CFR Marfa, the national freight railway company notified unions and labour inspectors about its plans to lay off 3,000 employees even though the negotiated numbers with the unions was 2,400 starting June 1st, union leader Iulian Mantescu declared quoted by Romanian news agency Mediafax. read more...

Economic recovery will be slower in some emerging European countries that registered internal unsustainable booms like Romania, the World Economic Outlook report released by the IMF reports. Experts of the institution estimate that after a 1.3% decline in 2010, Romania’s economy will grow by 1.5% this year and by 4.4% in 2012. read more...

Stagflation, reflected in a stagnation of the economic activity and continuation of an inflationist process is being felt in Europe including Romania, Stefan Wagstyl Financial Times editor for emerging markets writes in his blog, beyondbrics. He notes that the annual inflation increased in March at 8% while the economy is struggling to grow after two years of recession. read more...

The European Commission made an official request to Romania, Poland and Italy to comply with EU regulations and align their regulated prices for natural gas and energy, a press release of the EC reads. According to it, the Commission decided to send motivated requests to the three member states. If they do not respect the obligations in two months, the Commission can address the Court of Justice. read more...

The European Commission sued Belgium for not respecting maximum ceilings on air quality standards, imposed by the EU because Belgium did not manage to resolve the problem in eight areas of its country. Since Romania is also in the situation of not respecting these norms, the Commission will send a motivated request. Once received, Romania has two months to comply with the requests. Bucharest citizens breathed a polluted air three times higher than the maximum. read more...

European Parliament’s Vice President Gianni Pittella announced in the Parliament that he received the request of the Romanian Justice ministry to lift immunity of Romanian MEP Adrian Severin. The request will be forwarded to the Judicial Affairs Committee. read more...

Public institutions that opt for electric cars through the program that allows the replacement of old cars with new ones will benefit of 5,300 euro from the state, Environment minister Laszlo Borbely declared who initiated an emergency ordinance on this matter. read more...

PM Emil Boc declared on Tuesday night in an interview for Realitatea TV news television that he is not on the point to resign but to assume responsibility in the Parliament for another law. Boc said that the chief of state never asked him to resign. read more...

The committee for defense in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday adopted an amendment to the ordinance extending the period in which military pensions will be recalculated, which says that if a pension is lower after recalculation, the pension shall retain its original value. read more...

Anti-graft prosecutors sent on Tuesday, to the Justice minister Catalin Predoiu a request to lift parliamentary immunity of Romanian MEP Adrian Severin, suspected of bribe taking and traffic of influence following the Sunday Times reveal of the laws for money scandal involving three MEPs including Romanian Severin. Catalin Predoiu would have to send this request to the European Parliament President Jerzy Buzek. read more...

Romanian investment fund Fondul Proprietatea (FP.RO) has asked the Bucharest Court to start insolvency procedures against the World Trade Center in Bucharest. read more...

The committee for budget and finances in the Romanian Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday rejected a bill reducing VAT on basic foods to 5%, as well as another making pensions lower than 2,000 lei (EUR1=RON4.1147) tax-exempt. read more...

Romanian carmaker Dacia, owned by French group Renault, might cease production for a few days after Easter due to shortages of car parts from earthquake and tsunami-hit Japan. read more...

Lowering the general social security contributions would help stimulate business competition in Romania, a central bank official said Tuesday, adding that the measure shouldn’t take too much of a toll on the government budget. read more...

Romanian economy is likely to grow by a meager 1% in 2011, mostly driven by exports, but domestic demand remains subdued, Ernst & Young said in a report Tuesday. read more...

The Indian car producer Tata Motors considers the possibility of an investment in Cluj, central Romania as representatives of the Indian group meet local authorities, Romanian news agency Mediafax reports. read more...

Over half of retailers active in Romanian malls posted sales increases of up to 30% in 2010, compared to 2009, according to a survey published Tuesday by real estate consultants Colliers. read more...

Romania's High Court of Justice upheld an appeal filed by the prosecutor general concerning Law 221/2008 on increasing wages in the education sector, so teachers will be paid the difference between salary rights set by the law and the real wages they received until December 31, 2009. read more...

Romania’s net average salary in February was at 1,414 lei (EUR1=RON4.1333), down 0.7% compared with the previous month, Romania’s statistics institute said Tuesday. read more...

The Romanian state is set to announce today whether it accepts to have the biggest offering in the history of the Bucharest Stock Exchange brokered by the consortium led by Renaissance Capital, half-owned by a Russian billionaire with an empire in gold production. read more...