What the newspapers say: May 28, 2008

Once again, newspapers find out that Romania is an expensive country. After counting how much we pay for hotels and food, it is now the turn of electronics. However, in case Romania is protected from heavy storms this year, the agriculture production seems to be quite promising, and food may become cheaper this fall.

Evenimentul Zilei continues its series on „Romania, an expensive country” and makes a brief analysis of the electronics market, discovering that many appliances and electronics are a lot more expensive than in other European countries, despite that the competition exists and functions. Transport taxes, greed and other factors prove to be essential in the pricing policies.

Not a bad piece of news for Vertu, the luxury division of Nokia. The „Rolls Royce” of mobile phone will open a store in Romania, offering models between 5,000 and 10,000 euro, Gandul reads. During the month in which the company tested the market, 45 phones were sold, enough to convince the managers that Romania is a good choice.

On the other hand, Romania Libera finds out that the agriculture production this year may be 2.6 times larger than last year, a fact that would make Romania the third producer in Europe, after France and Italy (at least in corn) and would lead to price decrease.

Still about expensive things: the prices for homes in old blocks of flats seem to decrease this year, after reaching a record level of 1,200 euro per meter at the edge of town. The real estate sharks step back and cease selling apartments up to the level where the entire market is blocked, Evenimentul Zilei notes.

Still, expensive blocks in expensive areas continue to be built. On the last straight line, only a couple of days before the local elections, the City Hall modifies the construction conditions in a luxury area in Northern Bucharest, near the Baneasa forest, allowing some 17-levels towers to be built, Jurnalul National unveils.