What the newspapers say: March 24, 3009

The agreement with the International Monetary FUND (IMF) still makes most of the headlines on Tuesday. In politics, the governing parties prepare to share the influence over public TV and radio stations. In the regional news, Bulgaria gets tired of fighting the corruption by itself and demands EU professional assistance.

The agreement with the IMF was introduced to the Opposition parties and labor unions on Monday. Before signing the agreement, IMF officials, along with the Central Bank governor, Mugur Isarescu, will meet the boards of the main 10 foreign banks operating in Romania. The IMF experts want to make sure that the banks will keep supporting the local market and will not export funds towards their mother-banks in case the Romanian Central Bank (BNR) decides to lower the minimum reserves level for foreign currencies, Evenimentul Zilei reads.

Discussing the same agreement, Gandul draws the line and counts the concrete effects of the document: 800,000 unemployed and frozen wages for 13 billion Euros from the IMF and 5 billion Euros from the European Union. The IMF funds will be used for stabilizing the exchange rate, while the 5 billion Euros will be used to cover the budgetary deficit. The IMF agreed with a 4.6% budget deficit in 2009.

Meanwhile, Romania is in search for a country brand. The Tourism Ministry announced that an international bid will be organized soon. The brand concept will be paid with 2 million Euros, while the implementing procedures will receive a 73 million Euro budget, Evenimentul Zilei reads.

In politics, a new scandal is about to burst. The head of the Democrat Liberal Party (PDL), Emil Boc, and the Social Democrat (PSD) leader, Mircea Geoana, had a private meeting in order to decided who should obtain political influence over the public TV station and who should get the public radio stations. According to Cotidianul, PDL won the right to name the future TVR manager (the public TV stations), while PSD will take over the public radio.

In regional news, Bulgaria has asked the European Commission to send anti-graft specialists to be employed in Bulgarian institutions. The EC spokesman said that Bulgaria received technical, financial and consultancy support, and the EU can not go any further with its support, Romania Libera reads.