What the newspapers say: March 1, 2011

The fate of the new Labor Code for which the Romanian government is due to assume responsibility, a Council of Europe official’s warning about the fight against corruption and revelations of Mafia sword-and-knife threats, as well as the 2011 budget approved by the Bucharest council feature prominently in Romanian newspapers on Tuesday.

The road to the adoption of a new Labor Code adopted by the Romanian government on Monday is described thoroughly by Evenimentul Zilei. As the government decided to push the bill by assuming responsibility for it in the Parliament, many obstacles appear as the opposition is threatening a censure motion and the trade unions warn of general strikes.

While PM Boc has insisted that the changes brought to the Labor Code are aimed at preventing black market labor, trade unions claim otherwise. The paper quotes trade union leader Bogdan Hossu who claims that work without contract would flourish following the introduction of the new code.

According to the paper, while the opposition parties announced they would submit a motion censure once the Government assumes responsibility over the bill, trade unions scheduled street protests due to peak with a major meeting before the Parliament Palace on March 8.

Meanwhile, Adevarul newspaper interviews Thorbjorn Jagland, secretary general of the Council of Europe, who warns authorities in Bucharest they have to solve the issue of briberies at all levels. He is quoted as saying he hopes that recent arrests at Romanian border points would be followed by moves against high level corruption as the fight against graft should not be limited to border police.

Adevarul also describes the ways of underground boss Sandu Anghel who, as the newspaper puts it, solves criminal files opened on his name by threatening victims with death by sword or knife. And the paper tells the story of Darius Valcov, the mayor of Slatina city who is fighting in court to obtain the right to demolish several buildings built by Anghel illegally. Valcov says Sandu Anghel, also known locally as Bercea Mondial, tried to fabricate a drug trafficking file against him. Darius Valcov is fighting in court to obtain the right to demolish several buildings built by Anghel illegally.

And Gandul analyzes the 2011 budget set for Bucharest by the city council and voted on Monday. According to the paper, the buget amounts to 5.6 billion lei, 1 billion lei less than last year. One of the most affected projects is the completion of the new Lia Manoliu national stadium, for which only 147 million lei remain after its budget was cut by 235 million lei.