minister Petre Roman participates in Vienna at the second meeting of the OSCE troika at foreign ministers level.

Nizar Madani, first deputy of the Saudi Foreign Minister, now on a visit to Romania, will have talks with Ion Pascu, secretary of state with the Romanian Foreign Ministry.

The chief negociator of Romania for the European Union Aurel Ciobanu-Dordea will meet with Mrs. Pascale Andreani, director for European Cooperation with the French Foreign Ministry for talks referring to the efforts of Romania of accession to the European Union. Mrs. Andreani is in Bucharest to attend the debates of the French- German Colloquim for European journalists.

British ambassador to NATO Sir John Goulden now on a visit to Romania delivers a lecture with title THE PLACE HELD BY ROMANIA IN THE EUROPEAN DEFENSE POLICY. A POINT OF VIEW OF GREAT BRITAIN. The lecture is delivered at the Academy of High Military Studies.

Festive Assembly at the seat of the Command of the Romanian Gendarmerie occasioned by 150 years since the creation of the Romanian Gerdarmerie.

At the American Cultural Center, the US Ambassador to Romania, James Rosapepe and Stefan Augustin Doinas, president of the foundation THE XX-TH CENTURY launch together the copy of the magazine which is destined to North America.

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