What the newspapers say: July 22, 2010 

Even after 20 years, the Ceausescus remain a powerful brand for Romania and for Romanians alike as publications across the globe took over the news of the decision to exhume their bodies, one newspaper reads on Thursday. Elsewhere in the news, find out why Bulgarians, Hungarians and Moldovans steal away our businesses. Last but least, 130 souls live in the hearts of the mountains, at 1000 meters, reachable by a ladder only.

Even after 20 years, the Ceausescus remain a powerful brand for Romania and Romanians as publications across Europe quoted the decision of the heirs to exhume the remainings of the couple and determine whether they were buried in the Ghencea cemetery or not.

After five years of trials, the heirs of the Ceausescu family, Valentin Ceausescu and Mircea Oprean, Zoe Ceausescu’s husband managed to exhume the remainings of the dictators. For health reasons Valentin was missing from the cemetery during the procedures.

After the process, Mircea Oprean made some harsh declarations at the cemetery entrance at the address to those who took over power after the revolution back in 1989. He said that he wishes to fill up the list of his father in law criminals with new names besides those already put forward, Ion Iliescu, former Romanian President, Gelu Voican Voiculescu and Petre Roman with Virgil Magureanu and Victor Athanasie Stanculescu who behabed badly with the couple at the time.

Former Romanian Intelligence chief Virgil Magureanu declared for the newspaper that he is not interested in such declarations and he does not plan to comment them. The prosecutor who instrumented the case against the dictator and his wife said that their son and son in law are planning to victimize Ceausescu.

Elsewhere in the news, Gandul explains why Hungarians, Bulgarians and Moldovans steal businesses from Romania. With lower taxes, decreased bureaucracy, cheaper labor or just stability. These are the main chapters which Romania lacks in the view of foreign investors.

The relocation of companies to our neighbours becomes a reality, union representatives declared for the newspaper. Big investors think the same and the recent VAT increase to 24% decided by the government added to the uncertainty.

Official data confirm that Romania does not attract money from foreign companies. Direct foreign investments dropped by 50% in the first five months of the year compared to the same preiod, last year from 2.09 billion euro to 1.4 billin euro.

Even the Central Bank governor Mugur Isarescu admitted that companies justly criticize the high fiscality: all companies complain about the exaggerated level of taxing. For example, for 25 euro, Bulgarians take over the file of Romanian company holders and deal with the bureaucracy for them.

In the Republic of Moldova there are no taxes on reinvested profits and Hungary attracts through its predictability.

Last but not least, Romania libera tells the story of 130 Romanians who live in Scarisoara, at over 1000 meters altitude and who can be reached only through a ladder. Tens of Romanian and foreign tourists use the wooden ladder to reach the town where there is no electricity or any utilities.

The ladders are simply rested on the rocks and they were placed in such a way to make the angle less brutal. After your cross the 100 meter ladder, there are another 4 km to the village through the forest.

Poeple there grow pigs, cows and other household animals. However, the currency in the village seems to be the cheese and the nuts. People still use barter to exchange goods between themselves.