What the newspapers say: February 12, 2009

Romania may run out of medical doctors, the State pays 600 million Euros in order to help the economy, Romanians who don’t pay their bank rates may push Austria into bankruptcy, although the crisis makes them start saving some money.

French villages are willing to pay up to 40,000 Euros to recruit a Romanian doctor, Gandul reads, explaining that France faces a „health system desertification”. Their move may prove successful, since Romanian doctors have wages ten times lower than abroad, despite the fact that their density is three times less than the European average.

In the economy, same Gandul found out that the Romanian State Assets Authority (AVAS) has injected some 600 million Euros (2.38 billion RON) worth of incentives for 80 companies. The investments assumed by the companies that received the incentives are three times larger than the state aid, Mediafax adds.

In a pessimistic scenario, Romania may push Austria into bankruptcy, Evenimentul Zilei reads, given the massive debt this country has to recover from the Romanian banking system. Up to this moment, Austria has to receive 220 billion Euros from the Easter European banks, a sum representing over three quarters of the national GDP. Italy, Sweden, France and Belgium are also on the list of countries that may face some problems because of their East-European debtors.

Meanwhile, the Romanian Senate approved a new law draft, forcing banks to suggest new debt recovery plans before attempting to execute the debt, Cotidianul reads.

The only good news about the crisis is that Romanians drop their leasing contracts on such a fast pace that the hellish traffic Bucharest is known for has become almost normal. A handful of policemen placed in the critical points, during the rush hours, are enough to make the city almost comfortable, compared to the previous years’ experience, Evenimentul Zilei reads.

On the other hand, the problems caused by the economic crisis has changes the consumption habits of Romanians. Almost one third of Romanians are worried that they might lose their jobs and many quit spending and start saving money, in order to ensure their financial independence, same Evenimentul Zilei reads.