What the newspapers say: June 30, 2011

For the new IMF chief, Romania is unknown which might have consequences for our country. Romania’s economy stumbles as consumption drops and the population is saving and investing speculatively. Baia Mare city hall plans to build a cement wall around a building where Rroma people live. Bucharest city hall plans to spend 2 million euro for orientation panels around the city.

For the new IMF boss, Romania is still unknown and Romania libera reads that this will surely determine the IMF to have different policies towards European states. It remains to be seen what Lagarde’s position will be regarding Romania. The newspaper reads that Romania is not a priority of the IMF.

Last year, IMF’s former chief Dominique Strauss Kahn in an address to the Romanian Parliament warned that loans received by Romania are not enough for the country to pull itself out of the crisis and that a change of attitude is needed. For starters, the most probable move is that Lagarde will follow in the lines taken by Straus Kahn and by the IMF chief of mission in Romania Jeffrey Franks.

Romania libera reads that Romania’s economy stumbles as consumption drops and the population is saving up. According to experts, the economic growth in the first quarter was fragile and not supported by an internal production improvement. Experts and businessmen representatives say that in the first three months of the year the growth was very small and therefore a drop of growth indicators, already pointed out by IMF representatives is not surprising.

The newspaper reads that Romania did not manage to attract European money, credits are still at an unsatisfying level and capital investments are not enough. Experts claim it is a dangerous context.

Elsewhere in the news, Baia Mare city hall plans to build a wall around a building where Rroma people live, Gandul reads. The plans were criticized by several NGOs including Amnesty International and Romani Criss. According to the NGOs, quoting local press, Baia Mare’s mayor Catalin Chereches announced that the city hall will build a wall surrounding a building where mostly Rroma ethnics live.

The wall can start at any moment and will cost 30,000 lei. According to the mayor, the wall is meant to cleanse the area and eliminate any gangs. NGOs warn that the measure is discriminatory and will humiliate the Rroma. The three NGOs publicly request the city hall to cease any procedure and cancel all procedures already initiated.

Evenimentul Zilei reads that the Bucharest city hall plans to pay 2 million euro for orientation panels around the city aiming at improving traffic and decrease pollution. If the Bucharest council will vote for the project, the streets in Bucharest will be full of panels for drivers and pedestrians. According to the project, the panels will be implemented in six months if the city hall council approves it.