What the newspapers say: April 11, 2008

Protests and strikes, urban chaos and future discipline in construction, polluting cars and poor policemen – these are the main issues discussed in the media on Friday, while politics seem to fall into oblivion. The list of candidates for the nearing local elections is almost complete, but the results seem to be already obvious, therefore the news is hardly ever published in this area.

A move that may leave 2 million Romanians without their cars is being put up by the European Union these days. A three-year ultimatum is discussed for non-Euro standard cars, which may be banned starting in 2011, in case the law is approved, Romanian Prime Minister Calin Popescu Tariceanu warned, according to Evenimentul Zilei. The measure would affect Romanians who own old cars, mainly Romania-made Dacia 1300 and Oltcit, but also Trabant, Oltcit, Opel Ascona, Renault 16, Renault 21, Opel Kadett and Renault 5. According to official data, 54% of all cars in Romania are non-Euro standard compliant.

Speaking of Romanian cars: while the workers at Dacia Renault continue their strike (unofficially causing a 150 million euro loss until now), Renault employees in Cleon (Normandy) expressed their support for the Romanian labor union at the car producing factory, same Evenimentul Zilei informs.

But the workers at Dacia are not the only ones unhappy with their working conditions. Some 4,000 policemen are about to flood the streets in front of the Government, in order to protest against the law budget. According to union leaders, the budget is not enough to pay for the gas and for the necessary paper stock, Evenimentul Zilei reads. Still, the officers say they are content with the recent negotiations with the Interior Minister, regarding their wages.

Romania Libera has an explanation for all the union fuss these days: it is an electoral year after all, and unions understood that it is easier now to demand and obtain advantages, since the Government feels more generous than usual. However, employers say this is bad practice for the businesses and that the habit may affect the business environment in the long run.

Tough doing business in Romania, and companies in retail know it best: 40% of the bankruptcies in 2007 come from the retail businesses and were caused by the expansion of hypermarket chains like Carrefour, Real, Auchan, Kaufland and Pic, Gandul reads.

But the days also has a piece of good news: Bucharest may soon see some protected areas, so that the sky scrapers wouldn’t be built anymore after the developers’ own likes, Cotidianul informs. At this moment, Bucharest in the middle of construction chaos, with unfit buildings rising everywhere.