What the newspapers say: May 18, 2011

Romania is slowly becoming an attractive investment for foreign investors after 2010 was the worst year since 2004 from this point of view. Investments worth hundreds of millions of euro have been blocked for several years as authorities argue on the infrastructure of ports at the Danube. Journalist Stelian Negrea submitted to the audiovisual authority evidence that the general director of Intact Media Group made editorial recommendations. Elsewhere in the news, Prince Charles talks about Romania’s best export product, Transylvania. Last but not least, two “manele”songs will be on Goran Bregovic’s new album Gipsy Champagne.

Gandul reas that several foreign companies started Greenfield investments worth 113 million euro in the first months of the year and will generate 1,800 jobs according to official data. The companies are Toro and International Automotive Components Group, both American and Shinheung Electronics from South Korea and Spaniards from Siliken. Plus, automobile investors also expressed their plans to invest in Romania.

Authorities said that since the beginning of the year they received 15 proposals of new investments worth 1.1 billon euro and all projects are Greenfield and will create 6,500 jobs. For this year, authorities expect foreign investments worth about 4 billion euro compared to 2.59 billion euro in 2009.

In the same vein, Romania libera reads that authorities have been arguing on the infrastructure in the Danube’s ports while investments worth 400 million euro are blocked. Even though the investments are on paper, local authorities claim that there have been just 150,000 lei allocated to repair the waterfront in Tulcea.

Investments at the port did not start and it is not unlikely to start any time soon, local official Dumitru Dache director of the Ports Administration in Tulcea said.

Evenimentul Zilei reads that journalist Stelian Negrea, former senior editor at Antena 3 news television presented evidence to the audio visual authority that general director of the media trust made editorial recommendations. Negrea explained that political attacks were targeted against the Democratic Liberal Party and its politicians.

He said that his department was under the direct supervision of Intact’s general director Codrut Seres. The officials of the audio visual authorities have requested copies of the emails which Negrea presented as evidence to sustain his declarations in which Seres clearly makes editorial recommendations.

In an interview for the Romanian public television, Prince Charles talks about Romania’s best export product, Transylvania Evenimentul Zilei reads. The interview will be aired tonight, at 9 PM as part of the talk show “Cu Ochii’n 4” where Irina Pacurariu presents interviews with personalities who talk about Romania’s governance in the last 20 years.

The interview offered by Prince Charles is complemented by stories of other personalities including Jessica Douglas Home, British writer who reveals that she smuggled articles written by Romanian authors Andrei Plesu or Doina Cornea before 1989 to publish them in the Time.

Gandul reads about the notorious manele singer, Florin Salam whose songs will be included in Goran Bregovic’s latest album, Gipsy Champagne. This includes the collaborations of the Serbian musician with Gipsy Kings or Eric Clapton. His music will be promoted in a series of concerts in Europe, where Salam is invited to ttend.