What the newspapers say: April 28, 2011

Boc’s government judged in terms of meters of highway built made 62 meters/day he still needs to govern 35 years to honor his electoral promises. For the first time in Romania, the National Statistics Institute will organize a trial census to ensure the success of the census in autumn. In three years, about 100 million euro worth of EU funds were offered for young people to set up farms in the countryside but the newspaper reveals that in certain cases, the young men were just a façade. The biggest danger to the continuation of reforms in Romania, for the international institutions are the 2012 elections, one newspaper reads.

Gandul judges the Boc government in terms of meters of highway built: in this governing time spam, Boc’s government built 62 meters a day which means he needs to govern for another 35 years in order to comply with his electoral promises. The record investments in infrastructure promised by Boc’s government translated into 53 km of highway and about 630 km of national road rehabilitated.

The newspaper reads that on average the government built 62 meters of highway which means that in this rhythm, to honor the electoral promise of 2008, to build 1,000 km of highway the executive will need 35 years.

In three years 100 million euro were offered from EU funds for young people to set up farms in the countryside, Romania libera reads. In an investigation, the newspaper reveals that in the three cases it randomly selected, the young men were just a façade for others.

Any Romanian under 40 years old can request the help of the Union if it proves that it owns a small farm which he wants to register as a tax payer. The newspaper inspected four farms randomly chosen. Firstly, it found out that two of the beneficiaries were working in institutions under the subordination of the Agriculture ministry that allocates the money and others were just a façade for the business of other people that would not have complied to EU regulations.

Evenimentul Zilei reads that for the first time in Romania, the National Statistics Institute will organize a trial census on May 7 to 16 in order to ensure the success of the census in Autumn on October 22 to 31. The trial census will be organized in all counties.

There will be three census sectors in each county and three sectors in the rural areas. This means 261 census sectors, the press release reads. According to officials, the trial census will test on a smaller scale the organization activities, the methodology and the working programs for censors.

Romania libera quotes IMF representatives warning that the biggest danger to the continuation of reforms in Romania are the 2012 elections because the government might give up some of them on grounds that the crisis has been overcome and the economy is growing again.

IMF urges authorities to accelerate the process setting up actions needed regarding state companies whether they will decide to privatize them, shut them down or restructure them. Talks will focus on 18 companies. A common IMF/EC/WB mission is in Bucharest from April 27 to May 9 for the first evaluation of the new agreement.

The new agreement, signed in March for two years is worth 3.5 billion euro. The agreement will be accompanied by a 1.4 billion euro preventive support from the EU and a 400 million euro loan from the World Bank.