What the newspapers say: May 6, 2009

Incumbent President Traian Basescu did not decide whether he will run in the 2009 Presidential elections, one newspaper reads on Wednesday. Elsewhere in the news, unemployment rates in Romania will increase to 1 million in 2010. Last but not least, Romanian airport authorities refused to use a modern scanner detecting possible swine flu cases.

Cotidianul reads on Wednesday about President Basescu’s indecision to run in the 2009 Presidential elections. Basescu declared that his main concern at the moment are the effects of the economic crisis.

Moreover, he underlined that he would rather end his mandate with a clean conscience than ignore the social turmoil looming over the country. Basescu took the opportunity to criticize the government for not taking his advice on the emergency ordinance ruling the lay off of the heads of the local decentralized institutions.

In economics, Evenimentul Zilei reads that unemployment rates in Romania will increase to 8.9% this year and 9.7% in 2010 quoting IMF. These forecasts outnumber those put forward by the European Commission or Romania’s National Prognosis Institute.

The newspaper brags that the paper put forward months ago such a number but at the time politicians denied it. Recently, Labor minister Marian Sarbu admitted that in 2009 unemployment will raise to 800,000 people. However, just a day after his declaration, Sarbu amended the estimation to 900,000 people.

Sarbu declared that IMF forecasts are exaggerated and added that he was expecting a forecast around 6.8%. However, the IMF numbers were confirmed by the European Commission as its unemployment rates were modified to 8%.

The newspaper reads that IMF experts declared that in 2009 salaries will register a 5.9% average increase and a 3.9% advance in 2010, a little over the inflation rate. The Fund foresees that the inflation rate will drop from 6.3% in 2008 to 4.5% by the end of 2009.

According to the financial institution, Romania’s economy will improve in 2011 witnessing an advance of 5% due to the internal demand recovery.

Gandul reads that local authorities on the Henri Coanda International Airport refused to use a modern scanner that might detect possible swine flu cases. Henri Coanda spokesperson Valentin Iordache declared that the scanner is not even approved by the Health ministry and it is not mandatory.

Nonetheless, the scanner was installed on Baneasa Airport but it is not taken seriously, the newspaper reads. Baneasa officials declared that the scanner was borrowed for two months from the private company.